Lois noisily clonked up the stairs to Clark's loft, alerting him of her approach.
"Hey Smallville."
"Lois." He acknowledged awkwardly. He didn't turn away from the window. He knew he would have to face her, but after all that happened, he still didn't know what to say.
"If you are hiding from me, you're doing a poor job of it. This is the first place I'd think to look."
"Hmmmph. Don't know that I'm hiding from you so much as I'm just trying to hide."
"I hear ya. Let me come to the point. I'm a little embarrassed about the way I acted."
"Lois, I'm the one who is embar-"
"Can it. Look, this is really a little hard for me, so shut up and let me have my say."
He nodded. She turned to look out the window of the loft, so she wouldn't have to look into his eyes. So she wouldn't have to look at his lips and think about the way they would feel against her own. Focus Lois, Focus.
"I just want to say thank you. And to apologize."
Clark turned to stare at her with a puzzled expression.
"Thank me? Apologize? For what?"
"I shouldn't have tricked you the way that I did. I'm sorry."
Clark continued to stare at her with clueless expression.
"I remember everything-"
"Everything? And you're thanking me?"
"You were going to let me talk, remember?"
"Okay, but I don't understand."
"Let me try to explain." She took his hands in hers and waited for him to look into her eyes.
"I regained my memories yesterday when I saw my father. When I came to you last night, I knew everything. I knew why you lied to me."
"Lo, I can ex—"
"Shhh." She placed a finger over his lips to silence him. "You don't have to explain, I get it. I remembered it all; the accident, the way you took care of me, the way I acted when I thought you and I were married. The way you tried to protect my feelings and my brain at the same time, but most of all that you didn't take advantage of me when I kept throwing myself at you."
"You weren't yourself Lois. I couldn't take advantage of you like that."
"And that's why I'm lucky it was you that I was fixated on and not somebody else. There aren't many men that would be able to resist the temptation, especially the way I was heaping it on. You must have an iron will."
"Well, in all honesty, I don't know how much longer I would have been able to resist your advances. I was ready to give in. I am a man after all."
"Of course you were. That's because I'm irresistible." She flashed him a bright smile and punched at his chest.
"Yes, Lois, I see that. I finally see that." He caught her hand in his and time seemed to stop for a moment. He seemed to be closer to her now, but she hadn't been aware that he had moved.
"Lois, can I ask you something?" Such a simple question-she was ready to say that he could ask her anything, but suddenly her throat had gone dry. The temperature of the barn seemed to have jumped 15 degrees in the last few moments since Clark had closed the space between them. Since she couldn't summon the strength to form words, she simply nodded.
"Why?"
"Why?"
"Why did you come to my bed? Not that I'm complaining—not that I would ever complain, but . . .why?"
It was her turn to be a little shy. Clark patiently awaited her answer. She could feel his breath caressing her skin.
She worried her lower lip and looked up at him through her lashes. "Oh, I had an agenda. I was out for payback and I just wanted to see you squirm."
"Yeah?"
"But then, I remembered you telling me that you'd never want to hurt me. I realized how hard this has been on you—having to lie to me. I thought about everything we'd been through—everything that we shared, and I just didn't want our alternate reality to end." She searched his eyes. Working hard to control the tumult of her emotions, she whispered, "I loved being loved by you."
"Loved?"
"OK, Love. I love being loved by you." Clark considered this new revelation.
"What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Do you think that you could love being loved by me?"
"Yes, Lois. I think I could." He favored her with a dopey grin. "Lois, there's something I should tell you. I don't want to keep any secrets from you."
"There'll be plenty of time for you to tell me your deep dark secrets later. Right now you're gonna come over here and kiss me like you mean it." She reached over and placed his hands on her waist. She then wrapped her arms around his waist, drawing him in contact with her body.
"You're Bossy."
"You love it!"
Yeah, I really do.
###
