Soon? Soon? How soon is soon? I hate that. Lois had the same thoughts revolving round her mind. At first she was excited and happy, then she had become impatient and annoyed at the cryptic nature of the message.

After dealing with car tow people, then insurance people, then the police, Lois couldn't wait to be behind her desk and have a normal day as possible at the Planet.

Ok, this is not a big deal. Clark nodded to himself. I'll just say it: Lois, I'm the Blur. I've wanted to tell you for ages, but I...Clark had been sitting at his desk in his work clothes ever since Lois' almost car-crash about half an hour ago, obsessing on his decision to tell Lois. Well, it wasn't so much a decision as a rash impulse made into a promise on the side of a truck. He didn't know why he promised something to Lois that he wasn't sure he could deliver, but he had this feeling that it was a now-or-never situation. As he was mumbling to himself, Lois caught his eye descending the steps of the basement floor, the sun catching in her hair, the glint of determinism in her eyes. He basked in her presence until her eyes fell upon him. I'm the Blur, he thought confidently. He knew she could handle it, this was, after all, Lois Lane.

"Hey Lois." Clark smiled.

"Uh huh." Lois sighed, sitting opposite him and not looking happy either. Clark remembered that despite their last conversation – however one-sided it was – was positive, whereas from Lois' perspective, they had had a fight. "So how was the dentist? Or was it the doctor's this time?" She said with a look that could frighten a mouse back into its hiding place.

"About that... Lois, I need to talk to you." Clark took a deep breath. "But not here." He stood up, expecting her to follow.

She kept flipping through her mail, absentmindedly she said, "I'm sorry Smallville, I've got a dentist appointment to go to right now." She looked up at him and smiled sarcastically.

Clark tightened his jaw. "Lois..." He smiled to himself and changed his tact, he knew how to bait her. "Fine, I was just going to offer a peace offering in the shape of a front page headline, but I'm sure I can handle it." Clark smirked and walked off in the direction he hoped she'd follow him in.

Lois cocked her head in curiosity, and turned as he walked away. "Yeah right, like you could hear anything before me?"

"I have impressive hearing Lois." He smiled knowingly and kept walking.

Lois sat there for a second and nodded her head, angry at herself for following him to the Store Room. "This better be good, Smallville." She muttered as he closed the door behind her. It was small in there, and intimate. You're angry at him, you're angry at him, she repeated to herself, willing it to be true. They stood within inches of each other, but still felt like they had their space. "So what's the story? And why are we in here?"

I'm the Blur. I'm the Blur. "Well, Lois, it's about me – "

"No offence Smallville, but your life does not scream front page unless incredibly bad timing for taking off is headline news." Lois retorted, wishing she didn't sound as bitter as she felt.

Clark scoffed, "See Lois, this is exactly your problem. You don't let anyone finish a sentence around here, it pays to listen to other people every once and a while you know. And it's not like I chose to leave you like that –"

"Yes it is! It's exactly like that – was there a strong gust of wind blowing you away? No. You said you had to go." She took a breath while he stayed silent. She couldn't look at him as she added, "Do you know how hard it is for me to open up to someone like that?"

Silence. Utter silence. They both looked at each other intensely, passionately. "Yes. Which is why I want to tell you... When I leave without a trace, it's because of who I am, who I'm trying to be..." He struggled with the words.

Lois took his hand. "Clark, if there's something you're not telling me, something you want to tell me, just be honest." Lois smiled. "If the Blur thinks it's safe to trust me, surely you know it to."

Clark's head snapped up. "What?"

Lois grinned, "I'm just saying he's a pretty good judge of character. And you are too."

"Oh." Clark smiled, for a second he thought she beat him to the punch. "And the Blur means a lot to you."

"He means a lot to everyone, Clark. He's the Blur." She smiled, with a tone of awe in her voice. "Better than any of us, that's for sure."

"Right." Clark nodded. He couldn't do it. God he wanted to, but he couldn't tell her that her perfect, flawless superhero was imperfect mild-mannered Clark Kent. The Blur was something the people needed to believe in, to tear away the veil from Lois, from anyone... she needed to believe in something bigger than herself, who was he to take that away from her? "Right."

"Clark, there was actually something I wanted to talk to you about as well." She took a breath, "I don't know why I kept this from you for so long, but... I was offered a job in the New York branch, and they've asked me to do a six-month assignment in Iraq."

"What?" Clark said out of reflex. "Where did that... But you love the Planet."

"I'll still be at the Planet," She smiled softly, "Just not this one."

"Lois, that's..." Clark breathed, of all the ways he thought this conversation was going to end up, this was not one of them. "Are you going to take it?"

Lois shook her head, "I'm not sure yet. It's an opportunity of a lifetime, my career would... but if there's a reason to stay..." She looked at him meaningfully. She was asking him to tell her to stay, and he wanted her to, he needed her to. He knew that for Lois to leave, to live his life without seeing her every day... A silence dulled over the small space and Lois took a step back. "So is there anything you want to say?"

Yes. I'm the Blur. Stay, don't go. This makes sense Lois, we could be selfish together, and just be together. "That... sounds amazing Lois." He forced a smile. For all his powers, when it came to things he really wanted, people he needed to be with, Jor-El was right. He wasn't human. He couldn't keep trying to live a human life. He had to let her go, as painful as it would be for both of them. "I'm really happy for you."

She was taken aback. "Right. Good. I leave on Thursday." She added as she stormed out of the cupboard before she did something she would regret, leaving a bewildered Clark in her wake.

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"Hey Chloe," Clark whispered as he walked into Jimmy's hospital room. "Hey man, how are you feeling?"

"Pretty good thanks CK, but that might have something to do with the morphine." He smiled. Clark had to admit Jimmy did have some colour in his cheeks, although in comparison, Chloe was looking really white.

"Chloe, are you ok?" Clark winced.

She smiled. "It seems the sickness bug is not a 24 hour thing. I'm ok though, thanks for stopping by."

He nodded. "Chloe, I hate to ask, but can I have a word with you?"

"Yeah, of course." She stood from the chair and began following him out.

"Hey, CK, if it's about Lois, we've got no secrets, I heard all of it the other day in the apartment." He grinned.

Clark forced a smile and gave Chloe a meaningful look, continuing walking out of the room. "Chloe, did you know Lois took a job in New York? And that she was leaving on Thursday?"

"I knew she got offered the job, I didn't know that she was going to take it," Chloe shook her head in confusion. "Is she going?"

"That's what she said." Clark nodded. "Chloe, how could you not have said anything?"

"She asked me not to, Clark." Chloe defended herself. "I didn't think she'd leave telling you to the last minute though... unless..." Chloe shot him a look. "What did you say to her?"

"What?" Clark took a step back. "Nothing, I didn't say anything."

"Maybe that's the problem Clark, you know how hard it is for Lois to let anyone new in, and she knows you're hiding something." Chloe scolded him.

"Well I don't know what to do Chloe." Clark said, almost angrily. They'd had this conversation so many times over the years but about Lana, but each time they danced, they always did the same steps.

"Well... do you want her to go?" Chloe asked. It was a simple question and it was loaded.

Clark stared at her for a second. "No."

"Then you need to make a choice, Clark. Risking yourself with Lois, or playing it safe without her." Chloe advised. "You can't be alone forever." She gave him a sympathetic look and hug before going back to Jimmy's side. She'd given him a lot to think about, he just worried that either way, something bad would come of it.