Chapter 33
"These are so good, Mrs. K.!" Lois was scooping another helping of scrambled eggs onto her plate.
"Why thank you, Lois. I just add an extra yolk and some cheese. Gives it some extra flavor."
"Cheese?" Lois let the mouthful of eggs seep into her taste buds. "Now I taste it. I didn't before."
"Well, it's not that much, just a bit."
"Yeah, mom's great at adding just those little bits to stuff that make the difference. Lois, why don't you let mom give you a few cooking lessons sometime?"
"I don't know. After my big attempt—"
"Lois, it sounds to me like you attempted a rather ambitious dish to try the first time out, Martha Kent said reasonably. "I don't think I would ever even try to cook that myself!"
"Mom, I bet your meatloaf is a thousand times better than that beef stuff even if it was cooked by the best chef in Europe."
"See how well I've trained him?" Martha said proudly and laughed.
"No, he's right. I've had your meatloaf and it's wonderful." Lois looked at Clark and chewed on her lower lip. "Mrs. K., would you mind? I mean, if it's not too much trouble?"
"Of course, Lois. Anytime, you like."
"How about tomorrow?" Clark said as he rose from the table. "Lois, I'm going to be tied up all day at Star Labs. You and mom could spend the afternoon cooking, and—"
"And you get to come back to a tasting banquet after all your hard work? Nice one, Smallville!"
"Hey. It's a win/win situation."
"More like a win/maybe situation. I'm not so sure I'm teachable," Lois said, frowning.
"Lois, it's not nearly as hard as you're making it out to be. I guarantee you will make something very edible tomorrow, and we will have a good time doing it."
"It's a date, Mrs. K.!" For the first time that day, Lois beamed.
"Good. I'll see you at the Planet, Lois."
"Wait! Aren't you going to go in with me? I've got my car," she pleaded.
"Can't. I've got a meeting with Perry in about," he looked at the clock, "ten minutes. I don't think you can drive that fast. And you had better leave now unless you want to be late."
As he disappeared in a whoosh of air, Lois turned back to his mother. "Men! I will never understand them.
********
"Look, I'm not complaining—"
"Yes, you are. Lois, this was all your idea, if you remember? I can't help it if it's taking up my free time." She was standing behind his chair with her arms wrapped around his neck again.
"Okay, I am, but that doesn't make this any easier. I mean, I finally get something going with you—"
"Finally? What do you mean 'finally'?"
"Suddenly! I said suddenly."
"No, you didn't. You said 'finally.' Super hearing and total recall, remember?"
She punched him in the arm as she retreated across the room to her own desk chair, but he wasn't going to let it go.
"Just how long a period of time does 'finally' follow, Lois?" he said teasingly. "Just how long has Lois Lane been waiting for something to 'get going' between us?"
"You are so…so…" She was feigning anger even though she knew he could see right through it.
"So what? Come on, Lois. I've been totally and completely honest with you. Isn't it about time you did the same with me?"
She looked up to see those eyes - piercing blue eyes that could melt steel and probably any girl's heart; she knew they certainly could dissolve her own into mush whenever he looked at her like that. Puppy dog eyes, indeed.
"All right. Maybe a few months," she conceded and tried to turn her attention back to her computer.
"A few months," he repeated, and he began stroking his chin. "That's still kind of vague. More than two? You know, I'm thinking maybe as many months as, oh, say twenty-eight months?" He grinned at her.
"Twenty-eight? Now where would you come up with that number, Smallville. You are so delusional if you think—"
"It's been exactly twenty-eight months since we were both hooked up to that maniac's lie detector and you said—"
"Okay! I remember what I said. But if you remember, Mr. I-can-remember-everything-ever-said-to-me, I told you the lead slipped off my finger, so it didn't mean a thing, whatever I said. So there!"
"Yeah, that's what you said at the time, but—"
Lois held up her hand. "Now, just a minute, I haven't got that faulty a memory either. How did you ever allow yourself to get into that situation?" Then a new thought struck her. "You were bleeding! How did that happen? And you really felt that electrical jolt too."
"Uh…um…" He licked his lips nervously as he could see the memories coming back to her.
"And that time you were shot..." She looked at him intently. "There's something you're not telling me, Smallville, isn't there?" She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. Grateful for the focus being turned back on him, she allowed him to see only her defiance, "Spill it, Clark!"
"Lois, uh…"He struggled with himself. Should he tell her about Kryptonite? Would his weakness worry her? One look at her body language and countenance, and he asked himself, What if she ever gets her hands on a piece of it?
Once again, Perry White came to his rescue as Lois' phone rang. Clark could hear his voice quite clearly from across the room.
"Lois, couple of F.B. I. agents here to ask you a few questions. My office, now."
She hung up the phone and stood up, still looking at Clark sternly. "This conversation is not over," was all she said before going out the door.
Clark leaned back in his chair and exhaled, glad again for Perry's excellent timing.
