Thanks to everyone for their kind reviews. ) I live and work off of them haha p
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Chapter 7 - Day 7
- FRIDAY MORNING -
It had been a restless night for Clark. 'Sleepless' would have been a better word. He didn't come into the house until two in the morning, apparently exhausted from thinking non-stop about the woman who was fast asleep in his bedroom. He was still dreadfully confused about what had happened the other night, and as much as he wanted to stop dwelling on that subject, it always came creeping back into his brain to unsettle him once more. Clark finally gave up as he laid down on the couch. The THING that had happened while he and Lois were dancing played over and over again in his mind, until Clark thought his brain would explode. He was finally able to drop off into a fitful sleep, dreaming no doubt about the kiss that had almost happened.
It was the same with Lois upstairs. She kept waking up at various times during the night, and each time she did, she would remember. Usually, it was normal for girls to stay awake, especially after experiencing a 'near kiss' with a boy they liked. But Lois' condition was different. She stayed awake because she was confused about why she had almost touched Clark's lips with her own. She knew she didn't like him. Well, that was a lie. She liked him. He was so adorable and annoying at the same time, and his innocent (and sometimes not-so-innocent) demeanor was appealing to Lois. But that was it. He was a great friend, one of her best, Lois realized, but...still...OH, SCREW THIS Lois thought, pulling a pillow over her head. She fell back into a restless sleep which lasted about an hour, and then woke up again. She looked over at her clock and read the time. It was three in the morning.
Grumbling to herself, Lois sat up, put on her bunny slippers, and quietly walked out into the dark hallway. If she wasn't going to fall asleep, she might as well go downstairs and drink some warm milk. She remembered how it always worked with Lucy, who frequently had nightmares as a child. So, trying her best not to wake anybody, Lois quietly made her way down the stairs.
Shelby's ears twitched as Lois walked into the kitchen, and he immediately opened his eyes, wide awake. Getting up from his spot beside Clark's couch, he trotted over to Lois to see what she was doing. "Hey boy," Lois greeted him in a whisper, patting his head. She pinched her nose so she wouldn't sneeze, and was about to open the fridge, when a snore from the living room stopped her. Lois could have kicked herself. How was she going to use the microwave with Clark sleeping a few feet away? It would wake him for sure! Lois was ready to go back upstairs and just deal with being 'Sleepless in Smallville', when she got the idea of checking in on farm boy. Shelby at her heels, Lois slowly made her way towards his couch. Her heart almost melted at what she saw there.
Clark lay on the couch, a huge blanket draped over his large frame. His black hair was a tousled mess, and his head rested on a pillow, a hand tucked under it. He seemed to be in a deep sleep, though his eyebrows were crouched together as if he were dreaming of something disturbing.
Lois sat in a chair facing the couch, and Shelby laid down beside her feet. She didn't know why, but Lois suddenly felt the urge to watch Clark. She had seen him asleep before (she even went as far as yelling, "GOOD-MORNING!" right into his ear, which had woken the ENTIRE household, not to mention Clark himself), but she had never taken the time to just...well...watch him. Lois observed that Clark looked so young with his eyes closed. He looked almost thirteen (Yeah, a thirteen-year-old with some SERIOUS abs Lois thought). But she knew that once those lids opened, and the glistening orbs hidden underneath were exposed, he would be a man again. Lois sighed mournfully. Clark Kent had grown up way too fast, that much she knew. Lois smiled. She bet Martha NEVER had to tell Clark to, "Act your age" if he was ever being immature. He acted FAR and BEYOND it.
Shelby suddenly whined at Lois' feet, and Clark stirred from his position on the couch. Before Lois could stop him, Shelby walked over to Clark and began licking his cheek. "Shelby!" Lois hissed. But it was too late. Clark's eyes slowly opened, and he regarded the dog covering his face with slobber.
"Shelbs," he groaned, "I'm trying to sleep." He took his pillow and covered his face with it. Lois noticed with amusement that Clark hadn't seen her sitting there. But Shelby, not to be deterred, pounced on Clark's chest and bit into the pillow covering his master's face. He viciously pulled on it, soft growls accompanying his efforts.
"Shelby, it's too early to play!" Clark said, trying to stop Shelby from pulling on his pillow any further. Lois watched for a full minute, an odd smile on her face, as Clark repeatedly growled at Shelby to quit bothering him. Shelby growled right back, and seeing that pulling on Clark's pillow wasn't going to work, he began emitting loud, short yelps. Clark instantly took the pillow off his face and sat up, grabbing hold of Shelby's mouth and holding it closed, saying, "Shelby! Be quiet, you don't want to wake Lois up--"
"I'm already awake."
Clark turned, visibly startled, and saw Lois sitting on a chair near the couch. Lois gave him a weak smile. "Lois," Clark said. They watched each other for a few moments, neither knowing what to say, much less what to do. But Shelby, growing terribly impatient, suddenly began growling into Clark's hand.
"Uh...I think you should let him go now," Lois said, taking her eyes off Clark's and looking at Shelby.
"Huh?" Clark looked down. Shelby continued to growl as Clark's hand remained clamped around his mouth. "Oh, sorry, boy," Clark quickly let go, and Shelby immediately got off his chest. Looking a bit miffed at Clark, he chose a spot near Lois' feet and yawned. I wouldn't know how to read a dog's mind, but it seemed Shelby was just thinking My work here is done before falling asleep with his head on his paws.
Clark and Lois watched Shelby sleep for a while, before looking back up at each other. Clark coughed nervously. "So uh...So...you were here while we were uh.." He began gesturing with his hands.
"The whooole time," Lois grinned, nodding her head.
Clark blinked and stopped moving his hands around. "Oh," he chuckled softly, as he scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.
"Crazy dog," Lois put in, looking down at Shelby.
"Yeah...Crazy," Clark agreed.
Silence fell upon them once more. It remained quiet, at least, until Lois asked, "So how old is he?"
Clark stared, confused. "Uh, who?"
"Shelby."
"Oh! Oh, um...Gee, I really don't know. Two or five, I guess. Ever since you ran over--"
"Rescued," Lois corrected.
"...rescued him," Clark conceded with a smile, "..I never really got to figure out his age. He looks young though."
"Yeah...pretty young. I'd say he's three," Lois said, holding back a sneeze.
Clark shrugged from his seat on the couch. "Hmm...That's a safe guess."
"..Yeah.."
"...Yeah." Clark stared at her.
Lois saw this and suddenly felt uncomfortable under his penetrating gaze. "Uh..." she began, trying to take his attention off of her, "What's he like to eat?"
Lois' next question surprised Clark yet again. He had been watching her every movement and had to stop himself from staring at her. He tried to think up Shelby's favorite foods. "Well, we feed him the regular dog food.."
"I bet he doesn't like that."
"No, he doesn't, actually," Clark laughed. "He always tries to get food off the table while we try to eat our meals. You'll never see a crumb or a scrap of food left on the floor with Shelby around."
Lois laughed, and Shelby groaned in his sleep. Silence again.
"...So..." Lois said slowly.
"Yeah...so..." Clark repeated after her, smiling.
"Why are we talking about Shelby?" Lois suddenly grinned, pointing at the dog sleeping at her feet.
Clark laughed out loud. "I don't know. You started it," he replied.
Lois rolled her eyes, "Well, I'm ending it. Enough about Shelby."
"You looked beautiful last night."
Lois' head snapped up and she found Clark giving her his full attention again. She suddenly felt her cheeks grow hot, and her heart slightly quicken its pace. Lois tried not to squirm under Clark's even gaze. "O..kay.." she chuckled, giving him an odd look. "Where did THAT come from?"
Clark shrugged and looked down. "I don't know. I just remembered I'd forgotten to tell you how nice you looked last night, and...well...I know it's late, but.."
Lois smiled at his stuttering efforts. Usually she loved to see him so unsettled, but right now she just wanted to rescue him. "Thanks, Kent," she said, "You looked pretty good yourself."
Clark nodded, looking embarrassed. He smiled and muttered a quiet, "Thanks." He began smoothing out the invisible wrinkles on his blanket. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked, looking back up at Lois.
Lois looked relieved at the change of subject. She shook her head. "Nope. You?"
Clark shook his head as well. "Nah. I was finally dozing off, actually, when Shelby here woke me up," he explained.
Lois sighed. "Yeah. I keep falling asleep just to wake up again," she said. Clark nodded in sympathy. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Lois suddenly got up and began walking into the kitchen.
"What are you doing?" Clark asked, watching her go.
"Well, Smallville, since it's pretty darn obvious that neither of us are going to fall asleep anytime soon," Lois said, already in the kitchen and opening the fridge, "..It's only proper that we raid the refrigerator. We can kill time and make ourselves sleepy by gorging ourselves with food and milk..." Lois stuck her head into the fridge. "Ooh. Here's some cheesecake that looks like it came from Lex's party. Want some?" She took her head out of the fridge long enough to hear Clark's response.
"Sure," he said.
"Okay!" Lois replied, taking out a plate that had half of a strawberry cheesecake on it. Humming to herself, she pulled out two small plates and two mugs from the kitchen cabinets. She then proceeded to pour milk into the mugs and put them into the microwave to heat. Next, she took the plate of cheesecake, walked into the living room, and set it on the coffee table in front of Clark. "La dee da.." she sang, walking back into the kitchen to get the mugs from the microwave.
Yeesh Clark thought in amusement You'd think the kitchen was HER'S.
Lois presently returned with the mugs, plates, and forks all sitting on a tray. Continuing to hum to herself, she sliced out a hefty piece from the cheesecake, placed it on one of the small plates, and stuck a fork through it. "Here ya go," she cheerfully said, handing it over to Clark.
"Thanks," Clark said. His hand slightly brushed over Lois' own as he took it from her. Clark suddenly felt a shiver go through him, and he almost dropped his plate. He looked up into Lois' startled eyes and knew she had felt it too. She seemed to get over it easily, however, for she began slicing another piece of cake for herself.
"I don't think I've ever eaten cheesecake with milk before," Clark said, trying to shake himself back into focus. What is wrong with me? He thought. What's going on?
"Well, hopefully this will get us to sleeping in no time," Lois replied, taking her plate and getting up. "Move," she said, shooing Clark to the other side of the couch so she could sit down as well. As soon as she had put Clark's blanket over her pajama-clad legs, Lois smiled, "I hope your mom doesn't mind us eating here."
Clark shook his head. "Nah. I don't think she'll mind. Just as long as we don't spill anything," he replied, biting into his cake.
Lois suddenly laughed. "This is so weird. I feel like one of those old ladies in that TV show, 'The Golden Girls.'"
"Oh?"
"Yeah, you know how when they can't sleep, they always go into the kitchen and eat cheesecake?" Lois suddenly became thoughtful. Tapping her chin, she observed, "You know, I find it AMAZING that they don't get fat..."
Clark heartily laughed in reply.
After they had had their fill of cake and milk, they sat back comfortably, their stomachs undoubtedly full. Lois pulled her legs under her and leaned her head on the back of the couch. "'kay, Smallville," she said, already yawning. "What do we talk about?"
Clark shrugged. He was glad that the tension between them had somewhat dissipated over the last half hour. Everything felt kind of normal again...but just KINDA. "I dunno," he said. "How are your classes over at Met U?"
Lois sat up. "I do not believe it. We have..(she checked the watch) seven hours until I leave, and you want to talk about SCHOOL?"
Clark shrugged again. "Well what else is there to talk about?" he asked.
Lois leaned her head back on the couch. "Point taken," she mumbled, pulling the blanket closer around her shoulders. "My classes are fine." Clark snickered and Lois glared. "What?"
"I remember you complaining to Chloe a few days ago that all you keep getting are the lowest grades," Clark replied, raising an eyebrow.
Lois sniffed and closed her eyes. "Well, it's not MY fault I always come that close to failing. Some of those professors at Met U are so boring."
"Really."
"Yeah, they all talk in this slow...monotone...voooice..." Lois replied, deepening her tone and speaking in a monotone herself. "If they're not monotone, they're too hyper. And that's annoying. And if some aren't hyper, the others are too friggin' strict. There must only be two cool prof's there."
Clark smiled understandingly. "I'm sorry," he said.
Lois opened her eyes and made a face. "Eh, what for? It's not your fault Met U is full of emotionally unbalanced teachers. Besides, I don't know HOW you and Chloe do it."
Clark looked at her. "Do what?"
"Get straight A's and all that good stuff," Lois replied, yawning again.
Clark raised his eyebrows at her. "Well, for starters, we actually STUDY. And we actually LISTEN to what the teachers have to say about--"
"See, I'm incapable of all that," Lois interrupted him. "I always end up either snoring or daydreaming by the end of the lecture...It's BORING!" she finished.
"It's college," Clark said.
"It's cruel and unusual punishment."
Clark sighed. If she didn't start studying or paying attention soon, Lois was destined for total academic failure. He didn't know why he cared all of a sudden, but Clark was determined to help motivate her. "You know," he said thoughtfully, "I think I know of some ways that can help you pay attention better."
Lois sat up. "Keep going," she said.
"Well," Clark began. "I really recommend taking notes. While the professor's lecturing, write down what he has to say. Don't write EVERYTHING, though. Just the important points."
Lois frowned. "Well, how do I know which points are the important points?"
Clark smiled at her. Lois looked so cute when she was trying to understand something. "In order to find THAT out...you have to pay attention," he replied.
Comprehension slowly dawned upon Lois. "Ohhh.." she grinned. Clark nodded his head. Suddenly, Lois got up and began walking up the stairs.
"Where are you going?" Clark loudly whispered.
Lois ignored him and continued up the steps, only to appear a minute later with her video camera in hand. She sat back on the couch, drew half of the blanket on her and began recording. "Okay, Clark, say it again," she ordered.
"Huh? What are you doing?"
Lois turned the camera off for a moment and rolled her eyes. "I'm going to record you giving me advice! It's too much to write down. Besides, I don't have a notepad or a pencil around with me. I figured if I videotaped you, I can just write it down when I get back to my dorm."
Clark shook his head, "Boy, you're lazy." Lois glared at him and opened her mouth to say something, but Clark put his hands up in defensive mode. "I was just kidding! Calm down.. Okay, fine I'll do it."
Lois "HUMPH"ed, settled into the couch, and turned her camera on again. "Okay," she whispered/narrated. "Smallville's about to give me advice on how to study better and crap, so everyone be quiet!"
Clark looked at her, puzzled. "Lois, everyone's already SLEEPING--"
"JUST TALK!"
Clark promptly obeyed, and after repeating what he had said earlier about keeping notes, he playfully suggested that Lois videotape the professor's whole lecture. "You could actually put that dumb thing to good use," he said, pointing at the lens currently focused on his face.
"Ew, videotape his whole, entire LECTURE? It'll be like reliving every moment of torture I spent in class--"
"Oooooookay, fine, don't videotape him," Clark said. "You could just bring your laptop--"
"Don't have one."
"..Or you could bring in a tape recorder and record his--"
"I lost mine."
"Hey, do you want my advice or not?" Clark asked, frustrated.
Lois laughed. "Okay, sorry, keep going."
So Clark spent the next half hour giving Lois tons of suggestions: keep a planner, write down your goals for the day, and cross them off the list when you're finished doing it. DO NOT procrastinate, and especially don't cram. When you learn something new, go back to what you previously learned, and review it before moving on to the next thing. Don't wait until the Professor announces the date for an exam before reviewing stuff. If she owned the textbooks, then highlight the important sentences and go over them from time to time. If she was just borrowing the textbook, then write down the important parts in a notebook. Studying during the evening was better than studying in the afternoon. That way, you could study in peace and quiet without anyone bothering you because they're all asleep...yadda yadda yadda...
Meanwhile, Lois drank in his every word and tried committing it all to memory. She was getting a little drowsy from all the warm milk she had drunk, but she tried keeping awake for Clark's sake. Gosh, who knew Kent was so full of cool information? Lois recorded his every move and facial expression, glad for an excuse to watch him talk. She realized that Clark looked even more adorable when he was being serious, and especially when he was trying to convince you or trying to make a point. A fire would light in his eyes and he would go through it ruthlessly, like he was doing now. Farm boy could run for president Lois thought. He'd nail the debate.
"...And uhm...That's about it I guess..." Clark's voice floated into Lois' thoughts and she looked at him dazedly. "...Lois?.."
"Huh?"
Clark grinned. "You can stop recording now. I think I've given you every piece of studying advice I know of..."
Lois nodded. "Oh, okay," she said, moving her finger to press the OFF button.
But suddenly, Clark stopped her. "WAIT!"
Lois stopped. "What?"
"I forgot," Clark said. He turned his face back to the camera. "And don't forget to DRINK. A LOT. OF COFFEE. If you ever DO begin studying in the evenings, I don't want you falling asleep and accomplishing nothing."
Lois grinned, although she was already very sleepy. "Awww, Clark, how sweet. Well...at least there's ONE thing I'll be looking forward to when I actually start studying," she said, turning the camera off. She suddenly let out a big yawn. Clark yawned as well. He looked out the window and saw that the sky was already beginning to light up. The sun would be out in an hour, he thought drowsily.
"Well, that's that," Lois sleepily said, putting her video camera on the coffee table and settling back into the couch. "Man, I'm sleepy...I...I keep...yawn yawning..."
"Yeah," Clark replied. "I think the cheesecake and the...warm milk...are..yawn finally taking effect...on.."
Lois suddenly flopped on his shoulder, already fast asleep and quietly snoring. Clark didn't have time to react, for HIS lids were starting to droop as well. He leaned back on his pillow and let Lois snore away. "Good.." Clark yawned. "..night." And he dropped off into a deep and peaceful sleep.
- 7:30 A.M. -
Martha slowly walked down the steps, stretching her arms above her. Yawning, she reached the bottom and headed for the kitchen. While taking out some eggs and bacon to cook for breakfast, Martha couldn't stop thinking about Lois' dreaded departure that day. Martha was going to miss her, that was for sure. Sure, Lois would probably still drop in and see them from time to time...but she had other, more important priorities in life. Martha opened the cabinet with the intent of getting a mug for her coffee, when she found her favorite one missing. Looking around, puzzled, Martha's eyes rested on the coffee table in the living room. Her mug was sitting on it.
Wondering how it got there, Martha yawned and walked towards the coffee table. She stopped short upon finding that it had the plate of cheesecake she had brought home the other night there, along with two other plates, mugs, and a tray. Martha turned sleepy eyes to the couch and jumped in surprise. She put a hand to her mouth to muffle her yelp. If she wasn't wide-awake a few minutes ago, she sure as heck was now.
Her son and Lois were on the couch, eyes closed and peacefully sleeping. Clark lay on his back, his head resting on Lois' own, and his right arm wrapped securely around her. Lois had unconsciously laid her head on Clark's chest during the night, and her arm was slung over his stomach. She slept with her mouth open, and Martha was thankful when she didn't see drool.
Martha was still watching them sleep when Jonathan came walking into the room, stretching his arms and yawning. "Good morning, honey," he said, coming up beside Martha and kissing her cheek. "What's for breakfa--" Jonathan stopped mid-question upon seeing his son and Lois sleeping on the same couch together. He blinked at them for a few moments before calmly turning to his wife.
"...They still have their clothes on?" he sleepily asked, pointing a thumb at the sleeping teenagers.
Martha stopped watching Lois and Clark long enough to cast her husband a reprimanding stare. "Jonathan!" she hissed.
Jonathan shrugged. "What, I'm just asking!"
Martha rolled her eyes and stepped forwards. Bending over and taking hold of a corner of Clark's blanket, she peered inside. "Yes, they're fully dressed," she affirmed, getting up and putting her hands on her hips. "Really, Jonathan, how could you think--"
"I know, I know. But what I would REALLY like to know is how they got into that...er...there position," Jonathan said, joining Martha again in staring at their sleeping 'kids.'
Martha, her eyes still on Lois and Clark, slowly shook her head and sighed. "I don't know...We could ask Clark when he wakes up," she said, shrugging. Then, she saw Lois' video camera sitting on the coffee table. She quickly took it and turned it on, a sly grin on her face.
"You know, I really think that I should get you one of those for your birthday," Jonathan said, watching his wife videotape an unaware Clark and Lois yet again.
"Why?" Martha asked from behind the camera.
"Because you keep using it!" Jonathan answered. "Honey, has it ever occurred to you that Lois will watch what she has recorded...or what YOU have recorded...when she gets back to her dorm?"
Martha waved a hand around dismissively. "Oh, sweetheart. I'm sure she wouldn't mind," she said.
Jonathan groaned and rolled his eyes, just as Shelby woke up and stood from his spot on the floor. He quickly walked over to Jonathan and licked his hand. "Good morning, boy," Jonathan said, ruffling Shelby's ears. "Do you think you could tell us how THIS happened?" he asked, pointing at the couch.
Shelby whimpered and Jonathan sighed. "Yeah, I thought so."
- AN HOUR LATER -
Clark stirred in his sleep as the smells from the kitchen came creeping their way into his nostrils. He eventually woke up, slowly opening his eyes and blinking. Puzzled, Clark found a mass of brown hair blocking his line of vision. Pulling his face away, he found that Lois' head rested on his chest, and her arm was wrapped around him. "Unh!" Clark said, finding that his own arm was wrapped around HER. Still staring wide-eyed at the woman sleeping next to him (more like, ON him), Clark heard footsteps approaching the couch.
"Good-morning, honey," Martha said as she walked in from the kitchen. Clark quickly looked up into his mother's smiling face. Then, he looked back at Lois.
"W-What?...How did...WHEN...She.." Clark made sputtering noises as he looked from Lois to his mother.
Martha couldn't help laughing. "I'm guessing you don't know how THIS happened, either," she said, sitting down in a chair.
Clark vigorously shook his head. "No, mom, I don't," he replied. "The last thing I knew, we were talking, and then...I woke up."
Martha chuckled. "Yes, well, now that you're awake I think you should get some breakfast. Your father will be starting his chores anytime soon," she said.
"Where's dad?"
"Upstairs changing into his work clothes. He just finished breakfast," Martha replied.
Clark went wide-eyed. "Did he..Did he see...?"
Martha smiled. "Yes." Clark groaned, and she laughed. "Clark, honey, why don't you bring Lois up to her...I mean...YOUR room, and just let her sleep. She'll be leaving after lunch and will be needing the rest," she said.
Clark nodded. "Okay," he said, already trying to get up from the couch.
"I have to go check on the chickens, and then I'll be back to get your plate ready," Martha said, getting up and heading for the back door.
"Thanks, mom."
As soon as Martha had left, Clark unwrapped his arm from around Lois' waist and tried to sit up. But Lois, feeling his movements, unconsciously tightened her hold around his torso, and snuggled her face further into his white shirt. Clark was frozen as she did all this. He stayed on the couch with a sleeping Lois wrapped around him. "This...is awkward," he finally said out loud, peering into Lois' face. Although their position WAS awkward, Clark couldn't help enjoying the feeling of Lois' body pressed against his. It felt good, and...Focus, Kent, focus.. he thought. He gently pried Lois' arm off him and slowly got up, making sure that Lois' head landed on a pillow as soon as he was off the couch.
Clark heaved a sigh of relief as soon as he was off. Then, he gently took Lois into his arms and walked towards the stairs. Geeeeez he thought, remembering when he had to carry Lois up to his room last Friday evening. How many times do I have to carry you up these stairs? Not that he minded. A week ago, he might've detested the chore, but now...yeeeah. As Clark laid Lois onto his bed and pulled the covers over her, he couldn't help but stare for a few minutes.
She looked so beautiful, even with her hair pulled up in a messy ponytail, and soft snores emitting from her mouth. Clark knew he wouldn't have another chance to see her like this for a long time. Bending over, he brushed her ruffled bangs to one side. Then before he could stop himself, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. Clark had been tempted to brush her lips with his own, but he knew he hadn't earned the right to do that...Yet Clark thoughtfully added with a smile.
He was no longer confused. He didn't hate Lois Lane. Sure, she was still annoying, but...Clark knew that he was beginning to..(He gulped) like her. Clark watched Lois sleep, his face a mere two inches from her own. He inhaled her flowery scent, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
After doing this, Clark reluctantly got up and walked towards the door. He stopped to look at Lois one last time...then shut the door behind him.
- 12:01 P.M. -
Lois awoke to the sound of scratching at the door. Turning her head to check the time, Lois almost shrieked at what she saw. "TWELVE!" she exploded. "TWEEELVE!...I still have to get ready, and pack, and...HOLD ON, SHELBY!" Upon hearing Lois' voice through the door, Shelby had begun barking and was scratching on the door even harder.
Lois quickly got out of bed and strode over to the door. She opened it, and Shelby jumped at her, causing Lois to fall bottom-first onto the ground. "Shelbyyy..." Lois half laughed/ half groaned as Shelby began licking her face. "Ookay, boy, come on. I've got to get ready," Lois said, pushing Shelby off her and getting up. "I'm leaving today." Shelby whimpered at her words. Lois sighed and smiled at the mournful dog looking up at her.
"Yeah," she said. "I'll miss you too."
And she sneezed.
LUNCH TIME
Clark couldn't believe it. It was Lois' last day in Smallville. Her last few HOURS, to be more precise. She had informed the Kents the other day that she intended to leave right after lunch, so she could unpack and rest as soon as she got back to her dorm. The other times she had come to visit, Clark actually knocked on her (or HIS) bedroom door and eagerly volunteered to help her pack. He didn't care if he had to help fold her bra's and panties, he just wanted her freakin' GONE. And as soon as her car would disappear around that bend on the road, he'd run back into the house singing and rejoicing.
And now, well...He found himself delaying. It had already been five minutes ago when Martha called Clark and Jonathan in to lunch. Clark had told his father that he wanted to finish milking Betsy before getting in, since Martha was running out of milk in the fridge. He should have done this earlier, Clark knew, but that morning he seemed to be so distracted.
So now, Clark sat on the stool and finished milking the old cow he'd known since childhood. He smiled as he remembered the day Lois had decided to help out with his chores. Her saying, "Squeezing some cow boob" instead of plain old "Milking the cow" always had Clark laughing and grossed out at the same time. Clark sighed for what seemed the hundredth time that day. Boy, was he going to miss her.
"Hey, Smallville, are you DONE yet? I'm starving!"
Clark turned and saw Lois walking up to the cow shed. As she made her way towards him, Clark felt like she was doing it in slow motion. Wind suddenly came out of nowhere and blew the long threads of golden brown locks hanging over her shoulders, making way for her fresh and flawless face... (Clark: "'long threads of golden brown locks'? Those words aren't even in my vocab!" Author: "HEY, MAN, WHO'S WRITING THIS STORY, YOU OR ME!" Clark: "Oh, sorry. Continue.")
ANYWAY! Lois was wearing her usual tight blue jeans, a cute green shirt, and a glittering belt around her waist. She had decided to let her hair loose that morning, and it dropped in waves over her shoulders. Hence, the slow motion. As she flashed Clark one of her dazzling smiles, Clark almost fell off his stool. When did I start paying attention to what she WORE and how she LOOKED LIKE? Maybe accepting that invitation to Lex's party wasn't such a good idea, after all. Clark knew that his newfound knowledge of his being attracted to Lois Lane had come from that fateful evening. He didn't know whether to curse it, or to bless it.
Clark stared. "Uh...Lois," was all farm boy could say, as he tried to regain his composure.
"Uh...Clark," Lois dorkily repeated after him, as she finally reached his side.
Instead of glaring up at her like he always did, Clark found himself chuckling. "What are you doing here?" he asked, as Betsy shifted in her place.
Lois rolled her eyes. "Your mother (not to mention ME) is impatiently waiting for your return in yonder kitchen. The food's been cooked ages ago! I just finished setting the table, and daddy-o's sitting in his chair, just drooling all over the fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob's," she explained.
"You're making me hungry."
Lois smiled and put her hands to her hips. "Good, 'cause that was my intention. Now will you come inside before we all starve to death?" she asked, sweetly.
Clark turned back to Betsy and took the full bucket of milk at his feet. "Sure, just as soon as I get this milk over to mom," he said, getting up.
As he walked out, he saw Lois stall and pet Betsy on her spotted back. "Ah, old Betsy. I remember the time I milked her," she turned to Clark, "You know, Bets over here is a good person to rant with. She just listens to everything you have to say about how cruel and unfair this world is, without so much as a complaint!"
Clark blinked at her. "...Huh?"
Lois just shook her head and patted Betsy once more, saying good-bye. As she accompanied Clark to the back door, he heard her mumble something he couldn't understand. "What?" he asked, wanting to know what it was. As stated before, he had been distracted the whole morning, and even his super hearing was late.
Lois just rolled her eyes and opened the door for him. "Oh, nothing. I was just wondering about how the animals around here are definitely growing on me. I mean, first Betsy, then Shelby, then the chickens.."
"Then ME," Clark put in.
"Oh, so you're an animal?" Lois crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him.
Clark nodded his head as he put the bucket down. "From the wiiiild," he replied, looking at her with round eyes.
Lois tried not to laugh as she led the way towards the kitchen where Jonathan and Martha were waiting. "From the wild, eh?" she asked under her breath. "Gee, and you appear so domesticated."
"I can bite," Clark tried convincing her.
Lois "tch"ed. "Suuuure," she replied, obviously unconvinced.
"Rawr."
Lois looked at him weirdly. "Was that supposed to be a lion or a CAT? I'm starting to think it was the latter."
Clark opened his mouth to say something back, but Jonathan interrupted with a loud, "THANK GOD! YOU'RE FINALLY HERE!" Clark and Lois looked up to see Jonathan totally fidgeting in his seat and vigorously rubbing his right hand. Martha stood right next to him, a large wooden spoon in her hand, and a stern expression on her face.
"See, honey? I told you Clark would come if we sent Lois out. I hit your hand for nothing," Martha said, putting the wooden spoon away and getting settled into her own seat.
Jonathan rolled his eyes as Clark and Lois took their seats as well. Martha smiled at Lois, "Oh, by the way, Lois, I forgot to tell you. Guess who I invited over for lunch today so you can spend a bit more time together?"
Lois stared at her, puzzled for a few moments, when she saw her cousin suddenly come walking back into the kitchen from using the restroom. "CHLOE!" she squealed, as Chloe reached down and gave her a hug. "This is awesome, I'm so glad you're here!"
Chloe laughed as she took her seat beside Martha. "Well, who in their right mind would refuse an offer to share in the delicious, home cooked meals of Mrs. Kent? This woman's a born chef, I tell you!"
After modestly denying the praises rained down upon her by Lois, Chloe, Jonathan, and Clark, Martha laughingly said, "All right, all right. Jonathan, please say grace,"
An impatient Jonathan shifted in his seat, "Grace."
"Jonathan."
"...I'm kidding!...Okay, everybody, let's hold hands..." Jonathan said, before saying their prayers. He took hold of Martha and Clark's hands, and watched as his wife took a hold of Chloe's, Chloe took hold of Clark's, and Clark took hold of Lois'.
Lois and Clark jumped in their seats as soon as their hands touched. What? AGAIN? Lois thought, remembering what had happened that early, early morning. She looked up and saw Clark staring at their hands too. As Jonathan began to pray, they both tried to take their minds off of what had just passed between them.
After grace and the "amen"s were said, the Kents, Lois, and Chloe enjoyed a delicious meal full of lively chatter. Martha had made this lunch especially for Lois' departure, and had made sure to invite Chloe. She had seen the tension between her son and Lois the other night, and hoped that Chloe's presence would make them feel more at ease.
Thankfully, Chloe didn't mind that Mrs. Kent had called her at the last minute. She wanted to spend as much more time with Lois as possible. And...besides...after hearing what had taken place the last evening from Martha (they had gossiped in the kitchen while waiting for Clark and Lois to come in), Chloe wanted to see how Clark and her cousin were reacting to each other now.
She now found herself gazing at the people sitting around her. Jonathan stuffing his face with as much food as possible while conversing with his smiling wife, Clark and Lois laughing at some inside joke they had just shared. Everyone smiling and having a good time. Chloe felt like she was at home, with family. Now.. she mischievously thought. ...All we have to do is get Clark and Lois to like each other enough to get MARRIED, so we'll be REALLY related! This caused Chloe to smile and to emit a loud squeal from her seat.
Everyone stopped to look at her.
Chloe, a spoon full of mashed potatoes in her mouth, stared back. "What?" she asked.
"What's with the..." Lois imitated her squeal.
Chloe swallowed before answering, and took her glass. "Oh, nothing..." she said, before drinking from her glass of water. Just imagining what it would be like to be Clark's cousin-in-law... At the thought of THIS, Chloe choked on her water and burst out laughing.
"Ewwwww, CHLO!" Lois said, making a face at her arm, which now had drops of water and Chloe's saliva on it. She grabbed a napkin from Clark and began wiping it away. "What's up with you? You're acting so weird!"
Chloe continued to laugh. "..HAHAHAHAHHAA!...HAHA, I'M...WHEEZE HOO, BOY...SORRY!..." They all stared at her, waiting for an explanation. "...I'm just...tooo...INHALE, CHOKE, LAUGH HAPPY!" She started on another round of laughter.
Lois raised an eyebrow at her cousin. "Yeah, I can see that," she said, watching Chloe try to calm down.
Although Chloe DID manage to stop laughing after a while, she continued to give Lois and Clark mysterious little smiles throughout the meal. Which freaked the other two out, of course. Looking up from your fried chicken and seeing the person sitting across from you just staring and shooting you a mega-watt smile can be kiiinda creepy. Lois and Clark chose to ignore this, however, since asking questions might just complicate things even more. And it's a good thing that they didn't ask, too, for if Chloe were to confess what she had been just thinking, LnC would probably start yelling at her for imagining the possibilities.
After everyone had finished their lunch, Martha took all of their plates and urged Chloe and Clark to help Lois bring her bags to her car. The two obeyed, and they presently marched up the steps, headed for Lois'--er, sorry--CLARK's room.
"Hey, guys!" Lois called out to Clark and Chloe as they made their way up the stairs. "I'm going to open my trunk and then I'll come up and help you out, all righty?"
"OKAY!" Clark and Chloe yelled back, continuing their trek towards Clark's room. Once there, they took hold of Lois' two duffel bags.
"Oh, my gosh," Chloe said, tugging at the strap of one duffel bag. "This thing weighs a TON! Clark, I can't lift it!"
Clark took the bag from Chloe's hands and began walking out of the room. "It's okay, Chloe," he called. "I'll bring Lois' bags to her car. You can wait outside with Lois if you want."
"'kay," Chloe said, following Clark down the steps. She didn't follow him out the door, however, for Martha called her into the kitchen. "Sup?" Chloe asked, as soon as she was at the sink where Martha was still washing the dishes.
"Oh, honey. Lois' video camera," Martha replied, nodding at the kitchen counter. Chloe looked, and sure enough, Lois' lil handy video cam was sitting on the kitchen counter. "...She might forget it..." Martha continued. "Do you mind giving it to her?"
Chloe shrugged and took it into her hands. "Okay! Thanks, Mrs. Kent. I'll go take a video of her and Clark right now," she said, walking out the door.
Martha smiled as soon as Chloe was out the door. "What do you think I've been doing this past whole week?" she muttered to herself.
OUTSIDE
Clark grunted as he tried fitting the last of Lois' luggage into the trunk of her car. Once again, the cause of all the problems was Lois' enormous suitcase. Because of all the shopping Lois had done on Wednesday, her bags were bigger and bulkier than ever before. Clark tried pushing it into the back of Lois' car, but to no avail. He finally gave up and dragged the suitcase back to the ground. "Argh!" he panted, turning to address the woman standing next to him. "Lois, why'd you have to BUY so many stuff!"
Lois rolled her eyes, but before she could reply, Chloe came dancing into the scene, the video camera in her hands. "HEY GUYS!" she said. "SAY HI!"
"Hi," Clark and Lois waved.
"Okay, come on, help me think of a way to get this in," Clark sighed, staring at Lois' car trunk. He saw no way that the large suitcase could fit in there.
Lois sighed from her spot. "Clark, there's something that you must understand..." she began. Chloe trained the camera lens back and forth between Clark and Lois.
Clark looked at Lois. "Oh, really? What's that?"
"...Putting luggage into the back of your car..." Lois continued, "...is like making love."
crickets
"WHAT?" "HUH?" Clark and Chloe suddenly exploded, staring at Lois as if she'd gone wacko.
"What are you talking about?" Clark asked.
"Yeah.." Chloe snickered. "MAKING LOVE?"
Lois looked at them as if they were little children that needed to be taught something new. "Well, unlike SOME people, I find it to be the perfect example. Think about it. First, you have to analyze the situation. Decide on which form of attack you should use. In which way should one object be positioned in order for the other to fit in? How much FORCE must you apply to correctly--"
Clark groaned, "Lois, STOP, you are bringing REALLY...DISTURBING...IMAGES...into my mind."
Lois shrugged. "It's allll about strategy and EXPERIENCE, kid. You need smarts! And you can't just start loading a car without having loaded dozens of cars first, you've got to get used to it. Now, come on, let's give it another try," she said, dragging the suitcase over to Clark and waiting for him to take hold of it. Clark rolled his eyes over to look at Chloe, who still held the camera in REC in her hands. She shrugged. Sighing, Clark wiped his forehead and took the large suitcase from Lois.
"Remember," Lois said, patting Clark's back. "It's like making love. You perfect it with experience. So don't feel too bad about yourself."
Clark raised an eyebrow at her. "Uh, yeah. Whatever, let's just get this thing into your car."
Lois grinned up at him. "Push, Kent."
(Author's Note: Oh yeah, you knoooow what's coming...)
KITCHEN
Martha sighed as she put the last of the dishes away into a cabinet. Jonathan sat on a stool at the counter, finishing his last glass of orange juice. They had been making small talk while waiting for the kids to finish loading Lois' car in the driveway. Now, having just wiped the table, Martha walked towards Jonathan.
"I'm sure going to miss Lois around here," she said, sitting down next to her husband.
Jonathan laughed and put an arm around Martha. "I know, me too. Just think about it: No more quarreling, no more screaming, no more of the kids getting in trouble, and no more of Clark complaining about how she gets to have his bed. There will actually be peace and quiet throughout our home..." he paused. "You know, that doesn't sound TOO bad."
Martha laughed and playfully slapped Jonathan on the arm. "Oh, Jonathan," she chuckled. Then, she became serious again. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Honey, I can't help thinking that Lois is good for Clark," she said rather bluntly.
Jonathan looked down at her. "What do you mean? Lois IS good for Clark," he said.
Martha shook her head. "Yes, I know, but...Do you think it's...well...WRONG...to hope...to hope for...you know?" she looked up into Jonathan's eyes, willing him to understand.
Jonathan just smiled down at his wife, and Martha knew he understood. He placed a loving kiss on her forehead. "No, honey," he softly said. "You can hope...Just don't expect anything, all right?"
Martha sighed and nodded her head. "All right...I'll TRY not to expect anything, but--"
"COME ON CLARK, YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT! PUSH!"
Martha and Jonathan turned their heads to the open window in the kitchen. "Hey, wasn't that--" Jonathan began, but was interrupted yet again with Lois' loud voice cutting through the still air. The Kents listened in petrified silence, as the shouting outside became even louder.
"PUSH, KENT! My gosh, NO NO NO! This is MAKING LOVE, REMEMBER! You're doing it like a VIRGIN for Pete's sake!"
"He IS a virgin!" Chloe's voice rang out.
"UGH! MOVE OVER, SMALLVILLE, YOU DO IT LIKE THIS!"
"WILL YOU GIRLS JUST SHUT UP AND LET ME DO IT ON MY OWN? I'M TRYING MY BEST TO FIT IT IN!" Clark's voice joined the hullabaloo.
"I think it's too big.." Chloe's thoughtful voice floated into the kitchen.
"It is NOT too big! But we won't get ANYTHING done if Clark doesn't push HARDER! Come on, Smallville! It's already a perfect fit! Now all you have to do is PUSH PUSH PUSH PUSH--"
"I AM PUSHING!"
A pale Martha turned to address her husband, who looked frozen to his stool. "Sweetheart..." she said, her eyes the size of baseballs. "What...are they doing..."
(If you are laughing at this point, you have a dirty...dirty mind...haha JK.)
- OUTSIDE -
"YEAAAAAAAAH! YA DID IT!" Lois threw her hands into the air and congratulated Clark with a pat to his back. He had finally been able to successfully push the large suitcase into Lois' trunk, and it fit perfectly. He grinned shyly as Chloe zoomed the camera lens into his face and yelled, "Ladies and gentlemen, VICTORRRY!"
In the middle of all their excited hooting, Martha and Jonathan suddenly came running towards them, worried but determined looks on their faces. They skidded to a stop when they saw Clark finish closing the trunk of Lois' car.
"CLARK!" Martha shouted, panting. "What...were you DOING!" Jonathan took in deep breaths of fresh air beside her.
Clark, Chloe, and Lois all raised their eyebrows at the Kents. O...kay. "I was putting Lois' bags into her car, mom...Why?" Clark asked, confused on how strange his parents were behaving.
Martha and Jonathan stood staring at them for a while, inhaling and exhaling their lungs out. "You mean..." Martha slowly said. "...nothing was going on...between...you two?" she pointed at Lois and Clark. The couple in question exchanged a "WHAT THE HECK" look, and then turned back to Martha.
"Nooo...not that I know of..." Clark said slowly.
Jonathan put hands to his hips. "Oh, REALLY? Then what's this we heard about making love and pushing?" he asked.
Chloe let out a snort of laughter from her spot on the driveway, but the Kents shot her a look so she stopped mid-laugh. Lois stared at Clark's parents, who were sternly looking back at her. After a few moments, comprehension dawned. "Ohhhh..." she slowly smiled. "You thought we were..."
"EWWWWW!" Clark burst, having caught on as well. "MOM! NASTAY!" He started making choking noises.
Chloe sighed and shook her head. "Poor Mr. and Mrs. Kent.." she muttered under her breath. Then she turned to her cousin. "Lois? I think you better explain NOW before Mr. Kent has a heart attack."
So Lois spent the next...oh, let's see...fifteen minutes?...trying to explain to Martha and Jonathan what had REALLY happened. Chloe laughed at the expressions on the Kents' faces, while Clark gagged in the background.
Martha and Jonathan ended up laughing as well, though they were STILL very confused. But they were happy and relieved to know Clark and Lois hadn't been...doing uh...what they THOUGHT...they had been...er...doing. cough So after this ordeal had passed, Lois ran up to Clark's room, wanting to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Martha asked Jonathan and Chloe to help her bring something out in the kitchen, leaving Clark alone in the driveway beside Lois' car.
Clark sighed. He hadn't meant for his parents to hear Lois' terrible metaphors. He was just glad that they had understood. He stood brooding for a while, kicking at pebbles on the ground, feeling sad about Lois leaving the farm. Questions flooded his mind: When would she be back? WILL she be back? Was she in any way attracted to him as he was attracted to her? Would she ever like him the way he was BEGINNING to like her? So many questions, so little time. And he was STILL confused. Hopefully, in the days to come, Clark would have the time to analyze and be able to decide what he really felt for Lois.
Suddenly, he heard Lois come walking down the steps and heading towards him. He turned around just in time to see her smiling, her purse slung over her shoulder.
"Admit it, Small V," she said, punching his arm. "You're going to miss me."
"Small V?" Clark asked.
Lois rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "So sue me, I have a new nickname for you," she said, rummaging into her purse. Clark laughed. "So anyway, I have something here for you..."
"For ME?" Clark asked.
"Yeah, it's a good-bye present thing..."
Clark raised his eyebrows for a moment. A 'good-bye' present? Why did she have to give him a good-bye present? And crap. Was she expecting him to give her one too? But before he knew it, Lois was shoving a CD case into his hands. "I got this at the mall while you weren't looking," she explained.
Clark tilted his head to see what she had gotten him. "...Shania Twain's Greatest Hits," he read, as Lois walked past him and opened her car door.
"Check out track five!" Lois said, throwing her purse into the car.
Clark, who was already confused, turned the CD over and looked for number five. "'Man, I Feel Like a..' LO!..." He now turned an annoyed face over to Lois, who was leaning on her car, laughing.
"Whaaat? You know, it's okay to 'feel like a woman' sometimes, Clark. Get in touch with your feminine side!" Lois teased, clearly enjoying the way Clark was reacting to her gift. "..Besides, when I come back, you, me, and Chloe are going to have a trio karaoke thing, and we're going to sing THAT song. So I suggest you put that CD to good use and practice."
Clark's head snapped up at the words "I", "Come", and "Back." He was so excited that he didn't hear what else Lois had been saying. "Really?" he asked, unable to keep the smile from his face. "You're coming back to visit? When?"
Lois shrugged. "I dunno. I know I'm planning to spend my Christmas down here..." Clark's head drooped in disappointment. He had to wait THAT long? "...But I might come visit in between. Chlo would kill me if I don't go see her at least once every three months or something..." Clark's head was up and he was smiling again, but he didn't say anything.
Lois trailed the toe of her shoe on the ground. Clark shuffled his feet. "Ehm...So..." Lois began.
"Yeah. So."
"So I guess this is good-bye, huh?" Lois looked up and grinned at Clark.
Clark smiled back, though he was feeling quite depressed inside. "Yeah, I guess so," he shyly replied.
Lois rolled her eyes, and Clark thought he saw tears in them. "Oh, come here, you," she said, reaching out and suddenly putting her arms around Clark's neck in a big hug. Although surprised at first, Clark easily wrapped his own arms around Lois' waist. She was hugging Clark tightly, and he didn't mind at all. Burying his face into Lois' sweet-smelling hair, he tried to pay attention to what she was saying.
"...Thanks, buddy," Lois mumbled into his shoulder.
"Thanks for what?"
Lois let go and made a sniffling noise. "You know, thanks for letting me use your bedroom, for letting me drag you around town unattended, for playing along when I wanted to go to the fair and have that crazy camp-out...and...you know for all that advice you gave me last night. I mean, this morning."
Clark chuckled. "What are you talking about? I should be thanking you.." he said, looking down at his feet.
Lois blinked. "What do you mean?" she asked.
Clark looked up, put his hands in his pockets, and fixed her with one of his shy/adorable looks. "Well," he began. "I have to admit...If you hadn't come to stay with us for a week,...I don't know what I would have done."
Lois smirked. "You'd probably sit up in your loft, star gaze, and think loads about Lana," she said.
"About that," Clark put in, "I'm over her."
Lois raised her eyebrows, obviously very surprised. "You're over her alREADY?" she asked, incredulous. She crossed her arms and stared at a smiling Clark. No way. He HAD to be bluffing.
Clark nodded. "Yeah..."
"Well, it took ya LONG enough, Smallville! I'm proud of you!" Lois said, patting his arm. "You know what...I think you deserve another hug."
Clark's smile grew as Lois laughed and hugged him again. He could get used to this. Suddenly, however, Chloe's voice spoke up from behind them.
"What, lo? It's Clark and Lo! And," here she let out a theatrical gasp, "What's this they're doing? They actually have their arms wrapped around each other in a loving embrace! You people WATCHING THIS! This is a landmark in history! Hey, how about you guys make it official with a lil' smoocheroo, eh Clark? Oh you know you wanna--"
"Oh, shut up, Chloe," Lois said, letting go of Clark and playfully hitting her video-camera-armed cousin in the ribs. Nevertheless, she blushed a light pink, and nobody but Chloe noticed it.
The Kents came walking out of the house then, Martha holding a large basket in both hands. She smiled as she handed it over to Lois.
"Mrs. Kent!" Lois said, taking it into her hands. "What's this?"
"It's some food left over from lunch. I made you a couple of chicken sandwiches, and there's some cheesecake and soda as well," Martha answered.
Lois stopped looking through the basket and reached out to embrace Martha. "Oh, Mrs. Kent, thanks so much, but...what about your basket?"
Martha just shook her head and patted Lois' cheek. "THAT, sweetie," she said. "Will give you another reason to come visit us again."
"Amen," Jonathan spoke up from his spot, and everyone laughed as Lois went to hug him as well.
So after another round of good-bye's, Lois pried the video camera from Chloe's vice-like grip and declared that it was time for her to go. The cousins hugged each other one last time before Lois climbed into her car and turned it on. As she was about to back out of the driveway, however, she heard a tap on her window. She turned to see Clark making hand motions, asking her to bring her window down.
As she did, she asked, "Yeah, what is it?"
Clark looked like he had something important to say, but was definitely hesitating. Everyone watched as he looked down at his shoes, look up at Lois, open his mouth, and then close it again. Lois waited patiently at the wheel, wondering what was going on. But Chloe, getting annoyed, hit Clark on the back. "Oh, just TELL her already!" she said, rolling her eyes.
Clark stopped looking at the ground. He finally brought his gaze up and locked eyes with Lois' own. "I'll miss you," he said. And he meant it. He continued to stare at Lois, wanting her to believe what he had just said. He hoped she wouldn't take it lightly, because he meant it with all his heart.
Lois didn't take it lightly. She was startled at this declaration, of course, because Clark had never said that he was going to miss her before. In fact, she didn't think he ever DID miss her...Until now. She gave him a small smile full of meaning, and reached a hand out her window, not once breaking eye contact with him. "I'll miss you, too," she softly replied.
Clark took her hand, and she squeezed his. They looked into each other's eyes, and neither knew what to feel. It was as if time had frozen, and they couldn't take their eyes off each other.
Martha, Jonathan, and Chloe stood watching them. They exchanged knowing and hopeful smiles as Clark and Lois continued their little staring contest.
But after a few seconds had passed, Lois finally loosened her grip, and Clark reluctantly let her go. Before he knew it, Lois was pulling out of their driveway, smiling and waving at them. His parents and Chloe yelled their last good-bye's. Chloe even chased after Lois' car until she couldn't keep up anymore.
Clark felt like he was rooted to the ground. He couldn't move, he couldn't keep his eyes from that spot on the road where Lois' car had disappeared, and he didn't know why. All he could think about were those last few moments he and Lois had shared. Something special and memorable had passed between them.
And Clark knew it was only the beginning.
The End.
PSYCHE!
- EXACTLY ONE WEEK LATER -
"HEY, CLARK!"
Clark smiled and waved at his dad as he made his way up the front steps. It was Friday again, and he had just come home from school. "Hey, dad!" he called. "Do you need some help?"
Jonathan waved a hand around from his seat on the tractor. "No, thanks, son! I'll call you if I need you, though!"
Clark nodded and walked into the house. Martha wasn't home from the Talon yet, and the house, as Clark had come to notice over the past week, was eerily quiet. He tried shrugging off a feeling of sadness, but he knew it had something to do with Lois' leaving them. Which was weird, because before, when Lois left, he'd embrace the silence. Now, he'd do anything to hear her noisy heels walking up and down the stairs, her yelling along to the radio, and her playful greetings of "Hey, Smallville" "Hey farm boy" "What up, Kent?" "You stink. Were you shoveling cow dung again?"
Clark sighed as he sat down on the couch. He hadn't spoken to Lois since that day she left the farm. When school had re-opened, he and his classmates had a lot of catching up to do, and Clark was very busy. He knew Lois was busy with her classes too, for she didn't call him or Chloe. She had called Chloe last Saturday, but that was only to assure her cousin of her safe arrival in Metropolis. Clark didn't know why not talking to Lois every twenty-four hours bugged him so much.
He was just about to get up and head for his loft to do his homework, when he heard a loud rap on the door. Clark got up, walked to the door, and opened it.
"Chloe!"
Chloe stood on the doormat, grinning from ear to ear.
"What's up, what are you doing here?" Clark asked, and he looked down to see that she was holding a brown paper bag in her hands. "What's that?" he pointed.
"THIS," Chloe said, handing it over to him. "Is for YOU. It's from Lois and me."
Clark raised an eyebrow at her, and she explained, "It's the pictures we took at the fair and during our camp-out. I finally had them developed, and I made three copies so I could give them to you guys."
Clark looked through the bag and took out a video tape.
"Oh, and Lois gave THAT when I went to Metropolis with dad on Wednesday. She told me to give it to you," Chloe added, pointing at the tape.
Clark raised his eyebrows and turned the tape in his hands. "Well, what is it?" he asked.
Chloe smiled at him. "You'll just have to find that out for yourself, won't you? But I tell you this: I almost popped a vein LAUGHING when I watched it," she said, beginning to giggle.
Clark smiled. "Oooookay, you've got me interested...Thanks, Chloe," he said, gathering the paper bag full of pictures and the video in his hands.
Chloe stood there smiling at him for a while in that weird way Clark had gotten used to, before looking down at her shoes, and saying, "You know, if you're falling for her, Clark...Don't fight it."
Clark stared at his best friend in silence, startled at what he had just heard. What did she just say? "Chloe--"
"Have fun watching that video, Clark," Chloe smiled at him one last time, before waving and heading down the steps. Clark watched, confused, as she got into her car and drove away.
After just standing there for a full minute, Clark finally went back into the house and shut the door. Shaking his head, he walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. He then proceeded to open the paper bag and spill its contents. Various photographs with white borders covered his lap, and Clark gathered them into a pile so he could look at each one properly.
The first one was of Chloe and Lois eating their cotton candy, and Clark remembered that he had taken that one. The next picture had Clark and Chloe standing in front of the haunted house, making scary faces at the camera. Clark smiled and moved on to the next picture. This one was taken by Chloe while they had been riding the spinning teacups, and Clark and Lois had their eyes crossed, and their tongues sticking out of their mouths. Clark laughed out loud. The next few pictures were of their campout, and Clark groaned when he saw one of him sleeping in his tent with his mouth open. Chloe must have taken that he thought, taking note to tell her off at school the next morning.
But it was the next picture that grabbed Clark's full attention. It was the one Chloe had taken of him and Lois after their ride in the Ferris wheel. Lois had her arm slung around his neck, giving one of her glittering and infectious smiles. Beside her, Clark saw an image of himself smiling uncertainly, his hands in his pockets.
Clark finally stopped looking at it when the video sitting on the coffee table grabbed his attention. Putting the picture of him and Lois down, Clark took the video out of it's cover. A folded piece of white paper fell out. Taking it into his hands, he read, "I guess someone was using the camera while I wasn't looking, huh? Tell your mom I said hi. - Lois." Crouching his eyebrows in confusion, Clark took the tape and read off its label, "Seven Days in Smallville - A Documentary."
Curious, Clark shoved it into the VCR, and immediately, the tape began playing. He saw what looked like the bed Lois used in her dorm at Met U. As he continued to watch, he saw Lois herself (wearing her famous purple pajamas) walk from behind the camera and sit on the bed.
"Hey, Smallville," she began with a grin. "As you know, I spent most of my time at your place video-taping everybody. Sorry if that annoyed you. (Clark smirked.) But anyway, uh...THANK YOU, MRS. KENT! The most interesting parts in this video were taken, I KNOW, by her...So, yeah, I'd like to give her the credit for her awesome 'candid camera' skills." Here, she stopped and Clark thought he saw her blush. "So, um. Enjoy."
Lois and her dorm room suddenly disappeared, and an image of Clark snoring on the couch came into full view. "Oh...my gosh," Clark said from his seat on the couch.
"Awww..." Lois' voice was heard, as images of Clark sleeping and snoring continued to play. "Look at the little babbyyyy...He's so CUUUUuuuute..." Clark rolled his eyes and watched himself eventually wake up and throw a pillow at the camera. He smiled as he remembered that awful day when he had awoken to Lois video-taping him. Argh. What followed after that were more funny situations that Clark didn't even remember occuring. He couldn't help chuckling out loud when images of him and Lois playing twister appeared onscreen. He went into gales of laughter as he watched the shaving cream/pillow fight that Chloe had took.
But as Clark watched the rest of the video, he came to understand the note Lois had written him. There were recorded sequences of him and Lois fighting in the barn, chasing each other while cleaning the truck, the dance out in the front yard after Lex's party, and more...Clark couldn't help blushing a bright red when he watched those parts. He couldn't believe his mother had recorded all that.
The tape finally ended, and Clark saw Lois sitting on the bed in her dorm room again. She was smiling shyly into the camera. "Sooo...yeah.." she said, and Clark found that he couldn't keep his eyes from her image on the television screen. Lois suddenly looked up. "Thanks for a magical seven days, Clark," she said, smiling slightly. Then, Clark watched as she slowly got up from the bed and turned the camera off.
"No..." Clark whispered, staring at the TV, which had already gone black. "Thank you."
After thinking about a particular someone for a while, Clark took the remote back in his hands and rewinded the tape. He quickly paused it as soon as the scene where he and Lois were hugging came onscreen. Chloe had taken that before Lois had left. Clark and Lois were smiling at the camera, having just discovered that Chloe was video-taping them.
It was then that Clark decided to act. He knew this was a small step, but he was going to do it anyway. He quickly pulled his cell phone from his pocket, looked for Lois' number, and dialed it.
After a few rings, she finally picked up. "Hello?"
"Lois?"
"Hey, Smallville! What--Hey, leave me ALONE, Denise, I'm talking to Clark!...NO, YOU MAY NOT TALK TO HIM!...Argh, go away!"
Clark, who had been smiling since the moment she had called him "Smallville", listened in puzzlement as some shuffling and yelling was heard from Lois' end of the line. "Er...Lois?"
After a few seconds, she replied with, "Okay, back! Sorry about that."
"What happened?"
Lois sighed and Clark could almost see her rolling her eyes. "Oh, that was Denise, a friend of mine. She and a couple of other girls were with me when I wrote down those studying suggestions you gave me over the video?...KAYLA. GO. AWAY. Anyway, yeah. They were practically drooling while they were watching that, and now they've got major crushes on you," she explained.
Clark laughed. "Really?"
"Yep, really. They think you're hot. AHHHHHHHHHUUUUGH..."
"Hiiiii, Clark..."
"Who's this?" Clark asked, as another girl's voice greeted him over the phone. He heard Lois yelling in the background ("GIVE ME BACK MY CELL PHONE, CRYSTAL!"). She finally DID get her phone back, saying, "Yeesh! Some girls, man..I'm starting to regret having them over when I watched that thing..."
Clark laughed, and they were quiet for a while. "Uh, Lois. I called because I um...kinda wanted to ask you if-"
"OH MY GOSH!" Lois suddenly interrupted, her voice sounding excited. "AHH! Clark, okay, I have to tell you something. I just took TWO exams today. Ah, I feel so LIBERATED! HA HA it was so FUNNY, I actually took your advice and STUDIED this time. (more laughing) When they handed me the test papers I was like, 'Whoa! I actually KNOW THIS STUFF!'...You were right, Kent, studying actually works! Good-bye, procrastination! Lois Lane is going to FINISH COLLEGE with flying colors! So what do ya think about that, huh Clark? Ya proud of me?"
Clark, who hadn't been able to get in a word edgewise the whole time Lois was telling her "I-now-love-studying" story, just smiled into the phone. "Yes, I'm very proud of you, Lois," he answered.
"Aww, thanks, Clark! Now hang up and call me later, I just remembered, I have to tell Chloe what I just told you. Bye--"
"Lois, WAIT!"
"What?"
As Lois waited in silence, Clark fidgeted in his seat on the couch. I can't believe I'm doing this he thought to himself. But he was so tired of lying to himself. He HAD to do this, even though it scared the heck out of him. And, well, he knew Lois would probably scream at him for even asking, but...He was willing to risk it. After taking a deep breath and letting it out, Clark plunged into new territory.
"Lois..." he slowly began.
"Yeah?"
"What are you doing Friday night?"
THE END.
No really, I'm not kidding this time,
THE END.
