Man I can't stop myself from tweaking things here and there. I struggled so much in these early chapters to get the feelings I was going for. I think it's better now.

Important: I make no money from this. Some lines are taken from the episode – no copyright infringement intended.

I debated about the length but decided I'm going to try to keep chapters around 6-7 thousand words or so. That means I probably won't start breaking up chapters until closer to the end.

ODYSSEY OVER (AGAIN)

Black Creek facility, June 2008

Amazing; of all the times to send her to, and they send her back for another fight. In reality, this was a search and rescue operation, but if things went as well as last time, Lois knew there would be fighting.

Why did she agree to this? Trying to save the world once wasn't enough. Evidently, she just had to go back and do it again.

Let's hope this time turns out better.

Lois stopped and tried to get her bearings. Part of her couldn't believe she was here- in a world without the Darkness- trying to save her cousin and deal with Clark Kent, the man she had killed to save the world just weeks ago. Okay, so she didn't shoot the arrow that did it, but still …

Everything felt so wrong.

Again, she felt the anger and resentment well up inside of her, almost choking her ability to think. She'd been trying to deal with her emotions ever since she'd woken up alone in her younger body. It seemed that now she was away from the Legion's influence, all of Lois' negative emotions had surfaced- doubt, fear, and fury- until those feelings seemed to be all that was driving her, getting her through the moments and days she didn't want to re-live, like that stupid stand-off with Tess in Lex's library yesterday.

Talk about meetings better left forgotten.

Adding to her frustration was the fact that the subject of her assignment wasn't anywhere to be found. Why the wonder kids in the Legion had returned her to a time when the target was MIA, and had been for over a month, was beyond her. Oh, she knew she'd run into him here somewhere, but all this time by herself had been unsettling.

Free time just meant more time for questions. Whyhim,anyway? Sure, he was an alien with superpowers, but what made him so special? How was he better than Dinah, Oliver or J'onn- three special people that Lois had worked with to defeat the Darkness? The Darkness had certainly used Clark efficiently, but without leadership, Lois always thought that Clark was a bit weak.

But the question that kept bothering her was—"why me?"

Why hadn't Mrs. Kent, Chloe or Lana been able to steer him away from the dark side? Really, Lois may have been carried away by some "sparks in the trenches" at work and an almost kiss but nothing every came of any of it. Of course, when he was Night …

No, she wasn't going there.

Lois stopped, leaned up against one of the tiled walls that all looked alike in the Black Creek facility, and shook her head to try to clear it. Why was she going over all of this again? She'd already made these arguments to the Future Kids and lost.

The problem was that with no one to yell at, she felt pressured, pushed, and a bit off balance. How did you develop a strategy for mission like this?

Focus, that's how.

Straightening her 'borrowed' uniform, Lois began striding down the empty halls of Lex's prison, looking for Chloe. Even though she'd been here before it was all a bit fuzzy, especially in this industrial building where every hall looked the same. Lois hated how it smelled like a hospital; everything seemed worse the second time around.

She heard the footsteps before she saw the two guards. At least they looked familiar.

"What are you doing here?" asked the sandy-haired one.

"That's a long story," Lois said. "Not sure you want to hear it … but, then again, maybe you should, before you two end up like me."

They looked at her strangely but didn't appear nervous; its seemed that for now they were at least accepting her uniform as authentic. She started walking confidently down the hall, continuing to tell her story. The guards followed.

Always act like you know what you're doing.

"Well, I used to work for Luthorcorp Security in Metropolis; you know, beautiful, big-city Metropolis?" She caught the dark-haired guard rolling his eyes.

"Never been to the big city, Mountain Man?" Lois snarked. The guard blinked.

"Never mind… One day, I was supposed to watch our illustrious leader, you know, Lex Luthor himself." At that, the sandy-haired guard looked mildly impressed. "He was heading out of town to wherever it is he hasn't come back from." Both guards swallowed at that. "Well," she continued, on a roll now. "The batteries in my alarm clock went dead and I overslept; missed the biggest security gig of my life. I thought I'd get fired for sure but, after Baldy never returned, I got transferred here."

"I can't believe it," she continued, walking through one of the many internal doors. "One alarm clock malfunction and suddenly you're demoted and sent to Deliverance territory."

Just then Lois looked right to get her bearings and froze. Her throat closed up. There stood Clark Kent at the end of the hall, looking like… well, 'Smallville.'

Shock, anger, resentment, fear, and something she couldn't name seemed to tighten in her chest until she couldn't breathe. Lois blinked and absentmindedly rubbed her neck, no scars.

He took a step forward and Lois felt herself freeze.

Clark stopped and Lois felt her anger take over at the expression of innocence and surprise on his face. Steeling herself, she stormed over to confront him and prevent him from getting caught… or worse.

Idiot.

She knew it was childish to call him names in her head, but it did make her feel better.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she snapped, allowing herself to vent some of her anger and frustration. It seemed appropriate under the circumstances. She would get through this … again.

As he stammered and stuttered in response, her irritation increased.

One of the guards spoke up, "You know him?"

"Yes," Lois responded quickly, looking at the guard.

"No," she heard Clark say at the same time.

"He wishes he didn't know me," she responded, turning back to Clark. "I thought I dropped you at your cell?" Lois continued, nodding her head, trying to give him the hint to play along.

"I'll take him back," said the guard closest to her, reaching for Clark.

Lois stuck her arm out. "And get me sent to the Sahara?" She argued, moving closer to Clark before she turned to face the guard. "One demotion this week is enough."

The sandy-haired guard's expression turned suspicious. He stepped toward Clark. "I'll handle it," he said.

Lois was ready for the fight this time, and she moved before the guard could take a step. She took him out with a jab straight to the throat while, at the same time, delivering a roundhouse kick to the other guard. Once her training kicked in, she felt calmer. Punching and hitting always managed to work out her frustrations.

Leaving both guards sprawled out on the floor Lois relieved the sandy-haired guard of his gun and took off down the hallway. She knew Clark would follow, and she really couldn't look at him right now.

Again, she rubbed her neck – no scars. She needed to get her head in the game.

"What are you doing here?" she asked harshly.

"I hear they make a good espresso," Clark deadpanned.

"What, you disappear for a month and come back with a sense of humor?" she returned just as snidely, marveling at how natural it felt to banter with him. She checked the clip in the gun and returned it efficiently to the butt.

"I've been tracking Chloe down," he replied, taking long strides to keep up with her. "Question is, how did you get here?"

"Feminine charm," she quipped without thinking, and then stopped. Lois was not good at repeating herself, and this was not a game, no matter how natural it felt.

She turned to face Clark, holding the gun in front of her, not exactly pointed at the ground, and watched as Clark took a step back.

"You have a lot of nerve!" Lois' frustration boiled over and she just couldn't play with the same words. "You just took off… without a word." Lois turned and cocked the gun; she couldn't look at him right now, not the farmboy… memories were rushing to the forefront, making it hard to think.

"You left your friends, your family, turned away from everyone …" She stopped, as she realized she was starting to think- and talk- about dangerous territory, Darkness territory. This was not the time to demand explanations. She needed to get a handle on her resentment or this would be over before it began.

She took off down the hall, again not bothering to see if he was following. "Why don't you put a sock in it, and do exactly what I tell you," she told him. "That way we can find Chloe and stay alive at the same time."

Clark followed quietly as she led the way down two more hallways. Lois took one last right before he caught up to her.

"I'm sorry, Lois," he said softly. "You're right; I just-"

"Don't wallow in it, Clark; no time for a pity party," she interrupted, still not able to look him in the eyes. Still, she caught his dejected expression out of the corner of her own.

Hell.

He was not the enemy. She'd volunteered for this mission - but seeing him again, talking to him, bantering with him, it brought back memories from the past and the future - flashes of sitting in the barn, telling him to trust his gut. She could see him holding her hand in the hospital after the plane crash with his mom. Then the blasts from his eyes, eyes that held no emotion, no remorse …

It was too much. The flashes, the memories, were forcing her to deal with emotions she wasn't ready to face. She'd tried to tell the 'friends from the future' she wasn't ready. Why did no one ever listen to her? Lois stopped and took some deep breaths.

Clark stopped as well.

"Mind not pointing that thing at me?" He interrupted her thoughts, looking at the gun in her hand.

Unbelievable.

He had some nerve looking offended and pretending that a gunshot could actually hurt him.

"God, Clark, I'm not aiming at you," she said, though the thought was becoming more tempting as every second passed. "Besides," she smiled. "It's only your knee cap."

"Oh, that makes me feel so much better," he responded sarcastically.

She laughed.

She didn't know why she was laughing. Clark certainly didn't expect it; he looked stunned, which only made her laugh harder. God, she had forgotten how he could make her laugh.

That thought sobered her should not be having those kinds of thoughts; not when she was still upset with him and with this entire situation. It was all his fault and she needed to remember that.

Lowering her weapon, Lois continued toward Chloe's cell, keeping to herself. Clark was quiet as well, which was surprising, but at least it gave Lois a chance to get her feelings under control. This was a rescue operation after all.

Looking around, Lois spotted a familiar door. Walking up she looked through the window and spotted Chloe, looking terribly fragile in large brown overalls. Lois felt her anger increase when she spotted that straps that held her to a chair.

"Clark, over here," she motioned for him, trying the door, but it was secure.

"The door's locked; see if you can get it opened," she whispered, just remembering that there was a guard or something on the other side. She motioned to the handle with her head when he failed to respond.

He was staring at her like she was crazy.

"Come on… Chop, chop; Chloe's in there," she said, knowing Clark would do it for Chloe. He tried to turn the handle and push on the door but nothing happened.

"Come on, 'Farm Boy', this is an old building; I'm sure these things are not that sturdy," she encouraged, in case he was simply trying to hide his powers. He gave her a look but tried harder. Lois could tell he was putting effort into it, but the door wouldn't budge.

"Out of the way," she told him, raising the gun. She was surprised it had come to this, given what she knew about him. What had happened? Maybe he didn't have powers now. Oliver had never given her day-to-day specifics. In fact, he preferred not to talk about Clark's origins at all. Most of that information she got from J'onn.

Firing at the look, she rushed past Clark as the door swung open. Her weapon raised, she called out to her cousin in relief.

"Chloe," she cried, close to tears. To have Chloe alive again made it almost worthwhile. Some part of her, in all the chaos of war and time-travel, had forgotten how much she missed her cousin.

"Lois, look behind you; watch out," Chloe yelled. Seeing Chloe had put the guy behind guy behind the door out of Lois' mind, but months of hand-to-hand combat had honed her skills. After a little tussle Lois grabbed the guy's Taser.

Zap, andhe went down.

Before Lois could get to Chloe, Clark had passed her and was working on the restraints. Chloe's voice was a whispered hiss. "Clark, where have you been? I've been wait-"

Lois came up on the other side of the chair and Chloe stopped.

Lois ignored her. "Chloe, are you okay?"

"Um, feeling a little used and bruised, but otherwise okay," she answered, eyes studying Clark with questions and maybe a little guilt.

It was interesting to watch the interaction between the two now that Lois knew about Clark's powers. Lois had always wondered why Chloe felt the need to protect a bulky farm boy from the world. Now she could almost understand. With an almost new-found sense of understanding, Lois gave her cousin a hug.

She had really missed her.

"Let's get out of here," Chloe said, looking at them both.

"We need to split up," said Clark. "I have to find Oliver;" Clark gave Chloe one of their 'shared-secret' looks.

Lois decided to ignore it for now. "I don't care how we get out of here as long as we do," she answered, moving through the door. "Let's go, Chloe, the guys can catch up later."

Lois started down the hallway, but turned when she didn't hear Chloe's footsteps. There she was, standing close to Clark, with her hand on his arm. Chloe was saying something, speaking intently, but Lois couldn't hear.

Somewhat surprisingly, her hands itched at their proximity. Nothing about this Clark reminded her of the Dark but still…. If her cousin knew, would she see the threat?

Mentally, Lois shook her head. Probably not; Chloe had always been there for Clark.

Suddenly Lois felt deflated. How was she supposed to help Clark? Chloe had always been there for him. Watching them together now was a reminder of how close they were. How could Lois do better than Chloe?

For an instant, Lois felt the overwhelming urge to run away, to grab Chloe and take her away from Clark and the threat of Darkness as fast as she could. Sure, her cousin wouldn't understand now but Lois could explain …

You can never leave him.

When the words came, unbidden, into her head, Lois couldn't block them. For some reason, as she continued to watch Clark, they repeated in her head until she was forced to lower her head. Resting her hands on her knees she took some deep breaths and tried to get control of herself.

A good soldier knew how to keep her head down, according to the General.

Lois waited until she saw Chloe's boots standing in front of her. Looking up through her lashes, she could see her cousin's uneasy expression.

"Chloe?" Lois questioned as she straightened, relieved that the need to bolt had eased.

"I'm worried about Clark and Oliver," Chloe blurted out. "The guards had just pinpointed Oliver's location before you two busted me out. I'm afraid the guards are closing in and that they'll get the jump on those two."

Lois considered her words, knowing that her main objective was supposed to stay secret and hating that fact more every minute. "Look, I know he's more comfortable with cornstalks and Jersey cows than rescue operations, but Clark can take care of himself," she told Chloe, shrugging and then smirking. "Of course, he had me watching out for him," she added, thinking that it sounded more like her old self.

Crap, she hated having to watch her words.

Lois relaxed when Chloe smiled at her words. Still, her expression of concern returned. "I just think we should have stuck together," she said, looking behind her. "I mean, there's no reason we couldn't all find Oliver."

Lois looked down the hallway. "Clark probably didn't want me seeing Oliver in his Green Arrow getup," she told her cousin before thinking.

Then she caught Chloe's expression.

Oh well, she was never going to be great at the whole top-secret spy thing.

"What?" Lois questioned with a sigh, "I've known for a while, but since it wasn't my secret, I didn't say anything. I'm assuming that since he's helping Clark with this prison break thing that you and Clark both know about him, right?"

"Right," Chloe released a breath, studying her cousin carefully. "And you're okay with this?"

Lois tried not to think about the future when she answered. "Sure," she told Chloe. "We're over," she reminded her cousin. "Oliver's going to do what he needs to and I need to accept that." She smiled at her cousin's worried expression. "Doesn't mean we can't help out, though, does it?"

Chloe smiled back. "So can we find Clark and Oliver?"

"Let's go," Lois said, talking off down the hall. "I'm not exactly keen on running into the guards we left behind," she added, keeping her gun ready and taking the lead.

All was quiet in the halls until Lois heard voices just outside a set of double doors. She turned to Chloe and put a finger to her lips.

Her cousin stopped with Lois to listen. "It's Clark," she whispered.

Then Lois heard another familiar voice. "Oliver," she whispered back. "Let's go."

They burst through a set of swinging doors and Lois froze as she watched Clark fall to his knees, clutching at his bloody chest, a shocked look on his face. In an instant she took in Oliver hold an empty bow, a shocked look on his face.

Then Clark collapsed, falling on his back, shaking in pain and struggling to breathe.

Chloe ran down the stairs, calling her friend's name.

Lois stood frozen, her mind screaming, "No-o-o-o!"

She knew it was Clark lying on the floor covered in blood but in Lois' memory she was seeing Night. The expression of pain was the same, the blood covering his chest just as red, and even the arrow had pierced in exactly the same place. In her mind, in her memory, Lois couldn't separate the two.

Feelings of shock, guilt and remorse assaulted Lois, rooting her to the spot. Her brain was screaming at her to move, to help, to do something but her emotions were all over the place.

Not this time, not again.

What if Clark died? Had she already changed something irrevocably?

She didn't remember any of this from the past. Of course, she'd been knocked out the last time she was here.

Could Clark die without the meteor rock? Lois found herself looking for the green rock, searching for a difference that could pull her from her memories.

She didn't see any but she couldn't ignore the body of a weak and pale-looking Clark. Chloe was holding him now, trying to stop the bleeding, but nothing seemed to be working. Chloe was shouting his name, while Oliver seemed to be in shock.

Lois felt her fist tighten at her side, as if she was back on the roof of the Chronicle with the meteor rock clutched in her hand.

It was too much.

Past and present blended together until Lois was overwhelmed.

She'd tried to tell Imra that she was no good for Clark. Now he was going to die.

She hadn't managed to protect him; she wasn't sure how she was supposed to make him into a hero.

Even if he pulled out of this, what if she couldn't separate Clark from Night in her head and heart?

She wasn't sure she could forgive herself right now. If she couldn't, she'd be forced to re-live the Darkness, the evil, Night. If Clark died, it would be worse. She would have failed in every conceivable way.

She tried to move, to go to Clark and help Chloe but her vision blurred.

She could not fail.

It was her last thought before the room started to spin and everything went black.

Next day, Kent farm

You can never leave him.

As Lois drove up toward the farm, her stomach constricted. She'd spent all of her time on the way back from Black Creek vomiting, unable to settle down once she'd regained consciousness and found Clark gone. Less than one day and she'd lost the object of the mission.

Now, no one knew seemed to know where Clark was or even how he was. Whether they were all seriously in the dark or simply protecting Clark's secret was unclear; either way, it was maddening.

When the farmhouse came into view, Lois felt a sense of calm rush over her. Her breathing relaxed and the tightness in her stomach eased. This was the kind of peace that she had forgotten existed; the kind that she could only get from being here. Bathed in the early morning light of the sun, the farm felt welcoming, achingly familiar, and safe.

After turning off the engine, she sat behind the wheel, simply staring at the yellow house and fighting back tears. What would happen to the place if Clark died? The very thought brought back the tension and the nausea.

Lois leaned forward to rest her head on the steering wheel and tried to breathe.

Eventually, the sickening feeling in her stomach passed and Lois lifted her head, soaking in the quiet and the timeless quality of the farm with a feeling of reassurance. In the recesses of her mind she could practically hear the voice of Mrs. Kent gently reminding her that she hadn't come here to feel sorry for herself.

"Come on, Lois, you're strong. You can do this," her quiet voice continued and, for a moment, Lois could see her red hair flashing as she worked in the flower beds along the side of the house. The shadowy reflection straightened, wiped her hands on her apron and smiled.

Although the image faded, the feeling of encouragement that came with it remained. Taking one last deep breath, she got out of the car and closed the door. The noise brought Shelby running from the barn to greet her.

"Hey, Shelbs," Lois murmured, running her hand through the dog's soft fur, "you haven't seen your master, have you?" A tail wagged expectantly.

Lois blew her bangs out of eyes and sneezed. Out of habit, she glanced up at the barn window, her body growing still when she saw a familiar figure standing there.

"J'onn," she whispered to herself, in the next minute shouting his name.

"J'onn!"

Lois started running toward the barn but stopped when she saw him raise his hand in a halting motion. She waited impatiently as he turned from the window and finally walked out of the barn.

Meeting him halfway, she grabbed him by the shoulders.

"J'onn, I can't believe it's you. What are you doing here?" She asked him, the words tripping over themselves as she looked him over. He looked just like the man she'd left standing on the roof of the Chronicle.

"I'm sorry," he said, smiling slightly while eyeing Lois. "Do I know you?"

"Very funny," Lois said, punching him lightly in the shoulder. "You know me." At J'onn's quizzical look she continued. "Look, I know you can at least see yourself in my thoughts."

She saw J'onn stiffen; his look turning wary. "You have some interesting ideas about me, Miss … uhm."

"It's Lois, J'onn," Lois said, responding with some confusion. What was going on?

She looked down as Shelby butted her hand with his head. Patting the dog reflexively, she tried to collect her thoughts. J'onn was without telepathic abilities; what did that mean?

God, everything was so confusing.

"Are you a friend of Clark's?" J'onn asked.

"Clark," Lois said, gripping her friend's shoulders even more tightly, this time in relief. "You've healed him and lost your powers." Finally, something made sense.

But while Lois was relieved, J'onn's face contorted with fear. He pulled away at her words. "Whoa, okay Miss …"

"Lois," she reminded him, undaunted now that she'd put it together from the stories she'd coaxed out of J'onn on those long nights battling the Darkness.

"I don't know where you're getting your information or what powers you think I possess but you have the wrong ideas about me." J'onn had recovered enough to not let his fear show, but Lois knew he was deflecting.

She felt her head tilt as she considered her options. What to do? She was pretty sure that Clark was okay; she'd heard this story from J'onn enough that she felt confident about that. What to do?

You can never leave him.

Somehow, the voice of Rokk in in her head helped her focus. Maybe now was time to back off with J'onn and get to her purpose.

"Is Clark here?" Lois asked, watching as J'onn's expression grew guarded. She reached for his upper arm, panic starting to set in again at the echo of Rokk's words.

"I need-," she started, letting her anxiety show. "Look, I'm a friend of Clark's; I promise. I just need to know he's all right."

J'onn patted her hand before he gently removed it from his arm. He looked behind him toward the loft.

"He's, uhm, sleeping right now," J'onn told her. "I don't think he's ready for visitors-"

"Oh," Lois wasn't sure she could mask her disappointment. Some part of her felt like she should be with Clark but maybe it wouldn't be a good idea to push too hard too soon.

J'onn seemed to recognize her dilemma. "He'll be back to his old self in no time," he told her with a small smile. "I'm a friend from, uhm, from Metropolis. I'm here to help with his recovery for a few days."

"Thank you, J'onn," Lois said softly, throwing her arms around the surprised Martian. Everything else may be messed up but at least Clark was going to be okay.

Daily Planet, two weeks later

The first time Lois really felt like herself after being sent back in time was when she spotted the globe atop the Daily Planet. She felt re-energized just by walking through the revolving doors and by the time she got off the elevator, she was planning a future. This was what she needed, the activity, noise and smell of the Bullpen. It was her restorative.

Within a few days, long hours were the norm. One night, Lois was researching for a story when she looked up and saw Clark sitting at the desk across from hers.

Crap.

She'd been so caught up at work that she had forgotten this interaction entirely. Instead of preparing for their next encounter, she'd let herself be distracted.

Typical, but still… not good.

She couldn't look at him; somehow she knew seeing him alive and well would send her emotions into overdrive. Without a word she sat down at her desk and kept working. Besides, Lanes' were good at ignoring the elephant in the room.

It took only a minute before she heard the squeak of the chair as Clark started swiveling back and forth. She squirmed a little, remembering when this happened the first time. This time it wasn't the noise but at the situation that bothered her. Could she really go through this all again? She was never good at pretend, even as a little girl. Lois dealt in reality, and the reality was that she was not the same person she'd been the first time around.

Of course, in any time, she liked living in the now and, right now, farm boy was bugging the crap out of her. Lois sighed and looked around her computer screen at Clark.

He smirked, and had the nerve to look innocent.

"Oh, I'm sorry, is this bothering you?" he asked, still swiveling in the chair.

God, he was exasperating, even the second time around.

She responded without thought.

"The chair or you in it?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

His smile made her smile, even though it seemed too soon to be bantering with him so easily. She rubbed her throat, noting the lack of scars, and frowned.

"Lois," Clark's eyes dropped but his smile didn't as he stopped swiveling, leaned forward and picked up the name plate across from hers. "I wanted to say I thought you did well in Montana," he said, looking up at her while fiddling with the name plate. "You really earned your stripes at your Dad's boot camp."

She stared at him. Years ago, he had said something similar and she had been flattered by the compliment. Now, she was dazed and … confused. Chloe must have told him that she'd passed out and done nothing to help him when he was injured. Hell, she hadn't even called. She'd run off after making sure he was okay, unable to deal with her emotions.

The memories alone flooded her with fear about Clark's injuries, guilt over leaving him, over killing him in another time; even her concern about J'onn's loss of abilities made her feel inadequate.

Now with a simple compliment, Clark had her rendered speechless. She was practically choking on her feelings. She hated it.

If you make this choice … Clark needs you.

Hot tears stung her eyes. She had to get out of there now before she turned into a complete basket case. Jumping out of her chair, she turned to walk away and stumbled over the chair in her haste.

Somehow Clark caught her before she could fall on her face and steadied her with his hand on her arm. Lois gasped and swayed slightly at the touch of his hand.

Warm, so warm …

"Lois?" Blue eyes studied her face.

She wasn't expecting the warmth … Nightwas always so cold.

A fresh onslaught of memories, this time from the future, stunned her to the point that she closed her eyes in response. She thought she could shut them out that way. Instead, all she could do was feel – his touch as his hand gripped her arm, the warmth from his hand, and the heat from the rest of him as he stepped closer.

"Lois, are you okay?" Clark was starting to sound anxious. "What is it?"

His hand tightened on her arm, but it didn't hurt, just increased the heat until Lois felt it flowing from her head to her toes. It was like a switch, slowing turning off the loneliness and exchanging it with the needshe felt only for him. This was the same feeling she'd had on the roof of the Chronicle, the longing for Clark to come back to himself. That's why she'd fought so hard to turn him back.

Now he was here; all she had to do was look.

Surprised by her own reluctance, Lois forced her eyes open and discovered that once she started, she couldn't resist studying his strong face- full and tan- no longer gaunt and sallow, his long, dark lashes and beautiful warm blue eyes- now curious and concerned. Eventually her eyes rested on his full lips, always compelling, which were now pressed together. Clark's expressive features were merely inches away.

"Clark?" It came out as a whispered question. Some part of her couldn't believe he was real.

She stepped closer to his warmth and, without warning, was hit by an intense awareness. Here was the man who'd haunted her in the future, the one she'd tried to resurrect with the meteor rock. She'd failed him then but now that he was here, so close, the yearning for him was even stronger.

Such strong feelings demanded an outlet, and so Lois lifted her hands his face, feeling the light stubble on her fingers and, catching just a glimpse of Clark's surprised expression, she pulled him down and touched her lips to his. The instant she felt the softness of his lips, she couldn't stop. She tasted, nipped and teased along the edges of his lips waiting until they parted ever so slightly. Then she slipped her tongue inside to explore.

Lois was lost. Clark's warm, wet mouth captivated her until she forgot everything but his taste and feel. Then his tongue tangled with hers and she was consumed. He responded like a man who'd never really been kissed, like a man drowning, like he could never get enough. Her body, already melting on the inside, molded itself to Clark's solid frame, her curves naturally fitting themselves to him. The heat from his body stoked the fire burning inside of her, his tongue made her tingle all over. Soon, Lois couldn't get enough. She wanted to burrow into him, to burn even hotter and make him burn, certain that this is what she wanted, what she needed, what she could have, if only …

A sharp pain to the temple and Lois was unexpectedly propelled to the future, where the lips she was kissing were frigid, the arms she was holding were cold, where she frantically fought to wake him up, to bring him back, wondering in the back of her mind how she'd become so desperate.

Lois pulled back quickly, grabbing Clark's red jacket to steady herself. Afraid to look at his face, she stared at her hands wondering why she'd thought of that moment, the one she was sure she'd thoroughly blocked. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe as feelings of desperation from two different times commingled.

"Uhm, Lois?" Clark asked, his voice sounding a little choked. He cleared his throat.

Lois closed her eyes. She was surprised he could speak; she wasn't sure she had the ability. Just as well, since she didn't have any answers for him. When the silence continued, Lois looked at Clark through heavy lashes and responded in the only way she could.

"Yes?"

Clark stared blankly at her, his breathing a little ragged, his hand still gripping her arm. There was something in his eyes that she couldn't read.

Looking back down, Lois realized that her hands were still gripping Clark's jacket. Of their own accord, they moved to his chest, sliding over the smooth muscles near his heart, where the arrow had pierced.

"Lois?" Clark asked again, and this time, his voice sounded little higher in octave.

"You could have died," she told him, still staring at where the wound should have been. She smoothed his shirt over the spot and felt him flinch. There was no scar.

She looked up when he didn't respond, seeing the surprise and confusion on his face. Her hand stilled and his expression changed. She realized he was waiting for the punch-line. Lois started to get irritated and it must have shown on her face.

"Uh, … I'm fine," he replied, a bit dismissively, too dismissively, as far as Lois was concerned. Didn't he care that he was shot, seriously injured, and evidently without powers?

"You could have died," she insisted, a bit louder, drawing out the words for emphasis. He wanted answers and, for once, she couldn't run and hide. This was the best she could come up with for her sudden bout of crazy. He needed to accept it.

"I am fine," Clark responded, drawing out his words in the same way and looking even more confused by her continued concern.

Now he was pissing her off.

"YOU … COULD … HAVE … DIED ..." She emphasized each word with a jab to the chest. Couldn't he accept that she might care about that?

The surprise was clear on his face before he gave her his Kent smile. Her heart stopped. She had forgotten about that smile. Butterflies exploded in the area of her stomach and she felt something click, something familiar.

"I … AM …FI-" Lois placed her hand on his mouth. She didn't want to hear it. Truth was they could go back and forth like this all night before either would give in. This, whatever it was, was what they did and, right now, she felt some of her overwhelming feelings dissipate in the familiarity of it all.

"I know," she said sarcastically, removing her hand and waving it in the air dismissively. "You're fine." She took a deep breath. At least he seemed to have accepted her explanation. She turned back to her desk.

"So, why are you here, if not to remind me of our little adventure where YOU ... ALMOST … DIED?" Lois asked, looking over her shoulder to smirk in his direction, letting him know that she would get the last word.

He was staring at her, looking confused, but then he looked down and shook his head as if to clear it. When he looked back up, his expression was relieved. He was more comfortable on familiar ground as well.

"Right, uhm, I wanted to tell you first, since you gave me the application. You're looking at the newest recruit to the Daily Planet." He stood there staring at her, looking like a kid who wanted an approving pat on the head. Lois had to smile. Then his eyes lowered to her mouth. She gulped.

"Good for you, Smallville." She said, turning back around to look at the papers on her desk. Now her voice sounded a little high. She cleared her throat and asked him if he would be working in the mail room. She didn't need to ask but did it anyway; they both needed the distraction.

She heard the smile in his voice when he replied. "I'll be working a little closer to home. It looks like we'll be neighbors, Lane."

Lois turned toward him, relieved that he was heading for the stairs. "Think you can handle it?" she asked, without thinking, putting her hand on her hip and tilting her head. He stopped walking but didn't turn around.

Crap.

When he didn't respond, Lois jumped in, "Well, see you Monday."

"Uhm, yeah, see you Lois." She watched from the corner of her eye as he took off, running up the stairs two at a time, like a man running from a fire. Maybe he was; heavens knew her body was still feeling the heat. She let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

You can make him see.

Lois smiled as she thought of Imra. It was a start.