Chapter 3.

On the drive back to the Kent Farm, Lois was oddly quiet as she studied her surroundings. Chloe had filled her in on a few missing details including how she was still alive, but the biggest 'news' was that Lois had come to Smallville and stayed for the best part of a year. Why? She was living at Chloe's friend Clark's house too. Why? The car pulled up to the house and Chloe switched off the engine.

"I don't get it. Why would I come and stay on a farm? I like the big city," opined Lois, looking around the farm as they got out, taking in the farmhouse, the huge barn, the stables, the pasture and the vast open fields beyond. It smelled like a farm among vast corn fields with the scent of corn in the air along with grass, hay and animals.

"Lo, you came to Smallville High to get your missing high school credits. Then you left for Met U, and then you got kicked out for underage drinking," said Chloe.

Lois was stunned to learn that she'd got herself kicked out of university. The underage drinking part was nothing new as she'd had a rebellious streak for years - she had a nicotine addiction to show for it - but to fall foul of campus rules and get punished so severely came as quite a shock.

"So I'm working at a coffee house part-time but I'm not at Met U. What else am I supposed to be doing Chloe?"

Chloe wasn't sure how to answer that because she'd not really asked herself that question. Thinking about it, she really ought to have done. Lois had become a bit of a drifter.

"I'm not sure. I think you're still figuring it out. You have a knack for investigating stuff but you flat out refuse to go into journalism."

"Chloe, you're the one who was born to be a journalist. As long as I can remember, it's what you've always wanted to do."

"And that's still true now. I run the high school paper for which you wrote a few articles to gain some extra credits, and I'll be starting at Met U soon. Hopefully I can land an internship at the Daily Planet too," said Chloe. It felt weird to be explaining stuff that Lois would already know.

They made their way into the house. Walking around the kitchen and looking at the family photos on the shelves, she saw the faces of Clark and his parents.

"Seems like a nice family."

Chloe smiled. "They really are. Clark's parents are like the blueprint for what good parents should be."

"They must be if they agreed to take me in too," said Lois.

Chloe chuckled and went to the fridge to take out the pitcher of lemonade, pouring two glasses and handing one over to Lois.

"Actually, it was Clark who offered first but after that, you sort of took over. He complains all the time about how you use up all the hot water."

Lois smiled at that because it was totally something she would do although she wondered if she was taking advantage of the Kent's hospitality a little too much. However, there weren't many things in life more relaxing than a marathon shower.

"Everything's so cosy here, it feels like home. I bet my bed is really comfy too. Better than my camp bed at the base," said Lois as she took a sip of her drink.

A voice at the door answered her. "Actually, you sleep in my bed."

Lois almost did a spit take, turning to Clark while choking. Were the two of them like that? The light pouring in through the door again framed Clark's face like a halo.

Clark stepped into the kitchen grinning as he realised what she might be thinking. Lois with all her faculties intact would never think such a thing. "No Lois. You sleep in my bed and I sleep on the couch."

"Oh," Lois squeaked and cleared her throat.

Her face had taken on a shade of rouge indicating that she was embarrassed. Clark watched her and found it so odd that Lois of all people could be so shy and demure. She was always so brash and confident. There was something endearing about it as she looked - for want of a better word - cute. Then things got really weird when Clark explained that he'd told Lana what had happened before coming home for lunch as he walked to the fridge.

"I was going to make sandwiches with this leftover roast beef and salad if you guys are interested," he said while his head was in the fridge.

"Leftovers! Hey, why don't I fix us up something instead? After all, your parents have been so nice to let me stay here," offered Lois, spotting a jar of peanut butter on the counter beside the fridge.

Clark couldn't hold back a laugh as he turned back round. "You! You want to make us lunch! Chloe, are you sure we don't need to take Lois to a hospital?"

"Oh come on," pleaded Lois, gently tapping Clark on the arm. "I don't need to go to a hospital. I hate hospitals. You spend hours waiting to be seen and they smell funny! I am quite hungry actually and while PB & J might be the best I can do - unless I learned some new skills these past few months - at least let me do my bit. Plus I could really use a nap afterwards."

Clark couldn't really argue with her logic. He knew she hated hospitals, and the rest might indeed do her some good. As sweet as she was being, he still had to contend with the idea of Lois preparing food. He winced as his mind went back to the mangled pancakes and burnt bacon she'd served up several weeks ago. He agreed hesitantly.

"Great!"

With that, Lois walked to the fridge and took out the necessary ingredients knowing it was the most likely place to find them. Clark grabbed the cutlery and plates and she proceeded to make sandwiches for the three of them. They really weren't bad at all although it's pretty hard to make a hash of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Her method was to make a triple decker with the middle slice coated with jelly on both sides, with the peanut butter spread liberally on the inside of the top and bottom slices.

After lunch, Clark said he had a couple of chores to take care of around the farm, leaving the two girls to spend some time chatting.

"Chloe, when you told me Clark was cute, I wasn't actually expecting a Greek god. How you ever get anything done with him around beats me," said Lois as they sat down on the couch.

Chloe smirked at that. "I think every girl has had the hots for him at some point, but he only ever has eyes for one girl - Lana Lang."

Lois had felt a pang of hope building up that Chloe might say something regarding the two of them but sagged in disappointment upon the mention of Lana Lang. She brushed it off.

"What's not to like. Tall, dark, fiendishly handsome, and works on a farm so probably has a body to die for. I'm not sure how I ever survived here."

Chloe laughed out loud, drawing the curiosity of Lois.

"Lo, clearly that is quite the bump on your head because you usually act like you can't stand him. Watching you two is like watching two siblings bickering. You usually give him a hard time, and I'm getting pretty good at playing the peacemaker."

"I know I'm a bit of a handful at times, but why would I be so hard on him? Them puppy dog eyes of his would make anyone melt."

"But not you. I don't know what it is. You guys were just sort of like that from the off. I think you care about each other really but you try and hide it for some reason. Clark's an only child and when you moved in, I don't think he was expecting you to take over his bedroom, or use up all the hot water, or walk in on him while he was in the shower…"

Lois went red again. "I did WHAT?"

Chloe continued. "Nothing happened but Clark said his parents were mad at him. Clark is a private individual who likes his personal space, and his parents are also very protective of him. I have a theory as to why but I've not yet spoken to him about it. You kind of cramp his style and it bothers him. Plus, you always give him names like 'Smallville' or 'farmboy' and he thinks you don't see him as anything more than a dork."

Lois looked around the living room. "I can't see how I would think that. He seems to be anything but a dork."

"He can be a little bit dorky sometimes, but Clark is an exceptional guy and one of the kindest people I've ever met. He's always quick to offer help and never expects anything in return. He's a bit of a hometown hero and my best friend for a reason," said Chloe.

Lois envisioned Clark as some sort of comic book superhero. "Hero huh? Maybe he should come with a cape."

"He would laugh at the suggestion. But I gotta say, he is so much more expressive around you than he is with almost anyone else. He can get all withdrawn and clam up but you don't ever let him. I think that's why his parents are so happy to have you around. In your own way, you're good for him," Chloe explained.

Lois pondered what Chloe had said and it raised her own curiosity. There weren't too many people around who believed Lois to be a positive influence on anybody, yet a small family of farmers had embraced her and given her a roof over her head. Had she ever thanked them for their kindness or simply taken it for granted?

They heard a soft whine coming from the kitchen door. Looking over, Lois saw a golden retriever pad over towards her, tail wagging and eyes that begged for attention. Her face lit up.

"Hi! And who's this guy?" she asked while petting Shelby. Despite sneezing a couple of times due to her allergy, she was more than happy to pet such a friendly dog.

Chloe joined in the petting while answering. "This is Shelby. He used to be a lab dog and you found him one night on your way back here. Since the dog didn't have an owner and had grown fond of staying here, Mr Kent said you and Clark could keep him."

"Well Shelby, who wouldn't want to keep you, huh. You're gorgeous, buddy."

Shelby licked Lois' hand and cheek as she petted him, making her laugh as Chloe watched with interest.

"You normally find Shelby annoying because you're allergic. Seems to me that you and Shelby are a lot like you and Clark. You claim they both annoy you but looking at you now, I think that's just a front."

Lois had heard Chloe opine but her attention was still on the dog. Talking to Shelby in a baby voice she said, "You might make me sneeze a lot but I don't see how you could ever be annoying."

As much as Lois would have liked to learn more, she was feeling tired and yawned loudly. Chloe took this as her cue. She got up and showed Lois up to Clark's bedroom and the bathroom, and left her to get freshened up before taking a nap while she went back downstairs. Shelby had gone back to the barn to lie down on Clark's couch. During lunch, they'd told her that while she's resting, they'll head back to the Talon and find out if anyone knew anything so with that, Chloe went outside to find Clark. Soon afterwards, they both headed into Smallville.