Chapter 9: Conversations…breathe…breathe…

A/N:- woohoo the chapter everyones been waiting for...i think. well here we go.

Chapter 9: Conversations…breathe…breathe…

Lois Lane did not panic.

The last five weeks and two days of her life could be summed up with a few numbers. Forty seven days of knowing Clark's secret, three life or death situations, sixteen attempts to hurt Clark with something heavy, one attempted murder and four rounds of ridiculously good sex. Not one of those things was cause for panic.

She took Clark's secret like he was giving the weather forecast. She barely flinched during the life and death situations because she knew Clark would come rescue her if, and that's a big if, she couldn't get herself out. And that attempt to murder her? Clark was there before she had a chance to think about it.

Nope Lois Lane had never had cause to panic.

Until today.

89898989898989

Clark pushed open the door of the Talon and waited for a woman to pass before he stepped inside. He was supposed to be meeting Chloe in half an hour at the Daily Planet but he still had several things he needed to do for his mother and a dozen chores left to do on the farm. It was just one of those days where even super speed seemed inadequate at getting things done. Some one called his name and when he turned he knew that today was just going to get worse.

'Lana,' Clark greeted half heartedly.

Things between them had been more than awkward and most of that had to do with Lana's sudden desire to become his best friend. She was working tirelessly to insinuate herself in to his everyday life. Stopping to talk to him whenever she could, asking him to the movies when she went with Chloe. She even went as far as planning a movie night and inviting them all along.

Clark was trying to play nice but the entire reason he broke up with her was because she was pushing too hard. This was just too much but once again every time he tried to talk to her about it she brushed him off and told him she understood they could no longer be together but that she wanted to stay friends.

'Do you want to join me?'

Clark sighed and took a seat.

'How are you?'

'Lana.'

'I'm just asking, Clark.'

Clark rested his elbows on the table and dropped his head into his hands with a heavy exasperated sigh.

'Lana, you have to stop, this has gone too far.'

'Clark?'

'I know you want to be friends but you're trying way too hard. You're not giving me any space. Every time I go to visit Chloe you're there. You invite us along to go to the movie or for lunch and it has to stop.'

'I'm just being a friend.'

'No, Lana you're trying to win me back.'

Lana's face fell and she looked down at her hands. It was true she had been trying hard but she didn't know any other way to get into the tight knit group that Lois, Clark and Chloe had become. She had always found it easy to talk to Chloe even when she wasn't being quite truthful about her knowledge. Similarly, despite her reservations and jealousy Lois was also easy to talk to. Although Lois often spoke with the air of someone who didn't agree with her choices. Being forceful was the only way Lana felt she would be able to gain the same kind of standing those head strong women had with Clark.

Upon reflection it may not have been the smartest move but what other choice did she have? Clark was refusing her calls and avoiding her like she had some deadly communicable disease. It hurt that he could be so open and honest with Lois, a woman he had known for just two years and yet he could barely talk to her, the girl he had supposedly been in love with his entire life.

'I know I'm trying too hard but I don't want to lose you, Clark, even if we are just friends.'

'Lana, I thought we went over this.'

'We did Clark, and I understand, I do, its just really hard for me.'

'I know and I never meant to hurt you I just, I don't know how to be myself around you, when we were in school I was always so busy trying to be someone you could like I overlooked the fact that the person I was becoming was not someone I liked.'

'Don't say that,' Lana admonished. 'You're a great person Clark, you're kind and generous.'

Clark fought the urge to roll his eyes. There really was no need for flattery; it wasn't going to get her anywhere. It was only serving to annoy him more. Lois had made a point to inform Clark that since his break up with Lana he had been far less broody which she told him was a vast improvement and made him much more fun to be around. Similarly, Chloe had informed him that although she was still friends with Lana she quite liked this brood free version of Clark also claiming he was much more fun to be around.

'You have such a close friendship with both Lois and Chloe and I don't know how to get there. I don't know what they did or what they do that makes it so easy for you to laugh and be yourself around them.'

'Chloe has been my best friend since we were twelve, I've never needed to be anyone else around her never needed to pretend. Lois, Lois is Lois. It's hard to pretend to be someone else around her when she found me naked in a corn field and looked after me while I had amnesia. She lived in my house for months; there was no time to be someone else between the arguing and the arguing.'

Lana smiled in spite of herself. She could see how it would be hard to pretend after a meeting like that and she wondered how Clark had ever managed to live that down.

'I want that for us.'

'Then don't try so hard. Wait for Chloe to invite you along, don't force this, Lana, it will just make things worse.'

'Clark, just tell me where to start.'

Clark opened his mouth to reply and winced at the angry voice that reverberated around the Talon.

'Smallville!' Lois shouted in his ear.

Clark winced but before he had the chance to reply she was grabbing his arm and dragging him angrily up the stairs to her apartment. He never even got the chance to say goodbye to Lana. Though honestly, he really wasn't sorry to have an excuse to leave. That all changed when Lois threw him inside the apartment and slammed the door. Immediately she picked up the nearest object and started beating him over the head with it.

By the time Clark ripped the object form her grip he recognized it as a now bent out of shape umbrella.

'Lois!'

'I hate you!'

'That's nothing new.'

'Don't try to be funny, Smallville, that's my job.'

She wrenched the umbrella back out of his hands and started hitting him again.

'Lois, stop! What's going on?'

Lois did nothing but growl in frustration and anger and several other emotions he had never seen her express before. She grabbed his arm and shoved him down on to the couch before picking something up off the coffee table and throwing it in his lap. He looked down at the object with a frown and his whole world stopped moving. His heart stopped beating and it became hard to breathe.

'What?' he stammered. 'Huh? What? Huh?'

'Been there, done that, panicking now.'

'Well,' Clark said slowly, not quite meeting her eyes. 'Have you?'

'No.'

'Are you?'

'No.'

'Do you want to?'

'Yeah.'

'Okay,' Clark said shakily.

Lois nodded snatched the box from his hand and disappeared into the bathroom. She returned what felt like seconds later and sat down next to him. She placed the oven timer on the coffee table beside the offending piece of plastic. They couldn't look at each other, both fidgeting in the uncomfortable silence as the timer ticked down. Clark looked over at Lois and then looked away just as quickly. Just seconds later Lois was returning the favor barely looking at him before looking away again.

The timer dinged.

They looked at each other before Lois slowly reached for the piece of plastic that had the potential to ruin lives. He watched her keenly, waiting for her reaction, waiting for her to speak. She didn't disappoint.

'I hate you, Smallville,' Lois muttered.

Clark looked down at the object she offered him. He took it and stared at it with unseeing eyes.

Lois Lane never panicked, not in life or death situations, not when her friend turned out to be an alien.

Today Lois Lane panicked.

'You're pregnant.'