Chloe watched Oliver, her eyebrows raised for an answer that she wasn't sure she would get. Oliver had been sitting, in the same position with the same dumbstruck stare for the past twenty minuets. Chloe needed to pee and she was pretty sure that if she went and came back, he would still be in the very same pose. Her foot jiggled beneath the cranberry red blanket, her bladder about to burst with all the water Lois had given her. So on a whim, she started to stand up.

"Woah. Where are you going?" His voice cracked a bit.

"To the bathroom."

He grinned uncomfortably.

She sighed a bit, sitting back down. Her bladder could wait. Oliver couldn't.

"If this is too much for you, I completely understand if you want to run for the hills. I'd even be willing to call you a cab."

Oliver gave her small smile. "Thanks but my cars out back and I don't think I need one. Chloe, I'm glad you trusted me enough to tell me something so important. And it doesn't change anything. Especially between us."

Chloe smiled. The type of smile that made her upper lip disappear and her eyes to squint.

Oliver fixed her a cautious look, "So what's this...ability of yours?" He flicked his hand around as if to say that her ability laid in the area of levitation.

"I'm not actually sure yet." She replied with a note of uncertainty. "I have a general idea but I needed to run a few tests to make sure.

Oliver nodded like he understood, which he didn't. "Tests. What kind of tests?" Oliver kept picturing Chloe hooked up to some machines while some creepy looking scientist with large spectacles and gray stringy hair cackled beside her.

Chloe smiled sheepishly. "There might have been another reason why I called you."

"Lois, I think I left my oven on." Clark realized the ridiculousness of the excuse and for his lack of imagination, gave himself an eye-roll. But so far 'I forgot to take Shelby to the bathroom.' and 'I forgot to go to the bathroom' had yet to detour Lois away from Central Kansas. Lois threw him a "God, you're weird!" look over her shoulder as she walked across the campus. She stood out among the jeans and khakis, the casual shirts and hooded sweatshirts that clothed the students. Her pencil skirt and tight fitted jacket over her berry colored blouse gave her an air of sophistication, not to mention quite a few looks from the male population.

"Come on, Clark. You went to school here. Where the heck am I?" She asked, ignoring his sad attempt at an excuse. She paused for a moment, Clark sulking behind her, hands in his pockets, shoulders slumped as he watched her search around a bit before choosing a random direction. Too bad for Clark she was heading in the right direction.

"Lois, how do you even know you're going in the right direction?" He called after her.

"Well, Clark, maybe it's just my brilliant sense of direction or maybe it could be that sign over there that says "Professor Willowbrook. Room 203." but hey," She said, turning to face him with her smile, "I'll let you guess." She then turned around and continued walking.

He gave her back a look as he quickly followed her rapid footsteps.

"Lois..." He whined.

I can't believe I just whined.

Lois stopped and turned to him, her faced all but serious. "Clark, I'm getting the distinct impression that you don't want me to meet this person."

Clark was caught unawares, like a deer in headlights. He was always thrown off when Lois tended to know his intentions though he couldn't help but feel this time he didn't make a huge enough effort to be stealthy in his plan.

"That's not it..." He stammered.

"Then what is it?" She asked. He watched as she folded her arms and titled her head to the side, waiting for him to explain. What Clark didn't know was that Lois knew he wouldn't tell her the reason. In fact, she had no idea why she was standing there even asking. 5 years of half-assed excuses had taught her that Clark was anything but truthful when it came to thatthing he chose to hide from her.

She raised her eyebrows, chewing the inside of her cheek as she waited for that excuse she knew was lying at the tip of his tongue. But for once Clark was caught in a web he made. There wasn't anything he could say so for once he said nothing.

"No reason at all."

Lois, taken aback a bit at his lack of excuse, recovered and shook her head in triumph. Though it was a bittersweet one indeed.

"Good." She said with a deep gulp. She turned around, wondering when Clark would ever come out and tell her. After everything that had happened between them, it hurt Lois the most that Clark didn't trust her enough to tell her.

"Chloe, I'm not really comfortable with all this."

"Yeah, I'm kind of getting that."

Oliver glanced up at her.

"I don't need any special abilities to tell that you're uncomfortable. The fact that you've been telling me you're uncomfortable with all this for the past 10 minuets tells me you're uncomfortable."

He gave a small "Ha!" as he watched her lay down various pieces of paper on the table in between them. He took a deep breath.

"Oliver," Chloe said, laying more photos down, "You're anxiety is killing me. Really. Anymore and I might actually need that Vicodin."

"Well, see there you go. You know what I'm feeling thus theory proved so...." He stopped as Chloe flipped the first paper over.

It was a picture of Lois, on the fourth of July, at Crater Lake. She had just emerged from the water, her blue and red bikini sticking to her body. She was laughing as a towel was being thrown at her by Clark, who was off camera. Chloe smirked in laugh as she saw the hazy pink aura encase Oliver, who took a peek at the picture before blinking away.

"That's not funny." He muttered.

She laughed, "I'm sorry. I should probably take the one I had of Clark out of there then."

"I might actually want to see that one..." He said.

"So..." He was afraid to ask.

"Well, you react like any normal male, so that's a good start though I don't find the sudden attraction I had to my cousin to be rather pleasant."

Oliver grinned his billionaire smile. Chloe took a deep breath and started for the next picture, knowing this good moment was about to be killed. She slowly flipped the picture over, watching Oliver's eyes dull as he looked at it. It was a picture of him...and his parents. The same one that until recently had been framed on his desk but now laid face down, discarded, in a drawer somewhere. His brown eyes took it in with a sharp pang before he reached out slowly and flipped back over.

Chloe winced inwardly as she too felt that sharp pang in her chest that made her chest feel like it had fallen away. She looked at Oliver and saw that deep blue aura that enveloped him. He looked at her, and she felt the small wave of betrayal he felt. She was about to speak but he shook his head.

"I get it. It's just a test." His voice was steel. She looked at him but he didn't look at her back. The room was condensed in the silence that was between them.

"201...202...203!" Lois grabbed the doorknob when Clark's hand fell over hers.

She looked it before looking back up at him. Between that short distance to the room, Clark had weighed his options in his head. Thousands of scenarios catapulted around and all of them had ended in the very same conclusion, Clark had to tell Lois his secret. He couldn't deny the growing attraction between them. He had felt the tangent sparks that flew between them. He had realized a long time ago that he couldn't imagine a life without her snarky remarks, her love for metal bands or her ability to drink large amounts of caffeine. At this point he didn't know what all of this meant. The mass of feelings that laid entangled in his stomach like a ball of snakes were unfamiliar but not uncomfortable.

Maybe telling her won't be so bad...

"Lois..." He started. He thought he should get it out before he lost his nerve which was waning even as his hand tightened around hers, "I need to tell you something."

Her hazel eyes bore into his as he open his mouth but just as the words were forming the doorknob turned, the door swinging open to reveal the surprised face of Joseph Willowbrook.

"Naman?"

*cowers in fear* I'M SORRY! It just seemed to good to pass up. Work with me here. I like reviews, they're like the chicken soup to my soul. :) Betcha y'all know where that's from.