I realize that I've sort of let this fic go to hell update-wise lately, and for that I apologize. But it's not as bad as my 3 month absence, right? Anyway, here's a superlong, super chock-full-of-clois update..

ENJOY!


Chapter 16: Date Night!

Clark was the first one up in the desolate Kansas field.

The sun was high in the sky, and the cold wind brushed past his face and swept his hair into a knotted mess. Chloe lay beside him, curled in a fetal position on the grass, trying to warm herself up. She was fast asleep, her face crinkled and tucked inside her chest. Clark turned onto his back, and admired the beautiful day that was unfolding before him. The sky was filled with puffy, white clouds--the kinds you can spot shapes with. Clark tried to do this, temporarily reverting back to the simpler days of childhood, spoting an elephant and an angel in the process. The angel reminded him of Lois. It's beauty, it's elegance, it screamed of Lois at her finest.

Lois...

Then it hit Clark. Our date... He looked at his watch. Oh crap...

"CHLOE! Wake up! We gotta go!"

Chloe sprang awake. Her heart was racing. "Clark what's wrong?" She asked. She immediately assumed the worst--that Lex and his cronies had found them. But she looked around, and only saw miles and miles of Kansas farmland, not another soul in sight.

"It's 4 o'clock in the afternoon! I have to get back to Smallville!" Clark shouted. He sprinted to the car, tugging on the door handle to get it to open. "Chloe! Where are the keys? Oh my god, what if I left them in the car! How am I gonna get back! Chloe, we gotta break in. I'll---"

Chloe rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and drowsily watched Clark battling her red VW bug. She began laughing hysterically, considering that the Bug seemed to be winning. But, seeing the dent slowly forming where he pounded the door, she collected herself, dug into her pockets, and pulled out her set of keys. "Cla-ark!" she said, teasing.

Clark sped over to her and grabbed the keys. "Is it really 4o'clock? Jeez, I haven't slept that well in a long time." Chloe said. "By the way, you realize that you could have just run home, if worse came to worse."

Clark blushed red, feeling more than foolish. He turned around to face Chloe's car, which, even though he had only hit it at half-strength, had a serious dent in the driver's door.

"Uh...I'll pay for that Chloe. I guess I got a little carried away..." He apologized.

"Just get in the car."


Lois was the first one up in the Kent house.

It had been a long time since she had seen sunrise. Sure, growing up with the General had conditioned her to be up with the sun, but since she'd been living with the Kent's, it was as though her body was catching up on years of lost sleep. It was not unusual for her to sleep until noon. Lois had been sleeping on the couch since Chloe had started staying with the Kents, and, even though the sofa was smaller than the beds she was used to, it was actually pretty comfortable. I don't understand what Smallville was complaining about all these years...all you need are a few pillows and this thing makes a great bed...

Smallville...

Then it hit Lois. Our date... She looked at her watch. Oh crap...

"Fourteen more hours!" Lois cried. "That long?" She sprang out of bed, threw on some jeans, and ran into the kitchen. She was still in a bit of a daze, considering she'd only been awake for a minute. "Ok," she said aloud. "I'll just have to occupy myself until tonight." She said with a smile. She stood for a few seconds, frozen, the smile plastered on her face in an attempt to force herself to be patient. It soon faded, however, and Lois groaned.

"I need coffee..."


Chloe drove back as quickly as she could. Clark was doing his best to be polite and not rush her, but inside he was screaming in impatience and anticipation. He was mostly quite, but every once in a while he would mutter something under his breath, like 'I hope we make it,' or 'Don't worry, Chloe, I'm sure you'll get me there in time.' Chloe was fuming in the drivers seat, praying for the moment to get when she could dump Clark with Lois.

"Hey Chloe, can you believe the traffic today?"

"CLARK!" She shouted. She was completely agitated with Clark. "I'm on the freakin highway, there are only 3 other cars on the road, I'm already going 20 over the speed limit, and NOBODY LIKES A BACKSEAT DRIVER!"

"You're right, I'm sorry" Clark apologized. "Uh...but could we maybe try and pass that guy in front of us? He's not moving at all and--"

Clark didn't get a chance to finish his sentence, startled by Chloe abrubt right turn onto the highway's shoulder. She bolted out of the car, opened Clark's door, and pulled him out by his collar. "You think you can do a better job? YOU DRIVE!" She yelled. Clark eagerly took the wheel, while Chloe attempted to calm herself down.

Clark sped back onto the highway, dodging cars left and right and clenching his fists on the wheel in urgency. Chloe's hands instinctively grabbed the side of her seat. She was petrified because, while she knew that Clark would save her if they crashed, her car might not fare as well. It was already busted up as it was, and Chloe was far too broke to fund another one.

Miraculously, they made it to the outskirts of Metropolis in 20 minutes flat. Even more miraculously, the car hadn't suffered any damage at all.

Clark's pace slowed as the traffic began to bunch up.

"Hey Clark, get out here. I want to take you into Metropolis for a while." Chloe said.

"But Chloe...I have to get back home to pick up Lois!" Clark answered. "And the traffic's bad enough as it is--"

"Clark," Chloe began. "What are you gonna wear tonight?"

Clark stammered. "I have...uh..."

Chloe smiled. "And where are you taking her?"

"Well I..." Clark hadn't thought about that. He'd been too worked up over Lex discovering his secret to even think about what he was actually going to do on his date.

"My point exactly. You need my help. And, lucky for you, I am willing and able to give it to you!"

Without hesitation, Clark turned the car towards Metropolis.


Lois was in a frenzy

When is he picking me up?...Is he even picking me up? He's not home, he didn't call me at all last night, or today either...The only thing he said was that we were going out to dinner! That could mean anything! Is it a fancy dinner? Pizza and ice cream? ...Of course CALLING ME was too much of a hassle...Oh, no, Smallville couldn't be bothered enough to call me!...What if last night was a dream? What if he doesn't want to go out with me at all? Snap out of it, of course wants to... But what am I gonna do?

What do I wear?

Lois was pacing around the living room, the flurry of questions buzzing in her head, when she accidently bumped into Mrs. Kent, who had apparently just woken up, knocking her to the floor. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry Mrs. Kent. Here, let me help you!"

"No it's ok, Lois, I got it. You seem hyper this morning...what's the matter?" Martha asked, standing back up and rubbing her eyes.

"Oh it's nothing. I just have a date today and I'm kind of freaking out."

"A date, huh? Who's the lucky man?" Martha asked. Lois quickly remembered that neither she or Clark had remembered to tell Martha about their new relationship status.

"Well, uh...actually, it's Clark!" Lois announced. Martha's eyes lit up and she broke into a gigantic smile.

"Honey that's great! Oh my gosh, I'm so happy for you two! When did this happen?"

"Yesterday, actually. It was really sudden. I'm just worried because Clark hasn't called me all day or given me any details about the date. He didn't come home last night, either." Lois pointed out. "Come to think of it, Chloe didn't come home either..."

Martha was worried now. Chloe had told her that Lex knew Clark's secret--that was the last time she'd seen Chloe. She'd gone to find Clark, if Martha remembered correctly. Martha ran to the phone, and hastily dialed Clark's cell.

"Who are you calling?" Lois asked. She wasn't too worried about Clark's disapearance aside from the fact that it might interfere with their date, but Martha seemed hysterical.

"DAMN IT, CLARK!" Martha shouted. Lois was shocked at Martha's choice of language. She slammed the phone on the reciever.

"His phone is off!"


Not soon after Chloe and Clark had entered Metropolis, they were walking into the Metropolis Mall, Chloe leading the way towards Metropolis' higher end shops, hoping to find Clark something more suiteable for his date than his usual plaid. Clark looked around like a scared puppy dog.

"You've never really done this before, have you?" Chloe asked, seeing his face.

"I have, but I'm a little scared about having you dress me," Clark replied.

"It'll be an improvement from whatever you'd chose...just work with me here, ok?"

So they walked around for a half hour or so, scanning assorted boutiques and shops for the perfect date outfit, when Chloe's phone started ringing. "It's Lois," she said, as she picked up the phone

"Hello?"

"Chloe, where the hell have you been? Is Clark there?" It was Lois.

"Yeah, he's right--"

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU BOTH! WHERE THE HELL DID YOU TWO GO! MRS. KENT AND I WERE WORRIED SICK, AND WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO CALL YOU ALL DAY!"

"Oh...I'm sorry we scared you Lois. We kind of overslept--"

"I think you should rephrase that, Chlo, or I'm gonna start assuming things that better have not happened!" Lois shouted. She was clearly angry. Clark was now looking at Chloe in confusion, fighting back the urge to eavesdrop on the conversation with his superhearing. He mouthed to Chloe "What happened?" but she waved him off.

"Lo, me and Clark crashed at my dorm last night. He was helping me with some handywork that my roommate had called me complaining about. It was so late when we finished that we figured we should spend the night, considering that my roommate was gone and all."

Chloe heard Lois sigh. "Ok. I guess I'm just a little jittery. Can I talk to Clark? ...Wait, hold on a sec."

Lois started speaking to someone in the background. "Yeah he's there. Oh. OK. Hey, Chloe, ya there?"

"Yep. What's up?"

"Tell Clark to turn on his phone. His mom wants to talk to him."

Chloe turned to Clark. "Clark, turn your phone on. Your mom's calling." Clark reached into his pocket, and the phone glowed to life. Almost simultaneously, he recieved an incoming call from his house phone.

"Mom? What's up?"

"How DARE you scare me like that! How the heck was I supposed to know where you were! And after Chloe told me everything that had happened! You could have been killed, and I wouldn't have even KNOWN!" She shouted at him. He had to move the phone away from his ear, because she was screaming so loud. People walking by stared at him, clearly hearing everything in the conversation.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that my phone was off, and I overslept. I was out with Chloe, I really needed to clear my head after what happened...So I guess you know about Lex?"

"Yes, Clark, I know. I don't know what to do about it, either. I can't believe this happened..." Martha trailed off.

"I really don't want to talk about this right now, mom. Could we save this for later? Please?" Clark begged. He didn't want to think about what happened right now.

Martha sighed. "Ok...Let's talk about something else. Like your date with Lois?"

"I'm guessing she told you, huh?" Clark replied.

"Definately. She could barely contain herself! Where are you gonna take her?"

"Uh, I kind of need some help with that." Clark said "Is she nearby? I don't want her to overhear anything."

"No, she's outside on her cell. She won't hear. So tell me what you were thinking of."

"Maybe a dinner in the loft? I don't know about taking her to a restaurant, because it just doesn't feel right for us. I wanted something more personal, where we could be alone...does that seem stupid?" Clark said. When his mother didn't respond, he was afraid that his idea was a bust.

"No, Clark, not at all." She eventually replied. "That sounds perfect. I'm proud of you, son. You've come a long way." Martha was beginning to tear up on the other line. Clark was ecstatic--his idea was playing out perfectly. All was as it should be.

"Could you do me a favor, though? I need to keep her out of the house so I can set up. Can you maybe take her shopping or something?"

"Clark, I'm sorry, but I really can't. I have to run into Metropolis today on errands, and I can't take her with me. Maybe Chloe will do it?"

Clark looked over to face his blond friend, who rolled her eyes as she listened to Lois' babbling on the other line. "Chloe, could you do me a favor?"

"Sure, Clark," she replied. Through her phone, he could hear Lois say "Clark's there? Tell him that I gotta talk to him, because I--"

Chloe cut her off by putting her hand over the phone. "I need you to get Lois out of the house for a few hours. I know what I'm doing for our date," he whispered. Chloe nodded in approval, and began telling Lois how she was going to take her shopping this afternoon. Clark hung up with his mom, and Chloe with Lois.

"OK. I gotta go pick up Lois. You'll be ok here on your own?" Chloe asked. Clark nodded an answer, and Chloe ran off. "Tell her to dress up!" Clark shouted after her, Chloe giving him a quick thumbs up.

Clark was now completely alone in the monstrous shopping mall. "Great," he sighed. "Now how the heck am I gonna get something to wear?"


2 hours later

Clark was finished decorating every last inch of the loft. He was exhausted, wondering to himself how women seemed to be able to do things like this on a daily basis. Stepping back to admire his work, he let out a sigh of relief. Sure, it might be a little overkill, he thought, but I think it looks pretty nice!

Every inch of the loft was covered in red. Red candles, red tablecloths, even red curtains lining the loft window. The room was dimly lit, with only a few candles and the natural sunset gleaming through the window, flooding the room with a soft orange glow. Clark smiled, mentally patting himself on the back for a job well done. He was glad he had chosen the red fabric at the mall--it was Lois' favorite color, after all. He looked at his watch, and realized that he had a little over a half hour to fix himself up. So, 10 minutes, the world's quickest shower and a wardrobe change later, he was looking sharp.

At the mall, he had been lucky enough to run into an enthusiastic store clerk, who could barely keep her hands off him as he forced him into outfit after outfit. She was naturally discouraged when he informed her that he was going on a date, but helped him pick out a outfit to impress Lois anyway. His shirt was a white, fitted, button down dress shirt, with a soft blue embellishment on the cuffs. He knew that Lois would probably make fun of the "girly" design, but he thought it made him look fashionable. His pants were regular black, with polished black dress shoes finishing off the look. Clark couldn't help but smile--he looked better than he'd ever looked in his life, aside from his run-ins with red-K.

Finally, the downstairs entrance flew open, signaling the arrival of his date for the evening. He sprinted down the stairs, but was stopped dead in his tracks when he was met with a glowing Lois Lane standing in the doorway.

She smiled when she saw him, but still tried to conceal her shock at his new apparel. Holy crap...he's freakin hot!

Clark smiled as well, and tried as hard as he could not to drool when he saw Lois. Holy crap...she's gorgeous!

"Uh, hi, Smallville." Lois said. She was nervous as hell, which in itself scared her a little bit, but sensed that Clark was just as nervous. Clark didn't answer her welcome--he couldn't stop looking at her. Her dress was bright white--a bold choice, in his opinion, with thin straps that popped against her golden skin. Her loose hair curled softly as it fell on her shoulders, and her makeup was subtle enough to let her natural beauty shine through. It was hard for Clark not to just go up and kiss her right now, but he promised himself that he would wait until after dinner, at least, for such a move. The last thing he wanted to do tonight was make her uncomfortable.

"Uh, where exactly are you taking me? I'm, uh, ready to go!" Lois said awkwardly. It was weird having Clark stare at her so much, and it had been at least a minute since anyone last spoke.

"What? Oh! Oh yeah, I need you to close your eyes!" Clark said, snapping out of his daydream and remembering that Lois was waiting for him.

"Ok..." Lois said, shutting her eyes tight. Clark took her hands, and slowly led her up the stairs. She stumbled a few times on the way up, but thankfully, they both made it to the upper floor in one piece.

"Ok, open your eyes!" Clark said. He was more exited than he'd ever been before.

Lois opened them. Oh my god...it looks like...a harem, she thought. Everything's so red... But seeing Clark's beaming face, waiting for her to comment, reminded her of how hard he must have worked on all this--and, if you did ignore the amount of red, it did look quite nice. So she smiled at him and playfully patted him on the back. "You've done good, Smallvile. It's beautiful." Clark smiled even wider.

"Sit down, Lois. I made us dinner." Clark announced. He had a full meal waiting downstairs, and was anxious to get it on the table.

"You cooked? I didn't even know you could cook!" Lois exclaimed, secretly hoping that Clark's cooking skills were better than his decorating skills.

And they were. Clark brought out course after course of his homemade cooking. It was nothing fancy, but it was delicious. The first course was a small salad, with some sweet bread on the side. Next came the entree--He'd cooked filet mignon (What is it with men and steak? thought Lois,) with mashed potatoes and assorted grilled vegetables. To top it all off, he served apple pie with vanilla ice cream--his mom's special recipe. Lois proceeded to scarf down every last bit of food on the table, all the while chatting away with Clark about life, the weather, whatever came to mind.

Clark was ecstatic that everything had gone so well. With Lana, his dates had always been almost uncomfortable, as though was trying to impress her so much that he lost the true meaning of why he was even there. But with Lois, aside from his freak-out earlier in the day, he was suprisingly calm. He simply talked to her--he didn't need to put up a false front or try to impress her. Conversation flowed naturally from one thing to the other, and nothing about it seemed forced. For once in his life, Clark felt as if he could show who he really was.

Lois patted her stomach in delight. "I couldn't eat another bite. This was great, Smallvile. Thank you." She said. Her face was practically sore from smiling, but she hadn't had such a good time in a while. "If we get married, I'm gonna make you cook every--" she stopped. Did I really say that? Clark fortunately seemed not to notice, or if he did, he didn't show it. Lois was thankful that he'd decided to spare her a verbal beating.

"You know, I'm not finished yet," Clark said. He did have one more trick up his sleeve.

"Clark, no offense, but I don't think I could eat any more if I tried. Save it for leftovers."

"No, seriously! There's something else I want to show you!" he said. He knew that it would be a perfect conclusion to the perfect evening.

"Does it involve being blindfolded again?" Lois joked.

"No. Just follow me, ok?"

So Clark led Lois downstairs and out of the loft before he stopped, facing Lois toward the outside of the barn. "Stay right there," he ordered as he dissapeared back into the barn

"Uh, Clark? I've seen your barn thousands of times already..." She commented, her arms folded across her chest. She had no idea what Clark was up to.

Clark returned a few seconds later, carrying a ladder. He positioned it against the house. "Climb up."

"What is this, some kind of joke?"

But Clark was already halfway up the ladder, beckoning her to follow. "How am I supposed to climb this thing! I'm in heels!" She shouted after him.

"Take them off!" he shouted back. Seeing that she had no other choice, she kicked off her shoes and followed Clark up the ladder. She felt quite awkward climbing up in her short dress and bare feet, but forced herself to continue, eventually reaching the roof of the barn.

Clark took her hand and supported her as they climbed up the roof to the very top. Lois was skeptical, but once she reached their destination, she knew why Clark had brought her there.

Unfolding before them was the most beautiful sunset she had ever seen. The sky glowed magnificent shades of pink, gold, and purple, with a blood-red sun descending over the horizon. The clouds floated in assorted shades of pastels in the cold winter evening. The sky looked like it was a watercolor painting. Lois was completely engrossed in the beautiful sight before her.

"I used to come up here sometimes. You know, to think. We're completely alone up here, and that's what makes it so special. It's one small thing in my life that I feel like I don't have to share with anybody." Clark whispered.

"But you're sharing it with me?" Lois asked. This was apparently a huge deal for Clark, which made it seem all the more amazing to her. That Clark had chosen her.

Clark didn't answer her, but rather pulled her into a close embrace. They were so close that, for a brief and shining moment, their lips touched. The kiss was soft and quick, but filled with a passion that expressed itself in the full, unconditional love between these two individuals...even though they had yet to fully admit it to each other.

And there on the roof they remained, wrapped in each other's embrace, not wanting to move, even when the sky faded to black.