Clark sped home that night and did his usual two second spring clean whenever anyone was coming especially Lois. There was something homely about Lois coming. He missed his movie nights with her since she moved out.

What was up with him... She was a pain in the proverbial and always annoyed him. But she was his rock at the moment. When he was feeling at his lowest, he could always rely on Lois to pull him up. She did not take his moping well and always got to the point telling him to snap out of it.

He had just finished tidying up when he heard the door open. It was only 6.30pm.

"Lois, you're early." Clark smiled.

"Am I?" she tried to act all innocent, but deep down she was looking forward to seeing him. "shall I go home and come back later." She joked.

"Would you mind?" Clark said seriously, but then started to grin.

Lois gave him one of her trademark playful punches. Luckily he never bruised.

"you're hilarious, Smallville." She walked past him and started to get a bowl for the popcorn. Next she went in the fridge to get some beers.

"Just make yourself at home, Lois. Don't be shy..."

Lois smiled. "Don't worry I will. What are we watching?"

"You're the guest so you can decide as long as it is not Jaws the 3D Experience again."

"Scared, are you Smallville?" she ran through to the lounge and grabbed Jaws.

She headed towards the DVD player but before she could, Clark intercepted her. The force of Clark putting his arms around her waist to stop her made her lose her balance. She fell onto the sofa with Clark landing on top of her.

She took a few seconds to take in what had happened but her eyes remained closed. Clark just lay there like he was paralysed. Lois opened her eyes to be met with those gorgeous eyes staring intensely at her. His face began to inch closer to hers, or was she just imagining it.

Suddenly all of her faculties returned, Lois panicked and pushed him off. "You're squashing me."

Clark jumped off and realised what had almost happened, and what would have most likely happened if Lois hadn't pushed him away.

He went red. "I'm so sorry Lois. Have I hurt you?"

"No, Smallville. We're good." Lois managed a smile. Her mind was in turmoil. Had he almost kissed her? Why had he? Did he want to?

Eventually her mind went into its usual self preservation mode and she brushed it off as her imagination. "So what do you want to watch?"

Clark kept glancing at Lois trying to see how she was reacting from their 'near-kiss' experience. Why had he moved into kiss her. Was he attracted to her? No of course he wasn't, he was just lonely.

Eventually they settled down to watch Quantum of Solace. Lois had realised that watching a rom-com was not the best choice in the circumstances so she settled for an action movie.

Clark kept expecting Lois to lay her head on his shoulder towards the end of the movie, like she always had in the past. Lois had other ideas. She was sat rigid about a foot away from him, bolt upright. It was as though there was a force field keeping them apart.

"Lois, are you ok? You seem tense."

"Tense, Clark why would I be tense? What could possibly have made me tense tonight?" She snapped.

"Is this all about what happened on the sofa?" Clark got straight to the point.

She would not make eye contact with him. "Nothing happened, Clark."

"Well, I almost kissed you." Clark announced.

Lois almost choked on her beer, "No you didn't." She protested.

"Yes I did."

"Clark, you're imagining things. You don't want to kiss me."

"Maybe I do." Clark was teasing her. He didn't know why he was doing it but he was enjoying it.

"Ok, then." Before he could ask what she meant, Lois leaned over and planted one on his lips.

He was about to deepen the kiss when she pulled away. "See, there you go. Sorted. Now we can get back to being friends." Lois tried to sound convincing.

Clark looked at her, he was not accepting what she was saying and leaned in to kiss her again. As he got within inches of her lips, he felt a hand on his sternum.

"Clark, don't! Please." He looked up to see such confusion in her eyes.

Lois jumped off the sofa, "I think it would be better if I went home."

"Lois, please don't. We need to talk about this." Clark begged.

"No Clark, you have seen where that leads... We are both emotional tonight for some reason or other."

Lois ran out the door and jumped into her car. The tears were streaming down her face. This was the night her feelings for Clark had been awakened and she didn't know if she could do anything to stop them. They were seeping out of every pore. She wanted him more than she had wanted anyone but he didn't want her. She was not going to be the Lana rebound girl, just for him to leave weeks or months down the line when Lana decided to return and break his heart all over again.

Clark was powerful, but not powerful enough to control his feelings and sudden need to be with Lois. Something had sparked between them tonight and now whatever it was had ran out of control. He knew that this was more than loneliness but Lois did not feel the same way and he had to respect that...

Lois wanted to avoid Clark for a few days but it wasn't going to be possible with the engagement party happening tonight. She wasn't in the mood to go but knew she could not let her cousin down. She just decided to avoid Clark as much as possible. She didn't know what she would say to him. She wanted her friendship with Clark to go back to how it was before.

Clark arrived at the party late due to a last minute rescue. His eyes swept the room and he found Lois at the bar. Obviously she had been here quite a while.

" Another glass of bubbly? And throw in a Shirley temple for the lady." Lois slurred at the barman

Clark went up to her, " Lois, don't you think you might want to pace yourself?"

Lois just looked at him. " Believe me, Smallville, I am a lot more obnoxious sober, and the last thing anyone wants is me making a scene at this blessed event. Chloe is barely legal, and she is getting herself hitched to the first guy who's shown her any attention, present company excepted. I have suffered enough heartache to know real love when I see it, and looking at those two - I don't know. I don't see it."

Clark looked at Lois. "sure you're not jealous."

"Jealous of Chloe going down the aisle. I don't think so, Smallville. I'm never getting married." Lois stated.

"You may one day, you never know what is going to happen." Clark replied.

"The way you're thinking at the minute Smallville, you probably think it will be you and me going down the aisle together."

Clark went red. "Lois, you've had far too much already. Shall I take you home?"

"Why Clark? So you can have your wicked way with me. You don't seem to be thinking with your brain much these days." Lois commented snidely.

Clark knew exactly what Lois was implying. "Don't be stupid Lois."

Lois was just about to fire a comment back when she passed out on a nearby chair. Clark decided he had no choice. He took her back to the farm.

Lois opened her eyes the following morning to sunlight streaming in the window. It took her a while to focus her eyes and identify her surroundings She saw Clark approaching with a glass.

Lois was embarrassed " Ohh. Smallville?"

Clark laughed back. "Good afternoon, Lois. I thought you might need one of these. "
Lois look all flustered when she noticed she was wearing Clark's shirt. "Please tell me we didn't..."

"You're hysterical when you're hung over, Lois. Do you not remember our rampant sex on the kitchen table."

Lois laughed. "Clark, can we just get back to being friends. We kinda went off track the other and neither of us want that, do we.? We both know it wouldn't work"

Clark looked at her, wanting her to be so much more than his friend, but his heart was heavy, he knew what he had to do.

"No, Lois. Let's get back to being friends." Clark suggested.

Lois looked happy but she was still holding something back.

The following week went back to how it used to be. Harmless bantered back up with plenty of playful punches from Lois. Lois was actually being quite convincing, enough so that Clark wondered if he had been mistaken that Lois was attracted to him.

On one of the many nights he stayed back he heard a noise behind and turned around to see a woman staring at him. Before he had a chance to ask who she was, she spoke.

"You don't know how long I have searched for you." She growled.

She started to approach him. Clark was starting to wonder what was with all these women stalking him.

She kissed him. They ended up in the elevator. He couldn't explain things it was like he had lost control of his body. The passion was pulsing through his veins on an unstoppable march, with no chance of him stopping it.

Well that was until the elevator doors opened to the sight of a shocked Lois.

Slowly his mind left his clinch with Maxima and refocused on Lois.

"Lois?"

Her face showed a range of emotions – hurt, betrayal, anger and inevitably shock. "I'll take the stairs."

He was ignoring Maxima and pushing her off. Lois was all he cared about.

Clark ran after her. " Lois. Lois, wait!"

Lois stopped, turned around and face him. " What? Oh, sorry to rain on your orgy, Smallville. I think I scared off your date."

Clark said the wrong thing. " Where'd she go?"

Lois snapped. "Probably to find you two a motel room."

Clark, "You don't understand. "

Lois started to shout at him, "What's not to understand? You were pulling a "9 1/2 Weeks" in the elevator. I mean, it may not get you a membership in the mile-high club, but, hey, you got to start somewhere."

Clark replied "Just calm down."

Lois shouted louder. " I am calm! I am perfectly calm! Why wouldn't I be calm? Dial down the ego, Smallville. I don't care what you do with your love life."

But she obviously did...

Lois could not work out what was wrong with everyone at the moment. Not only had Tess told her that she loved Clark, then this strange woman psychopath had told her there was a bond between her and Clark. It was amazing how everyone thought she was in love with Clark except Lois herself. Smallville and they had as much chance as getting together as Oliver and Chloe.

Clark was pretty sheepish the following morning. Even though the clinch with Maxima had not been Clark's fault, as Jimmy and other men had been affected too, she was going to make his life hell this morning. She needed to have some fun in life and Clark normally provided this.

"So Clark, I hear there are some jobs going in the adult entertainment business. They are always on the look out for superstuds like you. Pays much better than journalism." She laughed.

"Very funny Lois. Jealousy does not suit you." Clark fired back.

"Jealous... for the last time I was not jealous last night...ok..." Lois was defensive again.

"Whoa... Lois! I was just joking. Touch a raw nerve did I?"

Mindy came in and sat on Clark's desk. She had made this a daily occurrence and was no longer using wrongly delivered mail as an excuse.

"Clark, I have booked a table for us tonight at an exclusive restaurant at 8pm. Here's the address. Don't be late."

Clark was just about to tell Mindy that he couldn't make it when she whispered in his ear, "Lois really likes working here, it would be a shame if she lost her job."

She got up off the desk and said in a loud voice. "So I will see you at 8pm tonight, don't be late."

Lois watched her in amazement as Mindy brushed past her.

She walked over to Clark. "I hope you sent her on her way..."

"You know what Lois, I am thinking of going. It might be fun."

"What Clark, you're kidding right..." Lois smiled.

"No, Lois. I'm single now so why not!"

Lois stormed off, "I've got some copying to do."

Clark knew he had no choice. It was blackmail but he wanted Lois to keep her job. He would let Mindy down gently tonight at dinner.

Clark would rather have spent the night doing something else, but he had been backed into a corner.

Mindy definitely had connections. She had booked a table at Valentino's, a chic Italian restaurant with a 3 month waiting list. The Maitre Dee was not impressed with Clark arriving in jeans, although he had made an effort and put on a suit jacket. He had dressed this way with the hope he would be turned away, but Mindy managed to get him in.

"Clark, I'm glad you decided to come." Mindy smiled.

"Well, I didn't have much choice. Look Mindy, I'm sure you are a lovely girl but I am not interested in a relationship with you." Clark admitted.

"Lois..." Mindy started.

"Mindy, I don't want to hear it. You are not some daddy's little girl who can snap her fingers and get what she wants her way all the time. You are a grown woman. Would you really be as desperate to force someone to go out with you?"

Just then Clark's cell rang with a rarely used ringtone and one that could not be ignored.
He read the text.

Serious trouble, meet me at the penthouse asap. Chloe x

"Mindy , something has come up. I have to leave now. Think about what I said."
Clark was at the Penthouse in seconds. Chloe was pacing the floor talking to all members of the Justice League.

"Chloe, what's wrong?"

"Oliver has been kidnapped by some unknown assailant. His tracking device has been deactivated some how. Last time we have a signal, he was somewhere over South America."

"So have we got a plan."

"Bart has a lead in Rio de Janero... Clark, can you head down to give him back up."

Before she could hear his reply, he was standing next to Bart on the video screen.

"Guess the answer is yes." Chloe continued.

It was five in the morning and Lois was wide awake. Her head was so confused about her exchange with Clark and his accusations of jealousy. She decided to go for an early morning jog and head over the Kent Farm. She was sure Clark would be up as usual doing his chores.

She arrived just after six. It was very quiet, no sign of Clark. She let herself in only to be greeted by Shelby, wagging his tail as though he had not seen anyone in days.

Shelby usually followed Clark everywhere and slept by his bed so where was Clark. She went upstairs and found the bed had not been slept in.

Oliver was found by Clark and Bart after they covered most of Rio de Janero between them. He had been kidnapped by an ex girlfriend with a grudge but he was unharmed. Clark sped him back up to Metropolis and headed home.

He arrived to the sight of Shelby sniffing around the paddock with Lois coming out of the barn.

"Hey Lois, what's up? What are you doing here?" Clark asked. He was a little jumpy from the fact she could have seen him superspeeding.

Lois was about to reply when she happened to catch sight of a Porsche driving off in the distance. That car looked familiar. It was Mindy's car.

"Where have you been all night Clark?" Lois asked.

"Just out and about" Clark replied, worried where this conversation was leading.

"In the middle of the night..." Lois pushed the matter.

"I couldn't sleep so I headed out for a walk."

"How did your date go?" Lois changed the subject.

"I would rather not talk about it, except to say we will not be going out again. What's with the 20 questions."

"Look Clark, I don't believe you. Where have you been?"

"Lois, did I miss something? Are we married or something? I was out all night and it is none of your business where I was." He hated to talk to her like this but he did not need her delving any further and finding out where he really was.

"I'm not stupid. I have just seen Mindy's car drive off. Drop you off, did she? Hope she was worth it."

"Lois, I don't know what you are on about. Look I'm tired so I'm going to head to bed for a few hours.

"I can't believe you spent the night with her, hoping to get a promotion are you?" Lois snapped.

"Look, you're tired and emotional. Can we talk about this later?" Clark tried to grab her hand.

"Leave go of me. You are not who I thought you were. I never thought you would cheapen yourself to sleep with a tramp like her."

For some reason he leaned over and kissed her.

Lois immediately pulled away and slapped him across the face.

"Clark, stay out of my life until you can decide what you want."

Lois ran off into the distance. Clark stood in shock wondering what had just happened between them.