Chapter four

A hundred thousand words could not quite explain.
So I walk you to your car;

And we can talk it out in the rain
And we are leaving some things unsaid
And we are breathing deeper instead

"Lane! My office now! And bring your sidekick."

Lois and Clark both shot out their seats at the voice of their agitated editor, Perry.

"Why am i always the sidekick?" Clark grumbled, and Lois sent him a wicked grin and whispered back, "'Cause you're my bitch." She then proceeded to stride into Mr. White's office before Clark could reply.

Unable to concentrate on the stern voice barking out commands at him Clark looked over at Lois who was writing down the details of their latest assignment in a mental craze. Wisps of her hair fell from her haphazard bun and the pencil she was using was bitten down to its core, her writing covered every inch of the page going horizontal, diagonal and vertical.

He was the only other reporter at the Daily Planet able to translate and deceiver Lois's notoriously messy notes. Perry often said that was one of the reasons why he assigned them as partners.

But Perry had other reasons, reasons he refuses to share with either reporter.

Clark was woken from his thoughts when Lois abruptly stood up and shook Perry's hand signaling the end of the morning briefing. He followed her back to their desks and watched as she silently walked towards the photocopier.

A few moments later she re-appeared dropping a copy of her notes on his desk, "What's this?" he asked raising his eyebrows at her in disbelief, "I thought 'reporters should be competent enough to make their own notes'." He finished mocking her usual mantra.

Lois's let out a laughed, "Yeah well normally they are, "she sent him a pointed look, "but i noticed you seemed a bit out of it today... is everything alright?"

Clark silently marveled at her ability to pick up on his own moods even before he could, sometimes he had to wonder just who had the superpowers between them.

"Yeah, everything's fine." He replied wincing at how unconvincing he sounded even to himself.

"Right!" She snorted, "And I'm the prince of England nice to meet you."

"Lois" he warned "Honestly, I'm just a bit tired that's all."

She nodded her head appearing to accept his reply but eyed him skeptically as if wondering whether or not to push for the real answer. Clark watched an internal battle of wills play out in Lois's head until she finally shrugged opting to let it go.

"Well i can certainly believe that! I'll never understand how you drive down to Metropolis everyday and still manage to beat me to the office. You must wake up at the crack of dawn!" She added casually as she grabbed both their mugs and headed towards the coffee pot.

Clark coughed uncomfortably, "Something like that." He muttered and reminded himself he really needed to find an apartment to rent before Lois caught him super speeding towards the office one morning.

"Why don't you just crash at my place tonight? But maybe this time could you try to stay on the couch all night. I know I'm irresistible Clark but honestly." Clark almost choked on the coffee she had handed him at her teasing.

He blushed thoroughly as he wiped away the hot liquid that was running down his shirt. "That... that was an accident!" Lois nodded her head and quirked her eyebrows at him as if saying 'sure it was'.

Last time Clark had 'crashed' at Lois's on the couch he'd somehow managed to float into her room, hovering above her for a good hour or two before he'd woken himself up by landing on top of her.

She thankfully laughed it off accepting Clark's lame story about 'sleeping walking' but she hadn't let him forget it.

"Thanks Lois but i was hoping to get back to farm for the weekend, i hate leaving Kara alone like that plus we only have this story Perry assigned us and we should knock it off in the next few hours. So that way I'll have the weekend at the farm."

"Oh" was all Lois could muster and when Clark's head shot up at her tone she cleared her throat, "I mean yeah of course. I was planning on shopping tomorrow any way so like you'd want to tag along for that right? I mean how much more plaid can you buy anyway." Her tone was light and teasing but Clark could easily detect the hidden rejection in it.

"Well you could always come to the farm with me tonight and hang out for the weekend too?"

Lois's eyes shifted up from the paper she was suppose to be studying, "No, no i couldn't. You and Kara should have some family bonding time. Plus like you said she already drives you crazy enough without me around adding to the mocking."

She tried to send him a smile but it fell rather flat.

"Lois it wouldn't even be proper family bonding without you adding to the mocking, you're coming. No arguing," he added sensing her about to object, "The only condition i will enforce is no chick flicks."

Lois flashed him a cheesy grin, "Aww doesn't Clarkie like the notebook anymore?"

"No and he didn't like it the first fifty times you and Chloe forced him to watch it either."

Clark sent her a glared which quickly melted into a smile at the sight of her quickened typing; he got the feeling that Lois didn't mind spending as much time at the farm, and with him, as she made out.

He lived him a mental asylum.

There was no other explanation for it. He watched as the two girls consumed massive amounts of ice-cream, popcorn, pizza and chocolate while crying hysterically at the scene on the screen in from of them.

"Are you girls okay?" He asked warily as they sobbed, "I mean you've seen this before, you both know he comes back and they end up together... i don't get how you can still be crying."

Kara shook her head at him rolling her eyes, "Of course you don't get it Clark, your a guy."

Lois let out a little laugh and attempted to brush away the remaining tears that were streaking rivers down her flushed face.

Clark stared mesmerized by how pretty she looked, even while crying. Clark could count the number of times he'd seen Lois cry on one hand it was a rare event. Regardless he didn't think it could be possible for Lois to ever not look beautiful.

Kara nudged him hard in the ribs and the action caught him off guard, "what?!" he sputtered as his eyes followed Lois when she left to get some more popcorn, "stop being such a pervert, seriously." Kara whispered harshly as she jumped up and trailed after Lois's retreating figure.

He let out a loud sigh, remembering the last time Kara had given him that advice.

"Lois, Lois! Look at what i can do!" Kara cooed as she dived from a tall branch into the lake.

Lois let out a gasp as the watched the petite blonde drop six feet into the murky water, she could have she sworn she saw Kara hover right before she breached the waters surface.

"Are you crazy?!" She called in panic swimming as fast as she could towards the area.

When she reached it there was no sign of Kara and Lois whipped her head around to hear a bubble of giggles behind her.

"You scared me half to death Kara!" She said sternly but eventually her face broke out into a huge grin, "That was so cool. Do it again!"

Proud at having impressed Lois, Kara happily swam back towards the edge of the lake to repeat the performance.

Clark watched from the deck chairs he and Chloe had set up earlier.

They were celebrating Chloe's new job at the Gotham newspaper and her subsequent move to Gotham that week. Clark would have been lying if he said he was completely happy for Chloe.

A large part of him was praying she'd turn the job down and stay here, with him, Lois and now Kara. Because Chloe was the last true confidant he had left apart from Kara of course. But it wasn't the same, Kara and Clark would often butt heads, too alike for their own goods, but Chloe was always willing to listen and agree with him, even when she knew he was wrong.

And he knew Lois would miss her most of all and that saddened him a lot.

Even though Lois would never admit it, she hated being alone. She hated people leaving and Martha leaving almost killed her, now Chloe aswell. He knew Lois was strong but he also knew most of that strength came from the bonds she'd formed with her perky cousin.

As Kara came towards him looking for her towel he could hardly stop himself before he begun taking his bad mood out on her.

He gave her a disapproving look, "Kara you better not have just done what i think you did in front of Lois."

Kara tried to hide her guilt behind an innocent smile, "What are you talking about?"

Clark jumped up grabbing her arm, "You flew!" Kara opened her mouth to argue but Clark quickly cut her off, "You did, don't deny it i saw you. You don't have to show off so much just for Lois. It's kind of pathetic." He added in a sneer that reminded him more of Kal-El than himself.

The petite blond rip her arm away from his grip and wrapped her towel tightly around her, "Where do you get the nerve!" She whispered as Lois began to swim into shore, "Me show off? Oh like you don't show off for her all time! You're the pathetic one, don't think i didn't notice you ogling her before, you were practically drooling! And don't think i can't hear you moaning her name in your sleep "Oh Lois!" She mimicked him, "God! You're such a pervert."

Clark's facial expression was caught between somewhere between offence and embarrassment.

"And..." Kara added glad to have put her cousin back in his place, "You're just jealous that she actually wants to hang around with me and be my friend when she wouldn't hang around you for a million dollars!"

With that she flicked her blonde hair to the side and stormed off towards the car where Chloe was packing the picnic and blanket up.

On the way home as if reflecting how Clark felt the sky opened and rain began pouring out.

"Well look at that! It's bucketing down!" Chloe said breaking the silent tension that had mounted since they left the lake. Both Lois and Chloe had noticed the sudden shift in mood of both Kents and both choose not to comment on it.

After finally arriving back at the farm Chloe noted that the mood still hadn't improved and now even Lois seemed to be more depressed and apathetic than usual. It was all making her rather sad and guilty for leaving so she decided that she didn't want to stick around for much longer, using the excuses that she had lots of packing to do and Jimmy was waiting back at her dorm to say goodbye. She bid farewell to her closest friends in the world and waved a teary goodbye.

An hour later Lois sat in the Kents kitchen table picking through the stir-fry that Clark had offered to make for dinner.

Sensing the worried eyes of both Kara and Clark on her she summoned up a smile and tried to start a conversation, "So today was fun, huh?"

When she got no replies Lois muttered quietly, "Well this has been a nice dinner and all but I hate uncomfortable silences so I'm just going to go..."

Both Kents watched as she gathered her things and headed for the front door Clark was sure he herd a sob escape her lips, "and i thought we were the ones with super-speed" Kara commented astonished at Lois's lightning fast exit.

When Kara stood to follow Lois, Clark stopped her.

"Can you please wash up? I need to speak to Lois, alone." Clark asked Kara silently hoping she under stood and let him do this. "No eaves dropping."

She rolled her eyes and nodded much to Clark's relief.

Kara watched Clark with curiosity as he slowly followed Lois's blazing hot path.

"Lois?" He called as he watched a dark figure crumbled over the hood of Lois's car.

She tried to straighten her posture and fight back the tears but gave up when she realized she was busted.

Lois was drenched from head-to-toe, her hair plastered all over her face, all curly and natural; a way Clark rarely saw it. Her brown eyes were almost completely golden, she was shaking lightly and her red singlet clung to her heaving chest.

She was a mess and Clark had never seen her like this before.

He felt himself become teary eyed, he walked the few steps so he was next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and they both knew that they felt exactly the same way at the exact same time.

Clark opened and shut his mouth a few times but when Lois realized he couldn't find the right words to say she moved into him, wrapping one of her hands around his shoulders and using the other hand to cup his cheek she placed a lingering comforting kiss on his lips. "Thanks Clark." She mumbled, pulling back from him.

Clark watched in shock as she got in her car and drove away he rubbed his fingers tentatively over the place where her soft lips had just been.

She tasted like strawberries and coffee.

He furrowed his brow; Lois Lane was still a complete mystery to him.

The only time Clark ever had the courage to mention the kiss to Lois; she'd gotten flustered and acted like it meant nothing.

Sighing once more he looked over to the kitchen when he heard a mixture of Lois and Kara's giggling coming from inside.

But it meant something to Clark and he knew deep down, it meant something to her aswell.

We're both pretty sure neither one can tell

Oh and we are leaving some things unsaid;
And we are breathing deeper instead