Chapter 8

"I'm sorry." Clark stammered, stepping back and around the shed as he covered his eyes in respect. He had seen all of her though, and her soft supple body was firmly implanted in his mind. He cursed to himself a few times as he walked farther backwards, not necessarily looking where he was going. The next thing he knew he had tripped over one of the benches and went tumbling backwards. A muffled yelp escaped his lips as he hauled the bench over with him, his head cracking a tree stump behind him.

He lied still for a second to try and gather his thoughts. The longer he stayed still, the more nervous he became. What was a woman doing lying naked on a picnic table at sub freezing temperature? And in the dark none the less?

"It's invigorating." A voice said.

Clark lifted his head and stared up at a shadowy figure standing on the other side of the toppled bench. He couldn't see her face, but she had the blanket wrapped around her. The more he stared, the more he pictured her naked body, her hard nipples and-. She ripped him out of his dream world.

"Are you okay?" She asked, leaning over the bench to stare at the man.

Again he shook the cobwebs out of his head and nodded. "I-I'm fine." He replied, turning over and getting up. He furiously shook the snow off his coat and his jeans, making sure they wouldn't leave wet spots.

"I guess you're wondering why I was lying naked in the freezing cold and on a picnic table none the less."

Clark shook his head vehemently. "It's none of my business." He stammered quickly, keeping his back turned to her. His face was beat red and he didn't want to look at her.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked, pulling the blanket around herself even tighter. When the man stood to full height, she gaped at him. He was tall; broad shouldered, and looked fitter than a fiddle. It took her a second to take her eyes off him, but once he finally turned around, she got a good look at his gorgeous face and had to look away in embarrassment.

"I think so." Clark responded with a tight smile, trying to hide his embarrassment as he shoved his hands into his pockets awkwardly. "I'm sorry." He said again, his eyes pleading for her forgiveness.

His puppy dog eyes made her melt inside. He may have looked like a hulking man, but she could tell that he was as nervous as a child. "Afraid of naked women?' She teased.

Clark's eyes went wide at her little joke. He went beat red once again and turned away.

Seeing that she was making him incredibly uncomfortable, she smiled politely and said. "I'm Candice." She stuck out her hand.

With a wary eye, he leaned over the bench and shook her hand. Ah he did so; one half of the blanket slipped and exposed her left breast. His eyes went instantly to it, drinking its ample size and pink nipple. Realizing that he was staring, he tore his gaze away.

Frowning at the man, since he hadn't given his name, she looked down at herself. The blanket had fallen down, exposing her once again. "Damn." She said with a blush, quickly letting go of his hand and wrapping herself more tightly in the cotton fabric. "How's this for awkward?" She asked, flicking her hair out of the throws of the blanket.

Clark could only manage a squeak as she flung her hair back. She was lovely, stunning actually. Her black hair was long and straight, her eyebrows finely groomed. Her jaw was softly angled, and her nose was in perfect proportion to her cheeks. When he had seen her on the picnic table, he had noticed her slim build. An hourglass figure he recalled someone saying one time. She had the hips, and the breasts to take his breath away. It saddened him that she was hiding it all behind a blanket, but in the end his embarrassment and bumbling nature came forward. She seemed more comfortable than him, and he hated it. Just once he'd like not to be an idiot, whether it was around Lois or any other woman.

"What's your name?" She asked softly, seeing that he was still incredibly nervous. It was a trait that she found endearing and sweet.

"Clark." He replied, still keeping his eyes off her.

"I'm covered you know." She said with a mocking tone.

"I know it's just-"

"What? You don't like looking at pretty women?"

Her condescending voice cut through him like a hot knife through butter. "No-wait-yes-I-uh." He groaned in frustration and put a hand to his face in pain.

"Aren't you just the cutest thing?" She commented, causing him to blush furiously. "And you're a gentleman too it seems." Her lips curled into a smile as he slowly bent over and put the bench back upright. When he didn't say anything in return, she grinned even wider. "Well Clark, do you like what you see?" She opened the blanket and exposed herself fully. She was uncomfortable with her body; in fact she was quite proud of what she had come into in the past few years.

Clark gulped loudly as his eyes drifted to her. He couldn't help himself, he had to look. Again he got a grand tour of every curve. His eyes were transfixed, his pupils stuck on her large breasts. His eyes drifted up her neck and eventually met hers, and when they did, he turned away again, coughing like a mad man.

Behind his soft visage she could see the splendor that he had been enraptured in. He was a man after all, and all men couldn't resist a naked woman. Wrapping the blanket back around herself, she boldly stepped towards him. He was handsome, his leather jacket and dark jeans contradicting his nature. He wasn't at all what she thought he would be the first second she saw him. He wasn't bold or dashing, he was nervous and scared. "I'm sorry about that Clark." She said softly, getting closer.

Clark took a few steps back and almost tripped again. "I better get going."

That hurt her a bit, but she wouldn't say so to an almost complete stranger. "Why? Did you not like what you saw?" She wanted to get behind that thick skin of his and see who he really was.

She was edging him on, and he knew he'd have to say something. "It's not that I didn't enjoy what I saw-." His eyes went wide as she smiled at him, her white teeth and red gums shining in the moonlight. "I'm sorry." He apologized again after realizing that he had just admitted he had sneaked a peak.

Candice laughed, his uneasiness too cute. "It's okay Clark." She stopped going towards him, fearful that he would run away.

"No." He replied. "It's not okay. I saw you naked. That's not how people are supposed to meet." His eyes drifted to her as she continued to smile at him. Her grin was unnerving, and it made him want to run for the hills.

"Are you telling me that you've never had an uncomfortable first meeting?"

He thought about it, and he realized he had, with Lois in fact. A sharp laugh escaped his throat suddenly, clearly shocking the woman in front of him.

"Huh?" She asked in complete surprise. He was scared and frightened one minute, then laughing the next. It was strange to say the least.

Clark waved away her inquisition and answered. "You're right, it's not the first time I've had an awkward first meeting."

When he smiled he looked even more handsome. She smiled back, her toes wiggling in her boots. She was fortunate to have the foresight to put her boots on; otherwise she would have been shocked into frostbite. "Care to elaborate?" She asked devilishly, her smile turning into an evil grin. She always liked pushing people's personal comfort buttons; it allowed her to get to know them a little better.

"Not really." He squeaked.

The apprehension in his voice was evident, and thinking that it was because she was pretty much naked, she said. "Let me go change."

Clark relaxed as she disappeared from view. With a deep breath, he sat down on the wooden bench he had just set upright. The woman was certainly beautiful, her hair the same color as his. She was forthright and daring, something he had dealt with before, but never so strongly. She seemed completely oblivious to the fact that he had seen her naked, instead even prompting him to take another look. He did, and he felt awful about it. His mother would have scolded him. He chuckled to himself a second later, knowing that he was actually a grown man, but still felt as if he was disappointing his mother. Lois was right; he was a momma's boy.

"So, Clark." Candice said from behind the shed, slipping her clothes on.

"Yeah?" He asked weakly, raising his voice just enough so that she could hear him from behind the shed.

She slipped her white winter vest on and walked out from behind the old shed. With her boots adding an inch to her height, she was roughly six feet tall. "Clark who?" She asked, walking towards him.

"Kent." He answered, his eyes going to her as she made her way towards him. She was dressed in form fitting dark blue jeans and a white vest with a thick white sweater underneath. He stood up for no reason in particular.

"Let's try this again." She said, finally getting to him. "I'm Candice Fraser." She stuck her hand out, looking serious at him.

Frowning, he indulged her by taking her cold hand and shaking it softly. "Clark Kent." He responded, still confused.

She smiled at the warmth of his hand, but hid it the second she saw his frown. "Now, isn't that less awkward?" She asked.

Chuckling, he said. "Not really."

She laughed with him and let go of his hand. "I guess it's time for me to see you naked. Strip Clark!" She ordered with a wide grin.

"Shut up." Cark laughed, his wariness and fright melting away with her humor. She had one of those laughs that seemed so natural and serene that it let all his worries go by the wayside.

"You from around here?" She asked suddenly.

"Me?" Clark asked in surprise. When she gave him a stupid glare, he shook his head. "No."

"Where are you from then?" She asked, still trying to gauge the man. He was a weird one she would hand him that. There was something about him that irked her, especially the clothes and his attitude.

"Smallville, Kansas." He replied simply, sticking his hands in his coat pockets.

Mimicking his motion, she slipped her cold hands into her vest pockets. "On vacation I would assume?"

"Indeed." Clark replied, keeping his answers short and to the point.

"Got anything more to offer?" She asked, mocking him once again.

"What do you mean?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "I mean, don't you have anything interesting to say? Did you come with friends, or by yourself? Do I have to ask you all these questions, or are you going to offer up something on your own."

"A little impatient are we?" He joked, grinning at her suddenly.

"Always have been?" She answered with a tight smile. "So?"

"Came with some friends." He replied, finally answering one of her other questions. "We just got in a few hours ago and thought I'd take a stroll to see what it's like around here."

"Never thought you'd be treated to a naked display?" She asked, still grinning.

"I can't say that it crossed my mind." He shot back. He admired her personality. She didn't allow herself to become embarrassed over something that had just occurred. She made light of the whole debacle, easy his worries as well. "How about you?" He asked. "Are you from here in Aspen, or are you staying at the resort too?"

"In the same boat as you it seems." She replied, beginning to walk towards him. He seemed to catch her drift as he stepped in beside her as they went back down the path towards the resort. "Have some friends who came with me, but they're a little more rambunctious than me."

"What do you mean?" Clark asked, looking over at her.

Candice shrugged. "They wanted to party, I wanted to get some fresh air."

Clark looked to the sky between the tall trees. The moon was lit brightly, almost full in fact. "So that's your idea of fresh air?" He asked with a grin.

"Yes, but I wasn't planning on giving a peep show." She laughed, grinning at him with white teeth. She liked his presence, and behind that boyish exterior she realized that he had a good sense of humor. "Actually, that was the first time I've done anything like that." She admitted.

"Could have fooled me." Clark responded. "You seem comfortable about it." He gave her an awkward look and stared at his feet.

"I'm not ashamed of what I have to offer." She stated. "You on the other hand, you seem quite different than your get up lets on."

Clark stuck out an arm and inspected his leather coat. "It wasn't really my choice."

"Oh really? Care to elaborate."

"You really want to know?" He asked, looking over at her. He hadn't noticed her bright blue eyes before. They were alien in comparison to her black hair. When she nodded in response, he took a deep breath. "My mother insisted I wear them." He could have sworn she smiled, and even laughed, but he dismissed it as he couldn't be sure.

"You let your mother pick out all your clothes?"

Clark looked at his boots and shook his head. "Actually, I bought these a while back, but yes, normally I let mother buy my clothes."

Candice frowned. "So if I were to look into your closet, what would I see?"

"Blues jeans, t-shirts and plaid flannel." He said truthfully.

"Are you a farmer or something?" She asked with a laugh. When he didn't join her, she looked over but was met with nothing. Stopping, she turned back to him as he stood a few feet away with a scowl on his face. "What?" She asked with a sorrowful frown.

"I am a farmer." He said with a serious tone. He didn't find it a laughing matter. He watched her eyes go wide as she furiously apologized to him.

"I'm sorry Clark, I had no idea. I didn't want it to come across as mean. It's just that I always picture farmers in plaid flannel and blue jeans."

Clark lost his scowl and walked towards her. "Don't worry about it. If you saw me in my regular clothes you'd have figured it out pretty quickly." He gave her a weak smile to put her worry to rest. "Don't feel bad, most people I meet in this garb don't think I'm a farmer."

"How old are you Clark?" She asked suddenly. She wasn't comfortable with the current direction of the conversation.

"Twenty. Why?"

"Just a little curious." She replied, sticking her hands back in the pockets of her vest. "So, does that mean you farm with your dad?"

"No, he passed away last year." He said passively. Thinking and talking about his father wasn't as hard as it used to be. He missed him everyday, but he knew that with his father's memory, he could take solace in the fact that he was indeed watching down on him.

"I'm sorry Clark." She said, taking out a hand and resting it on his right arm. "I didn't mean to-."

"It's fine." He said, cutting her off in the process. "It's been just over a year, but it still hurts I guess."

"I know how you feel. I lost my sister when I was twelve." She smiled sadly and put her hand back into her pocket.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Clark said sincerely. She didn't seem comfortable with the way their conversation was heading, so he steered it into another direction. "Where are you from?"

She snapped out of her thoughts at his question. He seemed capable of picking up her unwillingness to speak further about her sisters passing. "New York."

"Never been."

"It's nothing special." She said, continuing to walk with him.

Clark nodded with her. "Do you go to school there?" He asked, feeling as if they were heading into a weird Q&A session.

She looked to the sky, her eyes inspection the moon. She loved the crisp air in her nostrils, the cold breeze on her face. There was something about a winter evening that made her incredibly happy. It didn't hurt that she had met a fine young man who was no more than two years younger than her. Maybe the week wouldn't suck. "I go to N.Y.U." She added, looking back to the path.

"That's a heck of a school." He commented, looking to her and then back to the quickly brightening lights of the hotel. The trail was getting smoother, signaling their proximity to the resort.

"It's good enough." She said.

"You don't sound overly enthused about it?"

"Really?" She replied sarcastically, her mood lightening a little. "Is it that obvious?"

"What do you think?" He asked with a grin, looking over at her. She smiled back, the corner of her lips turning upwards. She was easily the one of the most beautiful women he had ever met, and she seemed to have a good head on her shoulders too.

"I'm just a little frustrated with my studies. Its March break and I should be having fun, but I'm a senior and all I can worry about is passing my finals."

"What are you studying?" Clark inquired.

"How to let strange men find you naked on a picnic table." She laughed. "No, I'm actually in the final year of a psychology major."

"Do you not enjoy it?"

"I love it, but I have a ton of studying to do and it's weighing heavily on me at the moment."

Clark nodded. "I'm sure you'll do fine." He assured her. "Maybe you should have gone to Florida for spring break?"

"No." She said suddenly, with quite a bit of authority.

His eyebrows shot up at her sudden burst of anger. He didn't say anything further, but looked at her with a sad stare, trying to gauge what she meant.

Seeing his confusion, she explained. "I don't like the warm climate, plus, all my friends wanted to come here."

"These friends you speak of, you don't sound overly fond of them."

"What do you mean?" She asked. She knew exactly what he meant, but she wanted to see how perceptive he was.

Clark stopped at the entrance of the trail as they came to the side of the hotel. "I guess what I'm saying is that you don't like them." He backtracked a bit. "Well, I don't know that for sure, but you don't seem too fond of them. Earlier when you said you'd rather get some fresh air than party with your friends, I made a mental note of it, and your recent comments about going south for spring break and rather coming here seemed forced." She was staring at him intently, as if urging him on. "I'm not a very perceptive person, and I've been told that on more than a few occasions, but I think it's clearly evident you put other people's happiness before your own."

She continued to stare at him. He was right, and she was surprised by his deep thinking and insightful explanation. When he frowned because she was saying anything, she nodded to him. "You're right Clark."

"I thought so." He replied, still standing and watching her look at him. She seemed upset, so he tried to make her feel better. "Don't worry; I know exactly what you're going through. I'm here so that two of my good friends can have a romantic vacation. They had to take two extra people so they could go."

"So it seems like you don't want to be here either?" She asked with a grin splitting her face suddenly.

"At first I thought it was a good idea, but it's not turning out the way I thought it would."

"How so?"

Clark shrugged. "Let's just say the other person they found to tag along doesn't hold me in high regard."

"You seem like a good person, I can't see how this person could have a problem with you."

Clark snorted a small laugh. "Actually, it's a double edged sword. We both get on each other's nerves. Sometimes I think she only sees me as an idiot though."

Candice looked at his eyes. They went wide and round, almost sparkling as he spoke of this woman. "Do you want her to see you as something else?" She asked seriously.

"I want to show her that I'm not some stupid idiot like she thinks I am."

"Why? Do you like her?" She asked with a devilish grin. "Maybe it's just foreplay?" She had only met him a few minutes ago, and she held no notions of jealousy. She wasn't one to swoon over a man, but still, she found him attractive. He had the looks, and a brain, something they both shared in common.

"Foreplay?" Clark asked in shock. The more he thought about it the more he considered it a possibility. "Maybe, but I guess I'm kind of getting tired of playing the tip toe game with her. She's the reason why I'm out walking around in the woods."

"I know a way to get her off your mind." She stated quickly. "I told some of my friends that I'd join them in town after I had finished my walk. Care to join me?"

Clark smiled at her. Should he? His eyes drifted up to the top of the hotel where he knew Lois was. Nodding to himself, knowing that he didn't feel up to being around her, he happily agreed. "I'd be happy to come along."

She smiled as he fell in beside her once again.

-

Lois sat on the couch, her eyes keenly transfixed on the television in front of her. With a spoon in the empty carton of ice cream, she sighed heavily. She was all alone, and incredibly bored. It was Chloe's fault, she had made things worse by going ahead and saying something stupid. It angered her, but most of all it hurt. She was in love with Clark, but again her stubbornness and pig headed nature came through to make it all a mess. Both she and Clark had walked away, she into he bedroom, him onto the couch. The food she had ordered only filled the temporary pit of pain that was now swallowing her. Leaning her head on her right hand, her elbow propped up on the couch arm, she closed her eyes.

Now Clark was gone, completely fed up with being anywhere near her. She realized that in time she would push him so far away that they would never get the chance to tell each other how much they meant to one another. It was a complex relationship they enjoyed. Well, she had always enjoyed it, but that was until Valentines Day. She wished so hard she could remember something other than giving him that stupid CD. It was in that CD all her feelings came from. It signaled her want for him, and now that it was out in the open, she was struggling with it.

For almost a month it had been awkward to be anywhere near Clark. Neither one of them talked about what happened, even though she knew he knew something she didn't, but it didn't matter anymore. She had already admitted to Chloe that she was in love with Smallville, and she knew he loved her too. Chloe was right, there was no reason why they should be torturing themselves, but here they were.

Moaning in boredom, she flipped through all the channels, finding nothing of interest to watch. She wasn't tired; she had gotten a good six hours of a hangover nap to keep her alert. Tossing the remote onto the other side of the couch in frustration, she got up and headed for her bedroom.

Fed up, she snapped.

That was it, she was going to find Clark and tell him everything. She needed, wanted, and most importantly, had to. She had to do it, not only for herself, but for Clark. She was the one who was being the most stubborn, and knowing Smallville the way she did, he would be too scared to do anything. With a smile, she thought about what might happen once she opened up to him. Would the trip become something she would never forget, much like Chloe had said?

Giddiness overtook her as she quickly slipped on her shoes and grabbed her cell phone. After a few seconds her cousin answered and she inquired as to where they were. She was disappointed to hear that Clark wasn't with them, but she resigned to meeting them to tell them first. She needed all the positive reinforcement she could get, for the first time in her life she was going to say the word love to someone who was not family.

She was elated as she slipped her coat on and exited the room. Determination set in as she walked into the elevator. Her heart beat furiously as she felt the weight of her impending actions beginning to set in.