The morning after.

Clark entered the Talon some time after 11:00 the following morning, looking pensive. Chloe was pouring coffee into a tall cup when she noticed him sidle up to the counter.

"Hey! Don't tell me Clark Kent has a hangover?"

"It's not that, Chloe. I came back from Krypton with Kara and asked her to stay at the farm. I assumed she'd be asleep when I got back and I didn't want to disturb her. Before doing my chores this morning, I found a bottle of milk smashed on the kitchen floor and when I called out, she didn't answer. She's not in the house and I can't find her anywhere. It's like she took off again without telling me."

"Oh," replied Chloe, surprised to hear that Kara had returned.

"I don't get it," continued Clark. "She seemed pleased to be back. We'd killed Brainiac and made sure the baby Kal-el managed to escape before Krypton exploded. Kara and I were safe and everything seemed alright. I can't help think I've missed something important."

Chloe put her hand over Clark's on the counter. "Clark, no offence but your cousin has always been a bit flighty. She probably just needs a bit of time to adjust to being back here on Earth. I'm sure she'll be back soon."

"I hope so Chloe. It's kinda nice to have somebody who's family around the place. Being on Krypton, I couldn't help feeling that I was losing a connection to my family and my heritage, but Kara being here meant I could at least hold on to a small piece of it."

Chloe smiled. "Just give her some time, Clark."

Clark smiled back before changing the subject. "Anyway, speaking of family, has the party animal stirred yet?"

Chloe handed Clark the coffee she'd finished pouring before grabbing a couple of muffins from the counter.

"She's still asleep. The coffee is my way to blackmail her out of bed. Lois can smell fresh coffee from miles away. Trust me, she'll wake up, though she won't be too happy about that I imagine."

"How was she?"

"Out like a light all night, though I had to turn her over to stop the snoring."

Clark felt cheered up by that so they made their way up the stairs to the apartment.

It started with turning over to one side. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, somebody with a grudge had decided to use her skull as their own personal drum kit. Raising a hand to the side of her head, she winced at the throbbing. Gingerly, she opened her eyes, waiting for the clouds to lift so she could make sense of her surroundings. Looking this way and that, she recognised the tall mirror, the table and the tiling on the wall. She was back in her apartment above the Talon. How did she get here?

As quickly as she dared, Lois sat up in bed. She had a bad case of cotton mouth and the stench of liquor was hard not to notice. Glancing down, she realised she was still wearing the clothes she had on yesterday, but the blouse was undone. Sighing, she pulled the two ends together to provide a semblance of decency.

"Ugh!" she huffed. Another hangover in full effect.

She'd yet to notice the presence of the two smiling figures standing just outside the bedroom looking at her. The short blonde one with the sympathetic smile and the tall dark-haired one barely stifling a smirk.

"Good morning!" announced Chloe chirpily, causing Lois to look up and put her hand to her head again.

"Huh?"

"Here, we thought you might need this," said Clark, showing Lois the coffee cup in his hand. "Extra tall, extra strong, non decaf. That should help clear the cobwebs."

As she took in the soothing rich scent of the coffee, Lois glared at Clark as though he was to blame for the thumping bass rocking beneath her cranium. "Ugh!" she spluttered again.

"Uh oh, I think I forgot that fun-loving girl at the bar and brought us back a Lois," Clark teased. He couldn't resist a bit of banter.

"Leave me alone," Lois grumbled, yawning.

Chloe stepped into the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Lois, Clark brought you home last night because he wasn't going to let you drive."

Clark stepped up to the other side of the bed and handed Lois the coffee. "Yeah, I missed the last bus and we came back in a cab. Don't worry, I covered the fare. After all, you were plying me with drinks all night so it was only fair. Thanks for making it a fun night Lois."

"Do you mind not talking so loud? My head is pounding," grumbled Lois.

Lois had finally decided to get out of bed and grab a shower some time after midday. The coffee had indeed got her synapses firing again, and the hot shower refreshed her tired limbs so she could face the rest of the day. Getting dressed in jeans and a tank, she tied her hair into a simple ponytail and headed downstairs into the coffee shop where Chloe was waiting. The interrogation could commence.

"So, Clark told me that you decided to take him out for the night. I must admit, that took me by surprise."

A waitress came over with their coffees and banana-blueberry muffins, so Lois waited until they had a little privacy again before answering.

"Yeah. He's been so bummed out lately with the whole Lana thing and he looked so helpless at the Planet last night. I just figured he could at least take his mind off things for a while if we went out for a few drinks. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision."

"He does tend to store things up. I'm sure he appreciates what you did for him, Lo."

"I kinda owed him a favour. When Ollie and I broke up again, Clark was there for me. I will deny it under oath before any jury in the land, but Smallville has a great shoulder to cry on. I know I can go to him if I ever have a problem but I wanted him to know he can always talk to me too."

"You guys got back after 1:00 in the morning. What exactly did you do?"

"Oh, just a few beers, some tequila, some pool and some burgers."

"For over three hours?"

"Mostly, we just talked. Some of it has been lost to the booze but I do remember talking to him about his future."

"His future?"

"Yeah. The farm, Lana, everything. I think he's selling himself short if he settles for the life of a farmer. If he did something involving public service, he might find that he likes it, you know."

Chloe understood why Lois might think that. Her cousin knew nothing of Clark's powers or his alien origins but clearly even she had the feeling that Clark was destined to make a mark on the wider world if only he could remove the shackles tying him to the farm and Smallville. Chloe noted that Lois had never pestered Clark about what he was keeping to himself, and that intrigued her. Lois was one of the nosiest people on the planet but at the same time, she never interfered in the personal lives of those she was close to. If they wanted her to know something, they would tell her on their terms. Chloe considered this to be almost the exact opposite of Lana, who outwardly kept herself to herself and wasn't the type one might think to be inquisitive like that, yet privately she pestered and pestered for the truth, or at least the version of the truth she wanted to hear. She occasionally gave off the impression that people owed it to her to tell her everything.

Thinking over what this meant brought Chloe to a startling revelation. Despite Lana knowing Clark's secret, he still struggled to be open and just be himself. He still carried the weight of the world on his shoulders even though he was protecting her with her full knowledge. Lois had no idea about Clark's secret as far as Chloe was aware, yet her instincts about his having a higher calling were correct, and he always appeared to be more relaxed in her company. He could hide a part of himself without being made to feel guilty about it.

Her mind went back to a conversation with Lois at the Torch many years ago. She'd seen first hand what sort of powers Clark possessed thanks to his then-girlfriend Alicia. It had shocked Chloe to her very core that her best friend could be a meteor freak, and she'd had to re-evaluate her stance on meteor freaks being bad news. In her conversation with Lois, her cousin had surprised her by stating that if keeping a secret isn't hurting anyone, and if you care about the person with the secret, you should stay quiet until such a time as they feel ready and comfortable to let you in on it. Chloe subsequently kept her own counsel on the matter. Clark eventually did tell her all about himself, and ever since then she'd become his closest confidant. Their friendship had grown because she'd followed the Lois Lane approach rather than her own need-to-know-now modus operandi.

"Hey Chlo, you're daydreaming."

Chloe snapped out of it with a blink, sipping on her latte.

"No Lois, you're right. He needs Lana to get better first, but then they do need to talk about their future. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so."

That was Lois Lane for you. Despite the outward brashness, seeming ignorance and carefree attitude, there lurked a sharp mind that understood why people needed to keep a small part of themselves to themselves, and who knew just the right words to prompts others into inward reflection, revelation and then positive action. Chloe felt that Lois was just the person to coerce Clark into using his gifts to make the world a better place, and she didn't need to know about those gifts in order to do so. If she believed somebody had it in them to raise their game, she would always do something about it.

Lois sat there daydreaming herself and had a thought. Clark had some experience as a reporter for the Torch, as well as a knack for investigating all manner of things. Could an internship at the Daily Planet open his eyes? There was no harm in asking when the time was right.

It was indeed true that killing off a few brain cells made the other ones brighter. Apart from a raging hangover, the next day could bring a clarity that might serve you well in the years ahead. Lois was glad she'd taken Clark out for drinks. She didn't know he was even more glad that they'd done so.

FIN.