Chapter 3 - Day's 2 and 3
"...He's rolling over...He's...scratching his head...He's rolled over again.." Lois sat in front of the couch Clark was sleeping on, a video camera in her hand. She was recording and narrating the whole thing, her voice sounding like the slow, steady, and quiet tone of those golf-narrator-people.
Clark rolled over.
"He's rolled over."
Clark slowly opened his eyes and looked at her.
Lois focused the camera on his face for a close-up. "He's waking up..." she continued her narrative.
Clark rubbed his eyes.
"He's rubbing his eyes."
"Lois, what are you doing?"
"He's asking me what I'm doing."
"IS THAT A VIDEO CAMERA?"
"He's asking me if this is a video--" Before Lois could finish, Clark had thrown a pillow at her. Lois quickly turned the camera off and started laughing. "What? I tried shaking you to wake you up, but you wouldn't budge. So your mom told me to stare at you for a full five minutes. She said THAT would wake you up. Well, what do you know, she was right."
Clark sighed and sat upright on the couch. "Well, what's with the camera?" he asked, pointing.
"Oh. Well I got bored just staring at you, so I took this down and decided to make the most of it. Besides, I've decided to start a documentary," Lois replied, getting up.
"A documentary?" Clark asked, puzzled.
Lois grinned. "Yep! I'm going to record every moment I spend here in Smallville on this baby," she said, patting her cam. "So hurry up, Clarkness. It's almost time for church, and you're STILL not dressed." She then disappeared up the stairs, her heeled boots making loud noises on the steps.
Clark groaned. Was there no end to her crazy ideas?
...later...
After church that morning, Martha and Lois began preparing some delicious food for lunch. The smells coming from the kitchen were so good, that Clark and Jonathan kept casually strolling in, asking if the food was ready. Annoyed, Martha had banished them from the kitchen and had forbid them from coming in until they were finished. Besides, she wanted to have a word with Lois.
"So.." Martha asked, nudging Lois on the shoulder with her elbow.
Lois stopped chopping the potatoes and looked at her. "So...what?" she asked.
"So what do you have in store for Clark today?" Martha returned.
Lois laughed. "As silly as it sounds, I'm not that sure. But I DO know that on Tuesday we're going to camp out with Chloe in your backyard. I hope you don't mind," she said.
Martha raised her eyebrows. "Camp out? Honey, if you wanted to have a sleepover, you could have just told me. I mean, you could catch cold out there--"
"Ah, no Mrs. Kent. It'll be fine. Besides, I'd like to give you and the hubby some time alone for at least one night," Lois said, trying to assure her hostess. "I hope you guys have a couple of tents available."
Martha nodded her head, saying, "Yes, I think we have two stored up somewhere."
"Great! I'll just share a tent with Chloe," Lois said, finished with the potatoes.
A few minutes later, Martha took out a red-checkered tablecloth from a drawer and asked Lois to help her put it on the table. "It's new," she explained. "I just bought it yesterday."
Clark suddenly came strolling in as they laid it on the table, sniffing the air hungrily. He watched as Lois went back to work on the counter. "Hey mom..." he began, "Are you sure about having Lois help you cook? She might ruin the whole thing and end up burning the house down."
"Hey Clark," Lois said, looking up. "Did you know that you and your mother's tablecloth match?"
Martha shook her head. "Kids, come on. Clark, get out of here, the food won't be ready in at least another hour," she said, shooing him away.
After Lunch
The Loft.
Clark sat on the couch, pencil in hand, as he finished writing a report assigned to his class the day before the water pipe burst. He wanted to get it over with before Lois came up with another crazy plan that he would be forced to go along with. Clark told himself not to roll his eyes as the thought of Lois came to mind. There was something undeniably...special...about her. Clark realized suddenly that Lois was the first woman who didn't swoon or smile when he would walk into a room. When she DID smile, it was either because she was plotting something, or she was knew something he didn't. It was kind of nice to have someone tell you how it was with no beating around the bush. Though Lois' assertiveness was one quality that Clark could live without, he found that that was what made her unique.
Clark decided that he didn't hate her. He..kind of liked her, actually. But, not in THAT-A-WAY. There was something about her presence that was both disturbing and calming at the same time. He knew it sounded weird, but that was how he felt.
Still lost in his thoughts, Clark heard footsteps coming up the stairs.
"CLARK! I'M BORED!" a familiar voice screeched into the barn.
Clark smiled and looked up from his homework. Lois had pulled a chair towards the couch and was sitting in front of him, her face in a pout.
"You could always go home, you know," Clark said, hopefully. "I mean, there are more exciting things to do in the city. You'll just be bored to death down here."
Lois grinned. "Nice try, Smallville. But I'm not done torturing you yet," she said. "Ooh, i know! Let's play some games!"
Clark looked back to the report he was finishing. "Lois, I'm not done with my homework," he said, his voice serious.
"Oh. Well, that's okay. I'll wait," Lois said, sitting back down.
Clark eyed her one last time, before turning back to his paper. He saw with satisfaction that he only needed to write a few more sentences to end his uber-long report. He was just beginning to write again, when he heard a soft click. He looked up to see Lois with the video camera in her hand, recording his every movement.
"Lois," he sighed.
"What?"
"Please turn that thing off."
"Why?"
"You're distracting me!"
Lois waved a hand at him. "Never mind me, Clark. Just pretend I'm not here," she said. As Clark tried getting back to his work, though, Lois began her quiet narrative once more. "I am now here in the famous loft of the world's GREATEST enigma, dun dun DUUUUN...Clark Kent," she began. Clark chose to ignore her. "Over there," Lois said, zooming in on random spots in Clark's loft, "are a bunch of books!..And over there, there's uh...MORE books!..and THAT is his old telescope that he says he uses to look at the stars. But I personally think that he uses it to spy on other people, such as Lan--"
"LOIS!"
"COUGH Sorry. Anyway...And right there," Lois said, focusing the lens on Clark's head, which was bent over his paper, "..is CLARK himself. Say hi, Clark! ("Hi," Clark shortly replied, still not looking at her) Oh, it seeeems as if he is working on his homework. Let's take a look, shall we?...(Lois got up and zoomed in on Clark's paper) Oh, what's this? 'The Legend of King Arthur : Fact or Fiction.' Looks as boring as heck, but never mind about that. Hmm, it seems that he is almost finished. Take in this moment of suspense, people. Will he finish his homework? Will he get a high grade? Or will he gasp FAIL? What if his English teacher thinks that his topic was too boring to even READ or that his handwriting completely sucked? What if she gives him an F--"
"LOIS!"
"Yes?"
"TURN THAT THING OFF!"
"YES! Let's see more of that ANGER! I want to see the smoke coming from your ears, Clark!" Lois said, talking like some movie director.
Clark sighed and did his best to ignore her, adding the finishing touch to his paper. "I'm finished, " he announced. "NOW will you turn that off?"
Lois smiled and did what she was told. She was just about to go back downstairs to maybe watch some TV, when Clark stopped her. "Hey, Lois?" He suddenly said.
"Yeah?"
"Would you mind reading my report for me?.."
"What for?" Lois asked, looking puzzled.
Clark looked down at his feet. In all honesty, he wanted her to stay and keep him company (crazy, I know), but of course he couldn't say that. So he made up an excuse. "Well,um...Since you're older and all..I thought you might tell me what you think of my writing," he said.
Lois chuckled. "Whoa, slow down. Just because I'm oldER, doesn't mean I've got as much brain cells as you do. I've read your stuff, Clark, and you're pretty good," she tried assuring him.
"Yeah, but still..." Clark said, then suddenly lowered his voice to a whisper, "..You said it yourself..I might ...FAIL. And this report counts for almost half my grade in that class."
"Pessimist," Lois rolled her eyes, but took the folder from Clark's hand anyway. She sat on the couch next to him and began flipping through it rapidly. "Dang, Kent," she said. "How many pages are required for this particular report?"
"Two."
"And this is what?..SIXTEEN?"
Clark shrugged. "I just felt like expanding my thoughts. I get carried away sometimes when I'm trying to explain something, or when I'm trying to prove a point...(Lois snorted, "You got that right.") ..and besides..The teacher gives us extra credit if we do extra work," he replied.
"Psh. Clark, you're such an OVER-ACHIEVER." Lois flipped to the first page and began reading. Clark waited patiently, then said he needed the bathroom. While he was gone, Lois found herself getting more and more interested in Clark's choice of topic and continued reading.
A few minutes later, Clark came back and ran up the stairs. Lois sat there on the couch waiting for him. "So?" Clark said, plopping down next to her. "How was it?"
"Oh, you mean your report? It bored me to tears, so i just burned it."
"WHAT!"
"RELAX!" Lois took his folder from behind her and handed it back to him with a smile. "It was...good. Very good. I never knew King Arthur was such an interesting literary figure," she replied.
Clark took the folder from her and suddenly looked up. "Did you just pay me a compliment?" he asked, a smile creeping into his face.
Lois' smile disappeared as she pointed a finger at him. "Yeah, and if you tell ANYONE, I will kick your butt," she said, her voice threatening.
Clark just continued smiling and shook his head. "I won't tell," he said, as Lois got up from the couch.
"Okay, now I'm going to go downstairs and see if your parents need help with anything, " Lois said, fondly ruffling his hair. She began heading back down the stairs. "I do mean it," she suddenly said, turning around briefly to address him. "You did an awesome work on your report, Clark. There were a few run-on sentences, but eh. Those are easy to correct."
"Thanks," Clark said. He didn't know why her opinion mattered so much, but it felt good to have her approval.
"By, the way, did you enjoy the lunch I helped cook?" Lois suddenly called out to him, already halfway out of the barn.
Clark stared at her retreating figure, the smile on his face slowly fading. "...Yeaahh...It was great. Why?"
"Because I spit in your bowl."
Pause.
"YOU WHAT!"
DAY 3
MONDAY MORNING
Clark slowly opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He could tell from the light peeping out of the windows that it was still early morning. The smell of Martha's cooking coming from the kitchen further encouraged him to get up, so he did just that. Walking into the kitchen, he watched his mother turn around to address him.
"Good morning, Clark," she said, smiling.
"Morning, Mom," he said, kissing her cheek. "Ooh. Is that pancakes?" he asked, staring at the cooking pan. Martha slapped his hand from taking a quick sample.
"Now, Clark," she said sternly. "Go take your shower, and THEN you may have your breakfast," she said.
Clark groaned but obediently walked up the stairs anyway. After grabbing some new clothes he kept in his parents' room (since Lois occupied HIS, duh), he headed for the bathroom. On the way, however, he caught sight of his bedroom, and noticed the door was open a crack. Although tempted to check in on Lois, he forced his feet to move in the direction of the bathroom. He opened the door and stepped inside. He immediately regretted that he did.
- Kitchen -
Martha almost dropped the plate full of waffles and pancakes when she heard piercing screams and yells coming from upstairs. Worried, she ran to the bottom of the stairs, and was just about to ask what all the commotion was about, when her questions were answered for her.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, SMALLVILLE!"
"LOIS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE!"
"WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M DOING? I'M TAKING A FRIGGIN' SHOWER, KENT!"
"YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO GET UP UNTIL TEN OR ELEVEN A.M.!"
"Oh, so there wasn't the slightest possibility that I might have wanted to get up early for a change?"
"NO! Besides, how was I supposed to KNOW you were in here!"
"Oh, gee, that's a toughie. THE SOUND OF WATER HITTING THE TUB AND STEAM COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE DOOR, MAYBE!"
Martha put a hand to her mouth and tried to prevent herself from laughing out loud. She couldn't help chuckling quietly, though.
"IT'S NOT FUNNY, MOM!" she heard Clark yell from upstairs.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING JUST STANDING THERE! GET OUT!" Lois' voice rang.
"I am getting out!"
"WELL, GET OUT FASTER!"
Martha heard the door shut with a bang, and bit her lip as Clark came walking down the stairs. His eyes were plenty round, and he seemed to be on the verge of a heart attack. Panting, he ignored the way his mother looked at him.
"I am scarred for LIFE," he stated, once they were inside the kitchen.
Martha smiled. "Why, how much did you see?" she asked, teasingly. Jonathan walked into the door just as Clark answered, "Enough." Martha laughed.
"Enough what?" Jonathan asked, going to the sink and washing his hands. "Did I miss something?"
Martha sighed and tried wiping the smile off her face, but she couldn't. "Clark walked in on Lois taking a shower," she said, matter-of-factly.
Jonathan raised his eyebrows. "Whoa. I did miss something," he said, sitting down next to Clark on the kitchen table. Clark put his head on the table, his shoulders slumped almost in defeat. He looked about ready to cry. Jonathan patted his son's back and tried comforting him. "It's okay, son," he sighed. "You couldn't help yourself."
"DAD!"
"JONATHAN!"
Clark's head had snapped back up, and Martha began laughing. Clark groaned and tried ignoring his parents. "Ugh, just make sure that I don't see her all day today, all right?" he said, stabbing his fork at the pancakes Martha had placed on his plate.
Martha and Jonathan looked at each other. "What?" Clark asked, munching on his food.
"Er..I'm afraid we won't be able to do that, Clark..." Jonathan said, looking fidgety.
Clark swallowed and raised his eyebrows. "Why not?" he asked.
Jonathan looked to his wife. Martha looked as if she were going to deliver her son some bad news. "Honey...Lois told us before bedtime last night that she wanted to help you and your father out with the farm work today..," she explained.
Clark stared at her in complete and utter shock. "WHAT," was all he was able to get out. His parents cast sympathetic glances his way.
"...That's why she was up so early...?" Martha added, raising her shoulders and spreading her arms. Jonathan began laughing again.
- Meanwhile...In Clark's Bedroom -
Lois sighed into her cell phone as she tried tying up her recently blow-dried hair into a ponytail. "I mean...He just WALKED IN, Chloe. Just...WALKED IN!" she was saying.
Chloe chuckled from the other end of the line. She had woken up not to the sound of her alarm clock, but to the sound of her cousin frantically calling her cell. She was surprised to learn that Clark had walked in on Lois when she was just ending her shower. Chloe had been tempted to laugh but had thought the better of it. "It's karma, Lois," she said instead, yawning.
Lois stopped what she was doing and stared at her cell phone. "Oh, what a great help YOU are!"
"Lois, if i remember correctly, you did the same exact thing to him early in your relationship ("RELATIONSHIP! What RELATIONSHIP!" Lois yelled at her). And plus, YOU saw this guy COMPLETELY NAKED. HE, on the other hand, saw YOU...Wait. How did he see you? You WERE wearing something, right?"
Lois rolled her eyes and began putting her jeans on. "Yes, I was. He saw me with my bra on," she replied.
"Well, see?" Chloe's reasoning voice rang into her ear. "He only saw you HALF-NA--"
"It was my new victoria secret ones, Chlo."
"...Oh. Well, then...I guess he DID see a lot."
"CHLOE!"
"Lois, relax, okay? He didn't mean it! Just think of it as Clark seeing you in an extra-slutty bathing suit, that's all."
"Chloeeeee," Lois said, but couldn't stop the smile creeping into her face. Chloe never failed to cheer her up, even in a situation like this.
Chloe sighed from the other end. "Look, if you're extremely uncomfortable about this, then just avoid him for the day."
"Uh, can't do that."
There was a pause.
"Why not?"
"I volunteered last night to help out with the farm work."
"YOU WHAT!"
"Yeah, and don't tell me to back out, because I can't! Mr. Kent was so excited to show me the ropes, he even let me borrow one of his old shirts!"
Chloe began laughing from the other end. "Lois Lane in PLAID...Tell Clark to take a picture, I just gotta see this!"
AN HOUR LATER
Clark turned around from his hay-forking to see Lois walk in, a pitchfork not unlike his own in her hand. She was in her usual attire. Ponytail, flat boots, tight jeans, flannel shirt. Clark backtracked. FLANNEL SHIRT? "Are you wearing what I THINK you're wearing?" Clark asked in surprise, staring at her.
Lois glared. "I have a pitch fork, and I'm not afraid to use it," she threatened, walking towards him.
Clark shrugged and turned his eyes back to the hay. After that little incident in the bathroom, he found it hard to look Lois in the eye. He was still working on getting that disturbing image of her being only half dressed (No, scratch that, Clark thought, ONE-THIRD dressed). You'd think that seeing her in one of his father's old shirts would help him do that, but it only made things worse. Lois made ANYTHING, including plaid, look sexy. She had the sleeves neatly rolled up to her elbows, and had tied the bottom of the shirt into something that looked like a knot or bow up to her waist.
Lois sighed and looked at her shirt. "I was a bit disappointed it didn't come in pink," she sarcastically said, noticing the way Clark cast her sideway glances. He chuckled quietly and leaned against his pitchfork. An uncomfortable silence stretched between them.
Lois sighed and spoke first. "Uhm...About this morning.."
Clark shuffled his feet. "Yeah...about that. I'm really--" Before he could finish his apology, however, Lois interrupted him.
"Okay, so you saw me getting out of the shower wearing only my bra with a tiny towel around my waist. But what the heck you know, it happens every day. It's not like you meant it, right?" she said, looking anywhere but at Clark.
Clark blushed. "No, I didn't. I'm really, really sorry, Lois. As stupid as it sounds, I must have not been paying attention on my way to the bathroom. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, just tell me. But I'll understand if you decide not to--"
"Geez,Smallville, stop before you hurt yourself," Lois said, waving a gloved hand around. "I know you're sorry. Let's forget about it," she said, smiling in an assuring way.
Clark found himself smiling back. After a few moments, Lois cleared her throat. "Ahem. So. What should I do first?" she asked, eyeing her pitchfork, and then the hay.
Clark took his pitchfork back into his hands and quickly cleared his throat as well. "Oh! Um. Did my dad teach you how to use that thing?" he asked.
"Sure," Lois said. "You just stick the pointy ends into the hay, right?"
"He didn't teach you ,huh."
"Nope."
And so, Clark found himself spending the next half hour teaching Lois the "Art of Pitch Forking Hay". Lois couldn't help chuckling in between instructions, and when Clark asked why, she replied with, "Sorry, sorry. You make it sound like some surgical procedure, that's all. Geez, Kent, how hard can pitch forking be?"
Clark, finished with his lil' "How to Pitchfork" lecture, put a hand to his hip. "Okay, so why don't YOU try it?" he asked, challenging her.
Lois sniffed and said, "Fine, I will." Clark stepped back as she walked in front of him and dug her pitchfork into the pile of hay. Pulling with all her might, Lois watched as it emerged with a large amount of hay on it. When she tried to dump it into the other pile, however, she tipped backwards instead...right into Clark's waiting arms.
"Whoa, now. I think you took more than you could handle," Clark said, a smile evident in his voice. Before Lois could think up a smart reply, she noticed the way Clark held her shoulders in a strong yet gentle grip.
"Hey...Looks like you KNEW I was going to fall over," Lois said, looking up at him.
Clark nodded.
"WELL, WHY DIDN'T YOU WARN ME!"
"Oh, sorry. I thought you could handle it. After all, you ARE a big girl, right?"
"Dang right, I am!"
"Heeeey, what's going on here?" A new voice joined in. Lois and Clark both looked up to see Jonathan walking in, two milk pails in hand.
Jonathan looked at them queerly, and with reason too. Lois was leaning against Clark's chest, and Clark's own arms were half-wrapped around her. They were staring heatedly at each other. What kind of teenage whacko's would FIGHT and HUG at the same time? If Jonathan didn't have his hands full, he would've scratched his head.
Lois finally pulled away from Clark's "embrace" and addressed a puzzled Jonathan. "Ah, Clarkie here was just teaching me how to use the pitchfork. You'd think he'd REMEMBER to tell me HOW MUCH HAY TO GET AT A TIME--"
"It's called common sense, Lois," Clark said, rolling his eyes. "Ever heard of that?"
Lois opened her mouth to snap back, when Jonathan intervened. "Clark," he said, handing the pails to his son. "Betsy's waiting to be milked. Why don't you show Lois how it's done, while I finish up here?" he asked.
"Who's Betsy?" Lois asked.
"Our good and faithful cow, Lois. You drank her milk this morning," Jonathan smiled.
Lois nodded her head. "Interesting...So! Milking cows. There's something I've always wanted to do. Mind showing me where BETSY is, Clark?" she asked, turning to him.
Clark handed her a pail and they both walked outside, Jonathan a few steps behind them. "She's over there--Hey, mom," Clark stopped in his tracks to find his mother standing there, smiling at him with her hands behind her back.
"Mrs. Kent!...Shouldn't you be getting ready for work?" Lois asked, looking surprised.
"Oh, no sweetie," Martha said, "It's my day off."
"Oh, okay...Well, come on Clark! Let's go squeeze some cow boob!" Lois said, patting his back and walking ahead of him.
"'Squeeze some cow--!'" Clark began in disgust. Then he saw the direction Lois was heading for and ran after her, "LOIS! YOU'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!"
Jonathan came out last and smiled at his wife. "How much did you get?" he asked, watching his son and Lois head for the cow shed.
Martha slipped her arms from behind her back and revealed Lois' video camera in her hand. She looked up at Jonathan, an evil glint in her eye. "Everything," she replied.
ONE HOUR LATER
The Kent Cows
Lois wiped the sweat off her forehead and swallowed. Who knew milking cows was such a hard task? How Clark was able to accomplish this and much more almost every morning, Lois didn't know. After teaching her the right way to milk cows, Clark had left her with good ole' Betsy. He had gone off with his dad to tend to the livestock, and after that, they were to head into town to buy some supplies. They wouldn't be back for hours.
Lois didn't mind Clark's going, though. While Martha prepared lunch in the kitchen, she talked up a storm in the cow shed, pouring out all her doubts ("I wonder if I'll ever get through college?"), fears ("You know, there was this ugly spider that crept into Clark's bedroom last night. I had to squash it with my shoe! Ugh, SO nasty.."), worries ("What if I die trying to milk you?") , and complaints ("Man, it STINKS in here!") to Betsy. She knew it was kind of weird to engage in conversation with a COW, but at least it had manners. Betsy's "MOO"s were much better than Clark's lame comebacks.
Lois sighed and got up, counting the buckets of milk she had filled. After taking one in hand, she patted Betsy's head. "You know what, you're a great listener," she said, smiling. "Thanks for not kicking me, Bets!"
"MOOOoooo..." came the reply.
Lois grinned and slowly walked outside, the large milk pail in her hands. She looked up to see Martha walking towards her.
"Oh, Lois, honey, you don't have to carry that all the way out here. Just leave them outside the shed. Clark will take care of them," she said, taking the pail from Lois' hands and setting it against the shed wall. "Would you like to come inside now?" she asked, turning back to her guest.
Lois smiled and shook her head. "Nah. We've got one more hour till lunch time right? Is there anything else I can do?"
Martha looked uncomfortable. "Oh, but Lois, you're our guest. Really, you don't have to.."
"I fully intend to spend my morning immersed in dirty farm work," Lois said, before Martha could utter another word. "Come on, Mrs. Kent! What else can I do?"
Martha sighed. There was no convincing Lois, that was for sure. "Well," she said. "I was about to get the eggs from the hen house--"
"GREAT! I'll help you!" Lois said, putting an arm around Martha and leading the way to the place where they kept the egg-laying hens. After they took out some baskets to put the eggs into, they had a long, pleasant conversation. Martha, being the loving mother she was, told Lois the crazy things Clark did as a child (keeping out the holes he punched into the walls while having a tantrum, of course), and Lois laughed in all the right places.
They didn't notice Clark and Jonathan pull up into the driveway until Clark came walking towards them, his face and clothes covered in mud. Martha and Lois walked out of the hen house, baskets full of eggs on their arms.
"Oh good heavens," Martha said.
"What happened to YOU?" Lois asked, close behind.
"The truck got stuck in a ditch on our way home. But everything's okay. We were able to push it out onto the road again," Clark said. Lois looked behind him and saw Jonathan getting out of the truck, which was almost entirely covered in mud.
"Judging by the lack of mud on Mr. Kent's clothing," Lois said, looking at Clark. "I'm guessing it was YOU who pushed the truck out of the ditch."
Clark looked down at his muddied clothes and grinned. "Your guess is right," he said.
"All by yourself?"
Martha and Clark suddenly looked nervous. "Uhhh.."
Thankfully, Jonathan came walking towards them, a grin on his face. "Well, don't YOU look at home!" he said, addressing Lois.
Lois laughed. "If i may say so, Mr. Kent, I AM at home," she smiled.
Jonathan laughed, "You may."
They all walked into the house afterwards, and prepared to eat the delicious meal Martha had cooked for them. During lunch, Jonathan asked Clark and Lois if they would mind washing the mud-covered truck at the end of the day. Lois immediately said yes, and Clark agreed as well.
So, as soon as it hit four o'clock, Clark called out to Lois from across the farming grounds. "LOIS!" he shouted, waving his arms. "IT'S TIME TO WASH THE TRUCK!"
Lois looked up from helping Jonathan stack up the hay and shouted back, "WHAT!"
"IT'S TIME TO WASH THE TRUCK!"
Lois froze. "O.M.G. DID YOU JUST SAY IT'S TIME TO FU--!"
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Clark bellowed, interrupting her. "IT'S TIME. TO WASH. THE TRUUUCK!" He made hand gestures towards his father's truck in the driveway.
"OH OKAY!" Lois laughed. "You know, for a minute there, I thought he said.." Jonathan raised an eyebrow at her. "Never mind," she finished.
Lois helped Clark take out the towels, buckets, soap, etc., and they began filling some buckets with water. She was exhausted from the day's work (she had slipped twice on manure), but since washing the truck was the last thing she would have to do, she didn't mind.
While she was working on getting the mud off the tires, however, she felt a stream of cold water hit the back of her head. Lois shrieked and got on her feet, turning around to look at Clark.
"Oops," Clark said. He had been hosing the front of the truck, and had accidentally hit Lois in the process. "Sorry," he said, laughing at Lois' appearance. She was dripping in water.
"Sorry my butt!" Lois said, taking the bucket full of soapy water at her feet and dumping it on Clark's shoulders.
"AUUUUUUUUUUGH!" Clark yelled. While he was still distracted with the water dripping all over his body, Lois grabbed the hose from his hand.
Meanwhile, inside the house, Martha grinned and pressed the record button on Lois' video cam. "You're on candid camera," she smiled, as Lois sprayed an already-drenched Clark with more water.
"LOIS, STOP IT!"
"NOT A CHANCE, KENT!" Lois said in glee. She stopped laughing, though, when she saw Clark take hold of his own water-filled bucket, and dumped it over her head. Lois screamed, and before she could retaliate, Clark tugged the hose from her hands, and began spraying it on her. Letting out a warrior cry, Lois ran to his back and jumped at him from behind, trying to distract him with her weight.
They were still laughing and in the midst of fighting over the hose, when they heard someone clear her throat. They stopped, the hose still spurting out tons of water, and looked up to see...Lana Lang.
"...I'm sorry," Lana finally said, looking uncomfortable. "Should I come back later?"
It was then that Clark saw the way they were positioned. Lois was still on his back, her arms wrapped around his neck, and he was still holding the hose. "Hi, Lana," they both said. Lois quickly got off of him, and tried hard not to giggle. It looked like they had gone swimming with their clothes on. Clark noticed this too, and they burst out laughing.
Lana raised her eyebrows and tried to smile, but looked even more uncomfortable than before.
"It's okay, Lana," Lois said, walking up to her. "We were just..." She looked at Clark, who was still trying to control his laughter. "...washing the car. ANYWAY! What brings you to the Kent farm?" she asked, turning back to Lana.
Lana seemed to come out of whatever trance she was in. "Oh! Um. Lex dropped by with this invitation for all of you," she said, handing Lois a white envelope. "He forgot today was Martha's day off, so I said I'd deliver it in person," she added.
"Ooh, thanks," Lois said. Clark walked up and read from behind her shoulder, "Jonathan, Martha, Clark, and Lois Lane Kent are invited to a dinner party at Luthor Mansion this Thursday at 7 p.m..." Etc.,etc., it named the rest of the details.
"WHOA. 'Lois Lane Kent?' MAJOR typo there, people," Lois said, coughing and trying not to gag. "We should have a word with Lex's secretary, eh, Smallville?" She looked up at Clark, expecting him to be vomiting by now. Surprisingly, he had busted out laughing again. Lois and Lana looked at him weirdly.
"CLARK!" They heard Jonathan call from the barn. "I NEED HELP!"
Clark stopped laughing and addressed the ladies. "Oh, sorry, I have to go. Dad's calling. Uh...see you later, Lana," he said, smiling at her. He then continued chuckling as he walked towards the barn, dripping wet.
Lois waved a hand around as soon as he was gone. "Sorry, he's...he's hyper," she said.
Lana smiled and nodded her head, slowly looking at Lois. "Only around you," she replied, softly.
Lois stopped smiling and was about to ask what she meant, when Lana turned around and headed for her car. "I'll see you Thursday night," she said, waving and giving Lois one last smile.
Lois waved back and watched Lana drive away, a puzzled look on her face. She didn't know that from inside the barn, Clark had heard that last comment too.
