Chapter 12

Getting out of the truck at the Kent farm, I place my arm around Clark's waist and we walk inside together. Clark collapses on the couch, leans his head back and closes his eyes. Making my way into the kitchen, I open cupboards until I find hot chocolate. Warming the milk, I make two cups and return to the living room.

"Clark?" Once his eyes open, I pass a cup on to him and then sit on the opposite end facing him. Only once we were halfway through our chocolate, did I begin. "Do you want to tell me what happened tonight?"

Shrugging, he stares into his cup, as if it contained the world's secrets. Giving him time, I watch him quietly. Making myself comfortable, I place my empty cup on the end table, take off my boots and sit cross-legged on the sofa. Finally, he looks up at me. "I don't understand what's going on." Pointing at the two of us, he continues. Yesterday we were friends, and I was going out with Lana."

I couldn't help the wince as he spoke the words. Seeing it, he nods as if he expected it. Gesturing at me, he says. "See, that's what I'm confused about. Today, I'm not going out with Lana, and we're…" Stopping, he frowns at me. "What are we?"

He's asking me? I'm just as confused as he is… Wait a minute! "Wait a minute… You're not going out with Lana anymore?" Hope is filling me, and I'm trying not to get too happy…

Shaking his head, he stares at me. "No."

"Why? What happened? Is it because of me?"

"No." He turns away. "Maybe." He takes a deep breath. "Yes."

That's not what I wanted. Okay, yes that's what I wanted but not in this way. Lana's going to hate me, and I wish I could say that it didn't matter – but she's family. Despite the little 'tiff' we had today… They were supposed to break up on their own, not because of me. I don't realise that I'm frowning until Clark reaches out and smoothes out the lines between my eyebrows, before cupping my cheek.

"Don't look like that. What I mean is that when you got here, I realised that I didn't know why we were still dating."

Taking his hand, I hold it, not daring to hope. "I don't understand, Clark." Searching his face, I look for answers. "Why don't you start at the beginning? Tell me all about your relationship with Lana."

He sighs. "Liz, that's a really long story, and we still have to talk about this afternoon."

"Clark, please. You can't tell me that you broke up with Lana because of me, and then expect me to let it go. She's still family, despite recent events and if I've inadvertently done what she's accused me of, then I need the full story." His posture shows defeat; elbows on his knees, hands clasped and head facing his feet.

Plucking up courage from a newly discovered well inside me, I ask. "Clark, do you like me?" His head snaps up with surprise, before he turns away from me again. Gathering more courage… that well is going to be running dry soon… I lick my suddenly dry lips, swallow the lump in my throat and rub my stomach in an attempt to get rid of the butterflies. "I have feelings for you."

This time the movement is so fast that I'm surprised he didn't get any whiplash.

Now, it's my turn to look away. "I wanted to tell you that, and I know if given the opportunity, it could grow to be something more, but…"

"But what, Liz?"

"I'm afraid that once I explain my situation, that you might not feel the same way about me. That it will frighten you away. I know that asking you to admit that you like me is unfair, especially when I haven't told you anything about me… it's just…" …that I would like to have at least that, should the whole alien thing freak you out…

"Liz?" He interrupts my inner monologue. "I like you, too." Cupping my cheek again, he adds gently. "And to be fair, I haven't told you too much about me either, so I appreciate the bravery it took to admit it first."

I sit still – too shocked to move. I think my heart stopped beating. He likes me… It's better than any dream, and if it is a dream, I'm hoping that I never wake up. "Wow, Clark. Wow!" And now, I know I'm grinning. "Really?" Is my reaction too much? Will he mind if I jump into his arms right now! Would I look too desperate, too eager?

"Really. Now, Miss Parker, I know that we have a lot to talk about which we will tackle tonight, hopefully." At that, he looks at me meaningfully, and completely surprises me by saying. "But, would you like to go on a date with me sometime." He asks, his eyes cast down, cheeks red and looking adorably shy.

"Wow!"

Grinning at me, he asks. "Does that mean yes?"

"Yes!" Okay, the shouting was a little bit much, dork… Peeking at him from beneath my lashes, I see the happy grin on his face. Damning the consequences, I project myself across the couch, and throw myself into his arms. Unfortunately, I also surprise him enough that he spills the last of his hot chocolate on the sofa. "Oh shit!"

"Oh shit is right, Liz Parker. My mom is going to kill me." Laughing at me, he says. "We better go on that date, before mom sees this sofa; otherwise we will never get a chance to see each other."

"Sorry." Frowning at the dark spot, I smack Clark, who is still chuckling. "It's not funny. Go get me a wet cloth or something real quick. Maybe some liquid soap?" Getting up, he moves to the kitchen. Kneeling on the sofa, I contemplate the hot chocolate spot, before calling out. "Hey, do you have any carpet cleaner? That might work."

"Liz, we have wooden floors. Why would we need carpet cleaner?" Returning to the lounge, he has a cloth in his hand and an amused grin on his face.

"Are you making fun of me?" I grab the wet cloth and try to dab at the stain. "Oh man, this is not working… Crap! What are we going to do?"

Throwing himself on the sofa next to me, he shrugs. "What can we do? I don't know anything about stains. You're the woman, you should know these things."

Stopping instantly, I look at him flabbergasted. "What? You know, you're damn lucky I just agreed to go out with you, because after a sexist remark like that, I would refuse on principal."

Laughing at me again, he grabs the cloth and throws it on the table. "Liz, it's not that big a deal." Pulling me into his arms, he lays my head on his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll just tell mom it was me. She's used to me making a mess…"

Pulling away, I look at him and stand up to pace. "You can't do that, it's my fault not yours. Just ask her to have it cleaned, and I'll pay for it, okay?"

"Actually, if I remember correctly, it was both our fault. So, we both take responsibility." Crooking his finger at me, he calls out. "Now come here. I would like to hug my girlfriend."

Coming to a halt, thrilled by the word girlfriend, I smile at him. "Is that what I am?"

"Is that what you would like to be?"

"That's was a quick comeback, Clark Kent. But, might I remind you that you mentioned the word first."

"Man, with all this arguing, I'm starting to wonder if I even want you as a girlfriend."

Feeling my mouth falling open, I stand in front of him, shocked. I don't even have a response to that. Reaching forward, he grabs me and I fall forward until I'm back is his arms. Sitting on his lap, his arms cradling me, I feel safe.

"You know, that's the first time I've ever seen you at a loss for words." He's laughing at me again.

Asshole! "It just shocked me, that's all." He lifts both eyebrows and stares at me. Giving in, I concede. "Okay, yes I'd like to be your girlfriend." As he pulled me closer, I stopped him. "But, we have a lot to discuss. A helluva lot. You, me, Lana, my abilities, your thing tonight… This has moved very quickly… Do you realise that we just met officially yesterday?"

"Yes, I realise that. I also know that we have a lot to talk about. But, I also know that I want to see where this is going because I like you a lot. I enjoy your company, and I like the way we are together."

Pleased by what he had said, I sit up, and move my arms up around his neck to play with his hair. "I'm glad you said that, because even though it is moving extremely fast, I feel so much for you already that I can't even put into words how I feel, even more than…" Stopping, I realise what I'm about to say. Even more than Max… Getting up, I start pacing again, deep in thought. Hold on! Something was different… There are no hurt feelings, no lingering pain when I think about Max Evans. He was supposed to be my soul-mate, and yet here I am, after only 3 days, and Max is becoming a distant memory… There's no connection, no yearning for him, no anything… Does this mean that is wasn't love? What was it then? Infatuation? Was I in love with the thought of love? That's right, bring on the clichés… Does this mean that I've wasted years of my life on something that was never meant to be in the first place. I freeze at the thought, unaware that Clark was watching me with interest. For the second time that night, I am completely shocked.

"Liz?" Hearing my name, I turn to Clark again. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I've just come to a realisation." Sitting down, I stare at my hands.

"Does it have anything to do with whomever you left behind in Roswell?" He elaborates at the apparent frown on my face. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out. Besides, you were talking about your feelings and mentioned 'more than' and I'm assuming that there was a significant other."

"No, you're right. Not that I left him behind, he left me, by the way... It just became clear to me that I feel absolutely nothing for him. That I've wasted a major part of my life on a relationship that was destined to go nowhere… I feel like a complete fool…"

Taking my hand in his, Clark spoke. "Liz, you're not a fool. He's the fool if he left you, but I won't complain because his loss is very definitely my gain. Besides, isn't this what growing up is all about? What being human is all about? Experiencing life and learning from your experiences?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

"Besides, you can't classify it as a waste. You had to go through the frogs to get to the prince."

Giving him my most innocent look, I sigh. "Yeah, you're right. So I'll continue kissing the frogs, while I live in hope that someday I will meet my prince."

"Hey!" He looks so offended, that I can't help giggling. "You're a cruel woman… I don't think I want to go out with you anymore."

I laugh again. "Are you sulking?"

"No." His arms are folded across his chest, a sad frown on his face, his mouth in a pout.

Crawling over to him, I touch a finger to his lips, tracing the shape of them. "Oh, poor baby…" Hmm, they feel soft… "You know, when I used to sulk as a child, my mom always used to tell me that my mouth looked like a fowl's butt. I now understand what she was talking about."

"What?" For a moment, shock was painted across his face, before he burst out laughing. Delighted, I grin at him before resuming my seat at the end of the couch, legs crossed.

When he stops laughing, tears are running down his face. He looks at me, still grinning and asks. "How do you know what a fowl's butt looks like, anyway?" Laughing again, he adds. "At the moment, I have visions of you as a child chasing chickens around, trying to check out their backsides. Geez Liz. I didn't know you were so kinky… I'm gonna have to tell mom to keep the chickens very far away from you."

"Ha. Ha."

"Yeah, I'm also going to have to give you a rain check on our date. Mom might not approve of me going out with a girl like you…"

"Yuck it up bean-pole, who knows… I might not even need that rain check. After this, I'm seriously rethinking our date…" And now it's my turn to sulk…

"Oh ho, so Liz Parker can dish it out, but she can't take it… And, 'bean-pole'? Please, how about something more original, short stuff."

"Like Short stuff? Talk about original." I fold my arms, well aware that I'm pouting.

Before I know it, I'm underneath Clark on the sofa, and his hands are digging into my ribs. Not sure how he moved so fast, I am laughing uncontrollably, too pre-occupied with his hands to worry about it. Even more so as I can't find the strength to push him off me. "No…" Between breaths, I try to protest. "Cla… Clark… Stop… Please…" Grabbing his hands, I try to pull away, but he manages to hit a sensitive area with every movement. "Clark. Stop… I have to pee…" Instantly, his hands retreat. Ha, sucker! I hold on to them, just in case he decides to attack again.

And it was only then did I notice how intimate our position was. Clark was lying on top of me, his face close to mine. Meeting his eyes, I can feel his warm breath on my face and think about how I had wished for this on Saturday when I had first seen him. Moving from his eyes to his lips, I lick my own, desperate to kiss him.

"Liz." I see his lips forming my name, and I hear the groan.

"Huh?" They look soft, so full and red – parted slightly. Seeing his tongue peeking out, I bite my lip and watch as the tongue quickly swipes at his top lip. Letting go of his hands, mine move up his arms to his shoulders to his neck, and I pull his head down.

Reaching up, I lightly touch his lips with my own. Oh yes, definitely soft… Moving again, I kiss him on the corner of the mouth, another light touch on his lips, and then kiss the other corner of his mouth. Hmm, this felt good… Going back for more, I take his bottom lip into my mouth, sucking gently, before doing the same to his top lip. The taste of him is incredible, but not enough. I bite his lip gently, soothing the nip with my tongue. At that instant, I lose complete control of the kiss and can only feel, groaning at the sensations sweeping across my body. His mouth has opened, our tongues are tangling, tasting, exploring… I hear myself moan at the first real taste of Clark Kent.

His big hands are moving up my hips, leaving a trail of goose bumps over my stomach and across my back, pulling me closer into his body. I'm burning, my body hot, moving restlessly underneath his, wanting… yearning for something more… My hands travel down his back, and tighten the already firm hold he has on mine. Moving again, I wrap one leg against his waist, instantly feeling his arousal against me. His hand holding on to my thigh, I feel a frantic need to get closer, and trying to ease my pain, start rubbing my body against his, moaning again when his body starts grinding into mine.

As his mouth leaves mine, I whimper in protest. "Clark." I need him… But his lips are travelling down my neck and as he reaches my pulse point, he bites. The sharp sensation goes right through my body. "Oh." He is sucking gently, and I'm getting desperate with want. I feel my body responding to his, and I want to rip his clothes off… I want him so bad… I start dragging his T-shirt up… I want to feel his skin against mine…

"Clark! Elizabeth!"

Startled, we break apart and turning my head to the side, I see that Mr. and Mrs. Kent have returned home. Holy shit! This is not a good impression to make… Shifting uncomfortably, I realise that Clark is still holding my leg, which is wrapped around his waist and the bulge between his legs is still very prominent. Fighting amusement, I look at Clark who has gone red in the face.

"Get yourselves decent, and meet us in the dining room, now!" Mr. Kent looks really upset. Mrs. Kent shakes her head, disappointed before following her husband.

Not sure whether to laugh or cry, I look at Clark. He's looking at me, sheepishly. His cheeks are red, his mouth swollen, and he's still aroused. I giggle, and quickly place a hand over my mouth.

Now, he's frowning at me. "Liz." He whispers fiercely, sitting up. "This is not the time to laugh. Dammit, I can't go in there like this."

Getting up slowly, I continue to hold my hand over my mouth, but the giggles keep coming. Clark looks really uncomfortable. Unfortunately, he can't hide his arousal like I could. He's looking at me, annoyed. I bite my lip and the giggles fall away. "Sorry." Putting my hand out, I help him get off the couch.

"We weren't supposed to go this far, you know." Aware that I had started it, I tried to apologise. "I mean… I didn't intend for it to go this far. I just wanted one kiss, and then just sort of get out of hand!"

"Liz, I think out of hand is the understatement of the century. Besides, I'd be a complete ass, if I blamed you for everything. I didn't want to stop at all, and I'd be lying if I said I regretted anything." Frowning, he corrected. "Okay, obviously, I regret not hearing my parents pull up, and that they saw this before we had a chance to talk, to date, to get them used to the whole thing."

Sighing, the amusement completely gone, I ask. "Clark, how are we going to explain all this? As far as they know, you and Lana are still going out."

"I don't know, we'll figure out something. I guess we try to stay as close to the truth as possible."

"Okay." Looking down, I ask. "How's your problem?"

"Don't look at it. He has a mind of his own, and loves attention."

Startling a laugh out of me, I look back at his face. I couldn't believe it. Considering the circumstances, I didn't think that Clark would have it in him to make a joke. Seeing the matching grin on his face, I jab him in the ribs. "Be serious!"

"You know, if we were in my Fortress, we wouldn't have been caught."

"Uh huh, but I'm afraid it's too little, too late, my friend."

"Clark Kent! We are waiting." We hear Mr. Kent again.

Pulling a face at me, he grabs my hand. "Come on, we better get in there."

Walking into the dining room, we are faced with a set of very angry parents. Pulling out the chairs opposite them, we wait for the lecture to start. Reaching out, I grab Clark's right hand under the table.

Mr. Kent looks at each of us in turn, before turning to Clark. "Okay, what exactly was going on in that living room?"

"Well dad, I was kissing…"

"Clark!" I reprimand him quickly under my breath, squeezing his hand. When he looks at me, I shake my head. This was not going to help…

He looks at me apologetically, before mouthing… Sorry.

"Dad. Mom. Liz and I are going out." Clark explains.

"What!" "When did this happen?"

Jumping in, I answer Mrs. Kent's question. "Actually, it happened tonight. Clark asked me out tonight just before you guys came home. I'm sorry you saw what you did, but we were just really happy…" I trail off. Neither of the parents looked impressed.

"But you've only known each other for 2 days." Mrs. Kent says, confused.

"Yes, but we liked each other from the first day we met."

"That was yesterday." Now, she sounds irritated.

"Actually ma'am, we met on Saturday." Feeling Clark squeeze my hand, I look at him and return his smile.

Turning to Clark, Mr. Kent asks, bemused. "But Clark, I thought you were going out with Lana."

"We broke up today, dad."

"You broke up today, and already you're going out with Liz? And making out on our living room couch?" Mr. Kent looked at me like I was a bug under his shoe, before turning to Clark again. "You've been in love with Lana since seventh grade and now 3 days after Liz's arrival, the situation has changed completely?"

On hearing that Clark has loved Lana that long, my body jerks as though I had just received a physical blow. Immediately, on the back of that another blow is to be delivered…

Mr. Kent turns to me and with a scathing look, he asks. "And is that the type of person you are, Elizabeth? That you would come here and steal your cousin's boyfriend, regardless of how it might affect anyone else."

I flinch, pulling my hand away from Clark's.

"Dad!"
"Jonathan!"

Ignoring them all, I stand up on shaky legs. "Excuse me." Rushing to the bathroom, I slam and lock the door, before sliding down to sit on the floor, wrapping my arms around my legs.

Tears running down my face, I realise he might as well have called me a slut to my face. Just like Lana had done this afternoon. And weren't they both right. Didn't I just steal my cousin's boyfriend from her? Haven't I been trying to land him since Saturday? My parents didn't raise this type of person, one with no morals, and no decency. Look how long Clark has been in love with Lana. He doesn't love me. At least he was honest about that. So, what am I? A fling on the side?

"Liz?" I hear a knock on the door. "Liz, please open the door."

"I'll be o… out in a sec… second." He could probably hear the tears in my voice. "Clark, go wait with your parents, I'll be out soon." I wait until I hear him leave, then get up and wash my face. Opening the door quietly, I hear them speaking.

"Clark, are you sure that she's not hypnotising you?"

"She isn't, dad."

"How can you be so sure? Since you've met her, you've become a different person."

"I've become happier, you mean?" He certainly doesn't sound happy.

"Well, it's been rather unnatural for you, Clark." Mrs. Kent was playing peacemaker.

"She makes me happy, mom."

"Yes, but can you be absolutely sure that there is nothing unnatural going on? I know you're upset right now, but we just want to protect you, like we've been doing all out lives. You can't just switch that off automatically."

Maybe Mr. Kent was right. Wasn't there something unnatural about me? Although, I didn't affect any other humans, did I? Is Clark acting this way, because I want him to do so? What power would that be? That's not mind-warping… And if I am, then aren't I doing exactly what Lana and Mr. Kent accused me of doing?

Peeking around the corner, I see that they have moved into the kitchen. Slipping past quickly, I grab my purse from the lounge and slip on my boots, intending to sneak out the house, before I hear Clark shouting.

"I care about her, why can't you understand that? More so than I ever did for Lana! Right now I can tell you that I feel more for Liz than I ever did when I thought I was in love with Lana"

Standing at the door, I stop to hear the rest of the conversation.

"What do you mean, more than Lana? You've just met her." Mr. Kent shouted back. "And, need I remind you that the other woman you loved was hypnotising you, and until we destroyed that thing she was wearing, you only felt what she told you to feel."

Hmm, hypnotising didn't sound good… I'm going to need to get that story from Clark.

"Not everyone is out to get me. Liz is not like that. And what do you do, attack her. Did you ever think that maybe she was having just as much difficulty owning up to her feelings? How do you think she feels? It's her cousin, dad. Do you know that she didn't want to go out with me, because she thought I broke up with Lana because of her? Do you know that she confessed her feelings for me first, because I didn't have enough courage to do it."

Wiping the tears off my face, I sit on the sofa and listen…

"We promised that we would be honest with each other, and already I'm thinking of ways to get around telling her the truth. So what does that make me?"

What doesn't he want to tell me? There are so many things we need to talk about, and the longer we put it off, the harder it will be to come clean. We can't have a relationship if one of us is holding back…

"Liz?" Turning to see him standing next to the sofa, I note his sad look at my purse. "You're not leaving, are you?"

I'm already starting to feel protective of him, and seeing the vulnerable look on his face, I realise that it hurts me to see him hurt… Should I be worried that this is happening too fast? "No. I just wanted to put on some foundation. I look terrible with my face all splotchy."

Grabbing me in a hug, he sighs. Letting go, he holds my hand. "Come, my dad has something to say to you."

Reluctantly allowing him to pull me into the kitchen, I stand near the doorway. I don't want to be the focus of attention, anymore.

"Elizabeth." His voice is stiff, and I can't help but flinch again.

Clark moves closer to me, glaring at his father.

"I uh… I just wanted to apologise for what I said earlier."

Oh wow! He apologised. And the funny thing is that I'm not sure I deserve it. "Mr. Kent, there's no need for you to apologise. I can understand your wanting to protect Clark, and I can also understand what it must have looked like, when you walked in on us earlier. We haven't known each other for very long, we know that, but we do care for each other." Seeing that he was about to interrupt, I hold up my hand. I want to get this out. "I don't expect you to understand. Clark and I are both trying to come to grips with the whole thing. If it's difficult for us, I can see how you would have trouble with it, particularly as you've all known Lana since she was a child and have liked her just as long. Now, here I am, a stranger, coming out of nowhere and turning Clark's life upside down." Stopping, I breathe in shakily. "All I ask is that you give me a chance to prove to you that I am a decent person, and that I will always put your son's feelings first. Give me a chance to prove that I do care about him."

"Liz." Mr. Kent walks toward me, and I'm unable to stop myself from taking a step back. At the same time, Clark moves forward and blocks his father's path to me.

I don't want to be here anymore. Wrapping my arms around my stomach, I speak to Clark. "Clark, could you please take me home."

Turning around, I grab my purse from lounge and call out softly. "Goodnight Mr. and Mrs. Kent." By the time I'm standing next to the truck, the tears are falling freely down my face. Relieved when Clark appears, I fall apart in his arms. Minutes later, we are on our way to Aunt Nell's house.

Halfway to Aunt Nell's house, I shift in my seat. "Clark, please pull over."

Doing so immediately, he switches off the ignition, and worried, reaches for me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Savouring the feel of his arms around me, I ask. "Do you really feel more for me than you did for Lana?"

"Yes, I do."

"How do you know?" I hesitate, then say the rest quickly. "How is it different from Lana?" I feel his hands tighten, before he loosens his arms to look at me.

"Honey, do you want to go into this now?" I nod at him.

He sighs. "We should have stayed at the farm then. We would have been more comfortable in the loft."

"Oh." Thinking for a minute, I ask. "Uh, you got a blanket in this heap?" He shakes his head. "Okay, take me to Aunt Nell. I'll get a blanket, and we can go somewhere and look at the stars and talk, okay?"

Worried, he asks. "What if Nell hears?"

"Switch off the truck before you get to the house. Turn off the lights, and I'll do the rest, okay?"

Not answering, he releases me to sit, before turning the key and continuing to Aunt Nell's house. The plan working exactly as intended, it's not long before we are driving to a place called Crater Lake. Arriving, I spread out the blanket on the back of the truck and climb up, waiting for to Clark join me. He lies on his back, and I drape an arm and leg over him, using his arm as a pillow.

"Okay," I whisper. "I'm ready."

AN. Now don't be upset with Jonathan Kent. Remember, he's been protecting Clark his whole life. I promise that he will make it up to Liz in one way or another...
By the way - some of the explanations will be coming next chapter. You might have to bear with me, cos it's gonna be a bit difficult.

Hugs & kisses