He's the One

by mb9rr

What if Lois had learned about Clark's secret before Oliver had kicked his drinking habit and questions about their breakup came bubbling up to the surface? Takes place post-9x10. Can be read as a standalone or as a sequel to my story, "You Don't Forget a Kiss Like That." One-shot.

What if Lois had learned about Clark's secret before Oliver had gotten together with Chloe? I always thought that Lois choosing Clark over him could have definitely thrown a bigger wrench into his depreciative drinking phase, so this is my story about that. Takes place post-9x10. Can be read as a standalone or a sequel to my story "You Don't Forget a Kiss Like That."

As soon as the front door clicked shut, she kicked her heels off, tossed her bag on the floor, and fell face first on her sofa. A stifled groan escaped as a dull pain shot through her recently healed shoulder, causing her to adjust to a more comfortable position. Her eyes closed immediately and for a few moments, she laid there basking in the silence of her apartment.

The past two months had been an absolute whirlwind and this was truly the first calm moment she had gotten to relax by herself since she had come back from her three-week hiatus. Things had been pretty hectic as she tried to work through Jimmy's death, being kidnapped by her psychotic short-lived desk partner, and nearly being killed by a mutant zombie virus. Then there was Clark and their not so newfound but newly admitted feelings for each other that had thrown her completely for a loop. Add in a couple of murderous pimps, a corrupt DA nearly tossing her to her death, and a vindictive archery master, and hey, it's almost like she was the main character in her own a twelve-part drama series.

And did she mention a trip to the future, finding out aliens were both real and here on Earth, and that her new boyfriend was the Blur?

It still felt like a dream sometimes. Clark Kent was not only the Blur, but he was an alien. He had super powers, his own spaceship, and, maybe most unbelievable of all, feelings for her, Lois Lane. She had realized exactly who he was when he kissed her in the bullpen a month ago, but it wasn't until after she had hightailed it out of town and returned two weeks later to finally talk to him about it that he told her the entire truth about who he was and where he was from. She had always assumed the Blur was more than just meteor infected, but she had never guessed that he was an actual alien. Or that he was Clark, of all people. Still, the fact that he had feelings for her was definitely the crazier of the two revelations she had to wrap her head around.

Lois Lane and Clark Kent. Best reporting duo at the Daily Planet? Absolutely. On-again-off-again forced housemates? Sure. Best friends? Yeah, they had eventually gotten there after a while. But a couple? She still couldn't believe it. But she would be damned if she was going to question it anymore.

Clark was the Blur and he was her boyfriend. Boyfriend. She still nearly gagged when the word came out of her mouth. It was too Hallmark. It didn't fit them at all, but it didn't change the fact that it was true. She was dating an alien with superpowers. A snort escaped her as the thought went through her head. What sort of world was she living in? Oh, that's right: one where you could teleport to a future where evil alien photocopies ruled the world and do the horizontal tango with said current boyfriend, then teleport back home with no memory of those events.

After she and Clark had talked about his secret and his origins, he began to fill her in on a lot of the things she had missed over the years. He told her about his real father, who she had affectionately nicknamed "Ice Daddy," much to Clark's chagrin, and how he had taken his human memories away from him when she first met him. Then he told her about their trip to the Phantom Zone and how it wasn't some acid trip hallucination like she had believed. He explained all about Chloe's wedding, Doomsday, and the truth about who Davis really was, which made her gain a whole new level of respect for Jimmy.

They certainly hadn't gotten around to every skeleton in his closet yet, but she hadn't pushed him. She wanted him to want to tell her and for things to progress as naturally as they could because at the end of the day, she knew that he was the last guy she ever wanted to date. If they were going to be together, she wanted to savor every moment she had with him for as long as she could.

The most recent revelation had been the one that she had been thinking about the most lately: Zod. After Tess had kidnapped her and taken a peek into her brain, which still made her violent with rage to think about, Clark told her how she had teleported to the future and explained all about Zod and his alien cronies. When he visited her in the hospital the other day, she had kept a cool demeanor and played dumb. She knew that he didn't have any powers yet, but Clark had told her how dangerous he was and how dangerous he could become. But Zod was still under the impression that Lois didn't know a thing about Clark, which definitely put the ball in her court. Still, she couldn't shake how cold and creepy he had been. He reminded her a lot of a certain bald megalomaniac she wished she could forget and that stirred an uneasy feeling in her gut.

But for right now, she tried her best to push all of that out of her head and focus only on the good in her life, which revolved mainly around a certain extraterrestrial farm boy. Even thinking about him put a smile on her face. They had been out on six dates so far and if she was being honest, the whole "taking it slow" thing was beginning to become more of a problem than she thought it would be. Maybe it would have worked if she hadn't figured out his secret, but ever since Clark had come clean to her about everything, it was like he was an entirely new person. He was more open, more honest, and less broody. He was more confident, more direct, and certainly more flirtatious. It was making it really hard not to simply jump him whenever they found themselves alone. Luckily enough for her, that was usually at work. But she had a feeling that wouldn't be the case for long.

The buzzing of her phone ripped her from her pleasant and not so innocent thoughts, eliciting a grumble of curse words from her mouth. Who the hell was calling her on a Friday night? If it was Jeff, she was seriously going to ring his neck on Monday. That boy had gotten far too comfortable with her phone number from her point of view. Reaching blindly towards her coffee table, she felt around for a moment or two before her hand made contact with the offender. Bringing the phone to her ear, she answered without bothering to look at the caller ID.

"It's well past five o'clock so whoever this is better be giving me a Pulitzer-winning scoop or dying," she grumbled. A deep chuckle sounded on the other end of the line and suddenly, she found herself renewed with energy.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I don't have a story for you and I seem to be in pretty good health," the voice replied. An involuntary smile spread across her face at the sound of his voice and she sank back into the cushions. Though the silence of her apartment was more than welcome, she would never turn down an opportunity to hear him speak, not that she'd ever admit it.

"Hmm… well you, I guess I can make an exception for."

"I'm honored, Miss Lane."

A thrill shot down her spine at his words and she pinned her bottom lip between her teeth. God, he knew how to rile her up. In the past, the Blur's voice had always been a mystery, but if she was being honest, part of her had always imagined it was Clark on the end of the phone. Now, whenever he called her, his voice seemed deeper than it used to be. Whether it was his doing or her imagination, she wasn't sure, but either way, whenever she had a phone call from him now, it always put her in a mood.

"You know, I think that sounded way hotter with the voice modulator," she teased, eliciting another sensual chuckle from the speaker and another shiver down her spine.

"Well, I can always ask Chloe for it back. But she might start asking questions I'm not sure I'd like to answer," he said, causing her to laugh in return. Not only had he grown more confident since his revelation and beginning their relationship, he had used that confidence to banter with her a lot more than he used to. And she liked it. A lot.

"Bummer. Guess regular old Clark Kent will have to do," she said. She could practically see him shaking his head at her, so she cut him a break from the sarcasm. "How was your day?"

"Lois, I sat across from you all day," he said and she rolled her eyes. And the innocent farm boy was back. As much as he had grown in the past couple of weeks, that same naive boy she used to know still had a tight hold of him. She liked that, too.

"Okay let me rephrase: how was the other you's day?" she asked. While it was true that they had worked together all day, he had disappeared once or twice while she had been at her desk and who knew how many times while she had been out tracking down a lead earlier. They had talked briefly at work about his saves, but recently she had just been saving the questions for the end of the day. She told him it was because she didn't want anyone at work to overhear anything they were discussing, but truthfully, it just gave her another reason to talk to him. Not that she'd ever admit that, either.

"Pretty uneventful. A couple robberies, a small apartment fire, and a few car accidents. Nothing worthy of a Lois Lane article," he said. He was teasing her, but it was a compliment all the same. Every time she asked him about his heroics, he was always modest, but he always let her know when there was something he thought she could write about. It had taken a little persuading in the beginning, but he had eventually come around after Lois threatened to start a daily column chronicling every single one of his saves.

"So then you're calling me because…?" she asked, ensuring her playful tone was evident. She slipped on the pair of bunny slippers that she had left under her coffee table last night and made her way towards her bedroom in search of something more comfortable to change into.

"I can't call my girlfriend just because I want to talk to her?" he asked. Heat blossomed in her cheeks at his words. Well, one word, in particular.

"I thought we talked about that word," she grumbled and switched the call to speakerphone before tossing it on her bed.

"You talked about it. I still don't see what the big deal is," his voice rang out. A brief image of Clark standing in her bedroom as she changed entered her mind, but she pushed it away before she let it affect her too much. If she went there, she wasn't sure she would be able to stop herself from inviting him to do what she had imagined so many times.

"I don't know, it just sounds like we're sixteen or something," she said as she traded her work clothes for her favorite pair of cotton shorts and one of Clark's softest flannels she had nicked God knows how long ago. His scent barely clung to the fabric and she knew she'd have to trade it out soon.

"How would you like me to refer to you? My sweetheart? My darling? My lover?" he asked. A snort escaped her as she pulled her hair up into a loose bun and made her way back out of her bedroom.

"If you ever call me any of those names, I will put a chunk of Kryptonite under your desk," she said. The thought of either of those first two words coming out of his mouth made her want to laugh, but the third one made her stomach do flips and her mind go into overdrive at the implications. So she resorted to sarcasm to keep her feelings and thoughts under control. "And 'lover' you really can't say since we haven't exactly met the definition of that term yet."

"We can change that whenever you want."

She stopped dead in her tracks. He did not just say that. Thank God he wasn't actually in this apartment right now. Heat flushed across her face and down into the lower region of her body at his suggestion. Never in a million years did she think that he would be the one to bring up sex in their relationship. He might be a man, but he was still Clark and between the two of them, she always thought that she would have to be the one to get that ball rolling, but apparently, she was mistaken. His newfound confidence had evidently expanded into every part of his personality and as hot as it was, she certainly wasn't used to being the one caught off guard between the two of them.

"How about partner?"

His voice brought her out of her thoughts as she looked down at the glow of her phone screen and realized that she hadn't answered him.

"What?" she asked, still trying to reboot her brain after the brief short-circuit it had just experienced.

"Well, you're my partner at work and now you're my partner in my life—both of my lives, I might add—so how about partner?" he asked. And just like that, he was back to the sweet farm boy that she knew. Her heart melted like butter hearing those words come out of his mouth and she couldn't keep the smile off of her face. He really was too good to be true sometimes.

"It's a little stiff, but I think I can deal with it until I think of a better word," she replied, making her way back towards to living room.

"I'm sure you'll think of something. You always do," he said. God, he was going to turn her into such a softie. It was already inevitable at this point. "Anyhow, I was calling to see if you wanted to do movie night. It is Friday, after all."

He suggested it as if she was going to say no and she shook her head. Whether he genuinely thought she'd deny him or not, she figured she'd play along.

"I suppose I could be persuaded," she said, drawing the words out slowly. "Whatcha got for me, Smallville?"

"I have the new James Bond, the new Indiana Jones, Taken, and The Hurt Locker. All new this year and all action," he replied. Lois weighed her options. James Bond always had good action, that was true, but the uptight British spy just didn't do it for her. Plus, if she was going to watch a Bond movie, it was Sean Connery or no one. As much as she loved a young Harrison Ford, she was getting tired of all the remakes. No one had any good ideas anymore and had to resort to old storylines that had been done a thousand times. Plus, if she remembered correctly, that one hadn't gotten very good reviews. So that left the other two.

"Bond is boring and Indy is getting too old. Which one of the other two has more explosions?" she asked, kicking her legs up on the sofa.

"One is literally about a guy who diffuses bombs," he said with a laugh and she grinned. It blew her mind sometimes about how well he knew her. But then again, they had always been that way with each other, even before they started dating. Hell, even before they became friends.

"So why did you even ask?" she teased.

"I didn't know what kind of mood you'd be in."

Heat pulsed through her body at the hidden meaning she wasn't sure he had even picked up on. She was going to have to seriously settle herself down before he came over or she wasn't sure how much longer she was going to be able to stick to her plan of taking things slow.

"You should know by now that I'm always in the mood to watch things blow up. The bigger, the better," she said in an attempt to steer the conversation back to safer territory.

"Noted."

Her stomach growled and she glanced at the clock. It was heading towards 7:00 and she knew that he probably wouldn't be over for at least another hour or so. She had some authentic Chinese leftovers from last night that he'd surprised her with that would at least hold her over until he got there, but she knew she'd probably be hungry later and he'd make a fuss about it, so it was easier to stop his mother hen routine before it began.

"Will you bring snacks?" she asked as she stood up to take inventory of what she had available in her kitchen. The takeout container of chow mein stared back at her in the fridge, but other than a few random condiments, a dwindling carton of a coffee creamer, and a few apples that had seen better days, there wasn't much else for her to play host with.

"Sure, what do you want?" he asked. The refrigerator shut with a soft thud after removing the small, white carton and she bit her lip in contemplation. In all honesty, he could bring her a bag of broccoli and she'd kiss him for it, so she gave him a rare opportunity to take the reins.

"Hmm… you can choose," she said, popping her leftovers in the microwave and sauntering over to pop the window open as she waited for her food to cook and for him to respond. Knowing him, he'd want something somewhat healthy and she'd probably end up picking out M from a bag of trail mix.

"So sour gummy worms, Milk Duds, and popcorn? With extra butter? Maybe even some ice cream for later?" he suggested and she felt something in her stomach flutter. Again, the way and depth to which he knew her was astounding. She had even been genuine in her suggestion to pick what he wanted, but it didn't seem to matter. No matter what she said or did, there he was, being the perfect… partner.

"I love it when you talk dirty. See you soon," she said. He chuckled and she could practically see him shaking his head with a grin plastered on his face just like the one that was currently on hers.

"Not soon enough."

The phone clicked and she threw it down on the counter, then let out the biggest, sappiest, overly dramatic movie sigh that she never for the life of her had ever imagined herself doing. Even when he was being broody or overprotective or stubborn (which he still was, though she was trying to knock it out of him), she was always in a good mood after talking to him. Something about his voice and the way he talked to her totally and completely captivated her and for once, she was happy to be under his spell, which the beeping of the microwave broke her out of.

As she sat and ate her dinner, nearly falling out of her chair at how good it was again, she thought about their relationship. In the beginning, she had to see him as an annoying, rule follower of a little brother because of Chloe's feelings for him. And part of her did see him that way back then. He had always been so rigid, so reserved, and so righteous about everything, which had been irritating. But even so, they had connected quickly and to be fair, she had first met him while he was stark naked… c'mon.

When she got kicked out of Met U, Smallville became home and Clark was part of that, whether she wanted him to be or not. By then, she could at least admit that he had become her friend, though she never realized until recently just how close they had become in such a short amount of time. Still, she would have chalked it up to close quarters and Stockholm syndrome.

As time went by, he became less of a little brother and more of an older brother, sticking his nose in the middle of both her romantic life and professional life. He was always there to issue veiled warnings about the men she chose to date and chastised her when she took it too far to get a story, usually ending with him saving her from injury or death, but again, she just attributed it to Clark playing Big Brother. Despite his tendency to insert himself into her life, he had become one of her best friends by then.

But ever since he started working at the Planet, something significant had changed between them. Gone were the days of seeing him as anything remotely close to her sibling. Instead, she stared at him day after day, finding new features about him that made her pulse race. They bantered and flirted, walking a fine line between friendship and something more, until she had finally been forced to admit her feelings for him under threat of being electrocuted to death by a crazy cuckold.

It had been over a year since that day. She thought things might've progressed between them after that, but then Lana came back and threw a wrench into her plan for a while. As much as it had hurt, she was glad now that it had happened. If they had gotten together before she had come back, she wasn't sure her heart would have been able to take it if he had gone back to her. At least now, she knew that door was closed.

Ever since he had simultaneously declared himself the Blur and revealed his true feelings for her after he laid one on her in the bullpen, everything between them seemed to have fallen into place. Sure, it might have taken a two week road trip to clear her head and sort through her feelings, but in the end, it all led to nothing but pure honesty between them. He not only told her everything about who he was and what he could do, but he also had started to explain a lot of things that had happened in the past that she had no idea about, including what had really happened between him and Lana.

That had been two weeks ago. Since then, little by little, he revealed more and more each day, sometimes because she asked and other times because he simply wanted her to know. The wall that he had always hidden behind was no longer there and he was slowly but surely chiseling away at the one she had built in front of her heart. While their relationship was finally in a place that she had only dreamed of, there was still a small part of her that was holding back and she didn't know why.

A loud rapping at her front door broke her out of her reverie. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it wasn't even 7:30 yet and she frowned. There was no way Clark was already here, even with his super speed. Curious as to who was here on a Friday night, she got up from her spot on the sofa and went to investigate. As she opened the door, she found herself face-to-face with the last person she expected to see.

"Oliver? What are you doing here?" she asked. He stood there leaning against the threshold, swaying slightly as she opened the door. A pair of glassy brown eyes blinked at her as he took in her sudden appearance and she felt something in her stomach drop as she took stock of him.

"Hey there, Legs. Mind if I come in?" he asked. His tone was casual, but his body language was anything but that. He looked her up and down, not bothering to hide the admiration in his eyes, and she flushed. He wasn't acting like himself and when she took a good look at him, she understood why. Blonde hair that was normally clean and styled looked matted and dull, a thin layer of scruff adorned the lower half of his face, and he smelled like he had just taken a bath in a barrel of bourbon.

"I don't know, did you bring some whiskey to share or did you just fall in the cask?" she asked and he rolled his eyes, before gesturing to the door. Sighing, she took a step back and allowed him to come inside before shutting the door behind her. He strolled inside, hands shoved in his pockets and looking around in curiosity. They had long since broken up by the time she moved to Metropolis, so it was the first time he had ever been to her place.

"Seriously, Ollie, I thought you jumped off the booze cruise," she said, crossing her arms in annoyance. He shrugged nonchalantly, still looking anywhere but at her.

"Well, after watching my ex-girlfriend and my best friend make googly eyes at each other all last night, I figured… what the hell," he said. Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. She wasn't sure why he was here, but she certainly wasn't going to stand there and allow him to insult her in her own home.

"I have never made 'googly eyes' at anyone, thank you very much," she said. Expecting him to scoff or argue the point with her, she was surprised when his shoulders suddenly slumped and the cocky playboy persona completely disappeared.

"Yeah, you have. You used to look at me that way."

The vulnerability in his voice made her heart lurch and suddenly all the pieces clinked into place. He was hurt. Even after their conversation on their blind "date," he still obviously had some unresolved feelings for her. In all honesty, things between them had been good after that conversation… or at least she thought so. Evidently, that wasn't the case. And though she didn't harbor any romantic feelings for him anymore, she hadn't been lying when she said she still loved him.

"Ollie… I thought we talked about this," she said gently. He pursed his lips and a sour expression flashed across his face.

"Yeah, well, that was before I found out you knew his secret."

Silence permeated the room. Now that, she hadn't been expecting. While they had just recently started to publicize their new relationship, Lois had only told Chloe about joining the secret keeping club. Seeing the question on her face, Oliver answered without her having to voice it.

" Clark told me. He said Zod went after you and he told me you know everything," he said with a bitter edge to his voice at the mention of his name. Of course, he'd told Oliver. All it took was one minor intergalactic interaction for him to go DEFCON 1 in order to make sure that she was safe.

"I would hardly call giving me a tacky plastic bracelet 'going after me,' but yes… I know about Clark," she said. He nodded at her, as if he was agreeing with her on some unspoken proclamation, and when she didn't say anything else, he raised his eyebrows.

"And?" he asked, hands spread open in front of him like he was waiting for her to apologize or explain herself. She really didn't like where this conversation was going, but she certainly wasn't going to back down from it.

"And what?" she replied, narrowing her eyes. Blinking at her, he took a step forward and held her gaze, looking at her with semi-clear focus for the first time.

"Are you going to stay with him?"

All she could do was stare at him. What the hell kind of question was that? She was sure that she looked like she had just been slapped because that's what she felt like. He seriously thought that knowing his secret would make her leave him? Did he really think she was that shallow?

"Why wouldn't I?" she asked. There was a hard edge to her tone, threatening him without saying the actual words. If he was going to insinuate that she in any way, shape, or form was with Clark solely because he had super powers, then she was going to make him say the actual words. And then she was going to kick him flat on his ass.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because you told me you could never be with someone like him," he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Even drunk, the overconfidence in his question and answer confused her. When had she ever said anything like that about Clark? And when had she said it to Oliver? Was he seriously that drunk or had she said that during some sort of weird meteor-related incident that she didn't remember?

"What the hell are you talking about? Seriously, how much have you had to drink tonight?" she asked. She took a step towards him, genuinely concerned for his mental state, but he moved away from her and crossed the room. Staring at the fireplace for a moment, he seemed to be gathering his thoughts. Then suddenly, he was stalking back towards her.

"I just… I don't get it, Lois. You broke up with me because I'm Green Arrow, right? But now you're more than happy to be Clark's sidekick?" he asked. It hurt her to see how upset he was, but the 'sidekick' comment made her bristle. Just because he was feeling emotionally wounded did not give him the right to make digs at her.

"First of all, I don't know who you think you're talking to because I am no one's sidekick. Secondly, I didn't break up with you because you're Green Arrow. We broke up because you couldn't stay in the same zip code as me for more than two days without jetting off with some half-baked excuse about work."

She remembered clear as day why they broke up, but it seemed that Oliver had other thoughts on the reason why. Sure, when he had come back into town, she'd had high hopes that things might have changed and that they could start over, but they never really got the chance to see where things went before Dinah attacked them and she was unintentionally thrust into the superhero world.

"But he can lie to you for years and get away with it? A little hypocritical, don't you think?" he asked, his words heated. Fine, if he wanted a fight, he was going to get a fight.

"He fessed up when I figured it out. And he didn't ask anyone to play dress up to keep me away from the truth," she fired back. He scoffed at her and rolled his eyes again, doing nothing to attempt to hide the arrogance of his own opinion. She had slapped him once before and it had been satisfying then, so she couldn't help but wonder how good it'd feel right now.

"Yeah, I remember him being real upset when you shoved your tongue in his mouth," he said, glaring at her as if she was the one to blame for that situation. Her hand was twitching now, so she shoved it beneath her arm in an effort to control herself.

"Oh, give me a break! I thought he was you and you know it! And if you'd have just told me the truth to begin with, it never would have even happened!" she exclaimed. He was angry now, she could see it all over his face, but so was she. She didn't ask for her drunk ex-boyfriend to show up unannounced at her door and start hurling insults and accusations her way.

"And what did the truth get me? Huh?" he asked, his voice breaking at his own question. "You dumped me anyway."

All the anger she had suddenly washed away as she looked at the broken man in front of her. He wasn't looking at her anymore, probably in an attempt to keep his own emotions at bay, but it was written clearly all over his face how sad he was. The fighting was a façade, that was for sure, and though it wasn't fair to her, she understood.

"Ollie…" she said softly, but he shook his head before she could continue.

"You told me you couldn't handle my dual identity because you didn't want to wonder where I was every night. You told me you didn't want to share me with the rest of the world. Well, let me tell you: Clark sees a hell of a lot more of the world than I do. So why does the Blur get a pass, huh?" he asked, his words dripping with indignation once again. And just like that, she suddenly wasn't feeling so sorry for him.

"Well, for one thing, he doesn't show up unannounced on my doorstep smelling like a distillery," she pointed out. Catching her eye again, he scowled at her, his normally warm brown eyes dark with resentment.

"Deflection doesn't count as an answer," he bit back. Sighing, she took a seat on the arm of her sofa in defeat. As much of an ass as he was being, she knew that it wasn't worth it to fight with him anymore. That's what he was looking for and that's what would lead him to believe he'd won. Even in his drunken state, he knew her well and she chided herself for allowing him to get under her skin.

"Look, I don't know what you want me to tell you. It's just… different with him," she admitted. And it was. She remembered saying all of those things to Oliver back then and they were still true, but they were only true with him. Things were different with Clark because he'd let her in, unlike the man standing in front of her.

"Because of the powers? Is that why you picked him? Because he can bench press a pickup truck and I can't? Because he can run home to you in the blink of an eye if you asked him to?" he asked, raising his voice once again. All she could do was look at him. Green was certainly an appropriate color for his nocturnal activities because his jealousy over Clark's abilities was blatant.

"Because he doesn't think I'm as shallow as you apparently do," she replied. It was obvious that he was surprised at her calm response at the way his eyebrows lifted and his face went pink, but it seemed he still wasn't giving up on his tirade.

"C'mon, Lois, be serious! If he didn't have the powers he does, would you really feel the same way?" he asked. To ask her that once was enough and she had hoped that calling him out for questioning her character would knock some sense into him, but apparently that was not the case. Frustrated with his behavior and angry at the person he was trying so desperately to make her out to be, she finally snapped and shot to her feet.

"Yes, you jackass! I couldn't care less about his powers! I love him, not what he can do!"

The silence in the room was deafening. She stood there, fists clenched at her sides, ready for whatever else he was going to throw her way, but he didn't hurl another insult at her or argue. Instead, all the color and anger drained from his face in a span of a few seconds. She had been so caught up in defending herself that it took her a moment to realize why he had reacted so severely. As the words replayed in her mind, she understood why at once.

"You love him?" he asked quietly. Her mouth involuntarily dropped open at his question, but she shut it quickly. Had she really just admitted that out loud? And to Oliver, of all people? She wanted to say no. She hadn't even said it to Clark yet. But she also knew that she'd be lying if she did. And even though he didn't deserve it, she knew that if she told him the truth, he might finally find a way to let her go.

"I… yes."

"Does he know that?"

Now that question, she was not ready for. He hadn't asked her maliciously, he seemed to be genuine in his question, but she wasn't sure she really wanted to be talking about this with him.

"I haven't technically said those exact words, no," she admitted. She stared at the sofa beside her, choosing to focus on a piece of lint rather than the somber man in front of her.

"Why not?" he pressed. Shutting her eyes, she sighed. He wasn't going to let it go, but it didn't mean she had to give him every answer he was looking for. Meeting his eyes, which, she noticed finally looked somewhat focused, she crossed her arms and offered him an apologetic smile.

"That's not really any of your business," she said softly. Oliver simply nodded at her. Whether he was agreeing with her or simply processing, she didn't know, but she was thankful that he didn't argue with her.

"He loves you. You know that, right? He always has," he said. Those brown eyes she used to love so much started to glisten and he turned away from her to spare them both from the embarrassment. "God, I never stood a chance, did I?"

Feeling her heart begin to break for him, she crossed the room and turned him towards her. His eyes were red again, but this time it wasn't from the alcohol. She wanted nothing more than to wrap him in her arms and tell him that things would be okay, because she knew they eventually would, but she also knew it wouldn't help him.

"Of course, you did. I never even thought about him like that while you and I were together," she said. Cupping his cheek, she gently stroked his jaw and looked into his eyes. "I loved you, Oliver. But you didn't trust me enough to share that side of you."

"I did trust you. I just didn't want you to get hurt," he said. His hand was resting on her arm now, no doubt trying to soak in as much physical contact as he could, but after a moment, she slipped her hand away from him.

"I know that, Ollie. And I understand," she said, her eyes pleading with him to believe her. "Look, the truth is… I don't think I was ready to deal with your double life back then. And I know that's not fair and I'm sorry for that. But I don't think you were ready either."

"But I told you I wanted to make it work," he reasoned. When she thought back on that heartbreaking conversation they had so long ago, she remembered him wanting just that, but she also remembered the terms on which he'd offered it to her.

"I believe you said 'on the weekends.' Doesn't exactly scream 'happily ever after,' does it?" she asked. Shaking his head, he closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.

"No… I guess not."

"Honestly, I don't think either of us could handle balancing Green Arrow and a serious relationship then, but maybe there's a reason for that. Maybe you needed to focus on being Green Arrow without me and I needed to focus on my life without you. Maybe we weren't meant for the long haul."

It was true. Oliver had become a much more effective hero and businessman over the past year, while she had certainly begun to make a name for herself in the journalism world. Whether that would have happened if they had been together, who knew. But she was a firm believer in things happening for a reason and she wouldn't trade where she was in her life right now for anything in the world.

"Because of Clark," he said. His words were slightly bitter, but they weren't accusatory. She knew right then that he had finally accepted that what they had was over and she felt the weight on her heart lift, despite it being at his emotional expense.

"Because you and I both had some growing up to do. But at the end of the day… yes. Clark," she said. She didn't want to twist the knife or rub it in, but she had to be truthful. She loved Oliver and she always would, so even if he had been a complete jackass earlier, he deserved the truth. More than that, he needed to hear it.

"Wow, déjà vu, huh? Except no one's shooting at us tonight," he said with a halfhearted laugh. He swiped his sleeve across his eyes and sniffed in an attempt to compose himself and she couldn't help but feel for him. He was a good man and she hated to see him in pain, but there was nothing more she could do except be honest.

"Oliver…" she said, but he just plastered on his boyish grin and shook his head.

"I did call it, you know? You two. Even if you couldn't see it back then, everyone else could," he said, nodding at her. Swallowing, his mouth twitched and he pursed his lips briefly before pressing them together in a firm line. "I just wish I would have been wrong."

"I'm so sorry," she said. And she was. She wished things wouldn't have ended the way that they did. She wished that it could have been an amicable breakup. She wished that he wasn't as hurt as he was. But she couldn't change the past and neither could he. All they could both do was move on. Waving her off, he took a step away from her and shoved his hands back in his pockets in an attempt to slip back into the cool, collected persona she knew he liked to put on.

"Don't be. I, uh… I get it. He's a much better man than me and he deserves you a hell of a lot more than I do," he said. Lois only shook her head at him and his self-depreciation. He hadn't said it to make her feel guilty, she knew that, but it didn't mean she was going to let him get away with thinking that way about himself.

"You're both great men. It's not a competition. You're both heroes, even without your ridiculous costumes," she said. For the first time tonight, she saw her friend standing across from her as a faux glare crossed his face.

"Hey, don't even compare my uniform to that trench coat he wears! I keep trying to tell him to try something a little more aerodynamic," he said. Lois laughed, pleased that he seemed to be getting back to normal.

"Well, we'll just have to keep working on him, won't we?" she suggested and he nodded.

"Yeah, I guess we will," he said, smiling apologetically at her. "I'm sorry, Lois. I didn't mean to come unload on you like that. You didn't deserve that."

"No, but it's okay, I get it. I know from your point of view it must seem hypocritical, but—"

"But he's the one," he said. Those hadn't been the exact words that she was going to say, but he wasn't wrong, either. It was Clark for her and always would be.

"He's the one," she repeated. He looked at her for a moment after that, standing there quietly drinking her in and most likely accepting their conversation, but cut his gaze from her before it became too awkward and started making his way towards the door.

"Well, I think I've embarrassed myself enough this evening, but, uh… thanks," he said, turning back to look at her as he opened her front door and stepped out into the hallway. She leaned against the archway and threw him a smirk.

"For what? Not throwing you out ten minutes ago?" she asked. He shook his head and genuinely smiled at her.

"For being who you are. Even though we didn't end up together, I'm still thankful we had what we did. And that you're still in my life," he said. That right there was one of the reasons she had fallen for him in the first place. Underneath the arrogant, frat boy he liked to pretend that he was, deep down he was a kind-hearted, wonderful man who deserved all the best in the world. Wrapping her arms around him, she gave him a tight hug and a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Me too, Ollie. There will always be a place in my heart for you. You know that, right?" she said. She'd said it before and she meant it, but she needed to know that he believed her. Returning the pressure of her embrace, she felt him nod against the side of her head.

"I know," he said. Pulling away, he grabbed her hand and briefly squeezed it, but released her as soon as she returned the pressure. "Alright, I'm gonna get out of here."

"You didn't drive, did you?" she asked. He didn't seem drunk anymore, but she still didn't think it was a good idea for him to get behind the wheel of a car right now.

"No, no, uh, Mia dropped me off. But honestly, I think the walk home will do me some good," he admitted. Nodding, she looked both ways down the hallway before she looked at him earnestly.

"Okay, well, just be safe. Keep an eye out for the Jolly Green Giant, I hear he likes to roam the streets at night."

Scowling at her, he narrowed his eyes in annoyance, then shook his head and grinned. She knew from that interaction alone that everything was going to be okay between them.

"Ha ha, very funny," he deadpanned. He looked at her one last time with the ghost of a smile still on his lips. "Goodnight, Lois."

"Goodnight, Ollie."

She watched him walk down the hallway and gave him a small wave when he turned to look back at her before disappearing around the corner. As soon as he was out of sight, she let out a deep breath and leaned her forehead up against the doorframe. She certainly had not been expecting that emotional rollercoaster tonight, but she was glad it was done and over with. Moreover, she was happy that she had her friend back and that he would be able to hopefully find some peace again.

As she shut the door in front of her, she noticed two things immediately: one, the nighttime sounds of Metropolis were now muffled behind a closed window and two, the unmistakable smell of buttered popcorn had filled her apartment. Without bothering to turn around, she spoke to the empty room.

"How much of that did you hear?" she asked. When she received no answer, she was sure she might be going crazy, but right before she turned around, she received an answer.

"Enough."

He was standing on the other side of the apartment from her, leaning against the counter in what she was sure he thought seemed like a casual manner, but he had always been a terrible liar. It was evident by his stiff posture and the way his eyebrows were pinned together that he was feeling anything but calm. She noticed the pile of snacks that sat on the counter beside him and she felt a pang in her heart. He was the sweetest man she had ever known and although she knew there was no reason for him to feel threatened by Oliver, that didn't mean she wasn't going to reassure him.

"Do you want to talk about it or are you going to stand there brooding in the shadows all night?" she asked. Part of her felt bad for him, but the other part of her couldn't help but think that this is what he got for eavesdropping. She wasn't mad about that because half the time, he couldn't really help himself and she knew that if the roles were reversed, she would be a hell of a lot nosier than he was, but that didn't give him a free pass to be Broody McGee.

"Did you mean it?" he asked. Those eyes that she loved so much that were usually a bright blue were a dark indigo right now and if she was honest with herself, it was throwing her off. She expected him to be insecure or maybe even a little sad, but his stormy reaction was throwing her for a loop.

"Do I ever say anything that I don't mean?" she asked, hoping her flippant response would shake him out of whatever mood he was in. Pushing herself off the door, she took a few steps towards him, waiting for his response, but all she got was an exasperated sigh.

"Lois," he said. It was obvious that this was not a conversation she could sidestep with humor, so she made her way into the kitchen and relented.

"Which part?" she asked. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed and his eyes skirted away from hers briefly before he caught her gaze again.

"The part about wondering where I am. About sharing me with the rest of the world. About… my powers."

God, she was an idiot. Here she was thinking that after everything that had happened between them over the past month and after everything he had shared with her, that he'd be jealous or threatened by her conversation with Oliver. And she'd thought that he had been the arrogant one tonight. Angry with herself for even thinking that about the man that stood in front of her, she moved across the room until she was standing directly in front of him. Both of her hands came up and cupped his face, forcing him to look at her.

"Of course, I did. Like I told him, it's different with you. You don't leave me in the dark about where you're going or what you're doing and I don't mind sharing you because you still make me feel like a priority instead of an afterthought. And as for your powers… well, let's just say the only thing I really care about is that you can bring me authentic Mexican whenever I want," she said, trying and failing to make him smile.

All he did was look at her, searching her eyes for any semblance of a lie. He was notoriously hard on himself and his guilty conscience was bigger than anyone's she'd ever met, especially when it came to his powers. It was one of the things she both loved and hated about him. His heart was so big that it got the best of him sometimes, but she wasn't about to let that happen tonight.

"Even if you lost them tomorrow, it wouldn't make a difference to me. You'd still be a hero. You'd still be you," she said.

He was quiet for a moment, but eventually, she felt his arms wrap around her lower back and she breathed a sigh of relief into his neck as he pulled her in for a hug. After everything that had happened tonight, this was all she needed. It was a wonderous thing how much his touch and embrace could do for her, so she didn't let go of him for a long time. Evidently, he needed it too, because he only released her when her legs started to shake.

"What about the other thing you said?" he asked, before she could even attempt to make a beeline for the neon-colored bag of candy beside him. The change in the way he was looking at her now made her stomach do backflips for a few reasons. One, it had been far too long since she had kissed him and if there was one thing she knew about Clark, it was that his 'kiss me' eyes were working overtime right now. Two, she had a strong feeling that the thing he was asking her about was not something she had meant to share with Oliver, let alone for him to overhear. So she did what she did best to avoid answering.

"You're going to have to elaborate," she said, darting her eyes back towards the pile of snacks. Spotting the bag of trail mix hiding in the back, she suppressed a smile. He was so predictable sometimes. But her avoidance of the topic at hand was evidently not going to fly as she found her face being redirected towards him.

"You know what I mean," he said. Now he was using his 'kiss me' voice and she knew without a doubt that she was in trouble. He could read her like a book and she knew that she was only going to be rewarded if he answered his question. Still, she had a steady history of defying Army generals, mob bosses, and career criminals for her entire life, so one super powered farm boy was not going to take her down that easily, no matter how gorgeous he was.

"Fine. Yes…" she admitted and closed her eyes for dramatic effect. When she opened them, she blinked innocently up at him and shifted closer, nearly laughing at how nervous he looked. "…I do think the trench coat is ridiculous."

"Lois," he growled, his expression immediately turning mildly annoyed. But she couldn't stop herself now. It was too entertaining and he was too adorable.

"But I have a few ideas cooked up, just in case you were wondering," she continued, He huffed and she stifled a laugh, bulldozing along like she always did.

" Lois."

"Don't get me wrong, you look good in black, but I'm thinking about bringing back the red and blue. Add a little more color to your repertoire and—"

The rest of her sentence was cut off as he swooped down and claimed her lips with his own. Moaning into his mouth, she flung her arms around his neck and kissed him hungrily. It had only been a mere 24 hours since she'd had the pleasure of feeling his lips on hers, but it'd felt like an eternity. Pleased with herself for not succumbing to his manipulative tactics, she basked in the elation of getting both of the things she wanted without giving anything up herself. When she finally forced herself to pull away, breathless and not nearly satiated, she pressed her forehead against his solid chest and smiled before forcing herself to looked irritated.

"Okay, just because that worked on me once, doesn't mean you can keep mouth mauling me in the future," she said. Clark's smile only widened, making it hard to keep one from reappearing on her face.

"Twice, now," he pointed out as his fingers made small circular motions against her hips. Well, he certainly had her there. No longer concerned with winning their meaningless competition, she gave him a dazzling smile and scratched her fingernails against the nape of his neck, earning her a pleasant shiver of approval.

"Whatever. Stop gloating and kiss me again before I change my mind," she said, already refocused on his mouth. Never one to disappoint, Clark wasted no time acquiescing to her request. Happy to be in his arms and at the mercy of his mouth again, she melted against the hard frame of his body. It felt like nothing short of perfection whenever she was with him. She swore that it had to be embedded in his intergalactic DNA for him to be as good of a kisser as he was, but asking him about it was out of the question. Maybe one day she'd sneak up to the Fortress and ask Jor-El. Just thinking about that conversation made her want to laugh.

"What?" Clark murmured against her lips. Obviously she hadn't been as inconspicuous as she'd hoped with her thoughts, but she should've known better. The man had pretty much every super sense there was, so it wasn't a surprise that he noticed her elation. Smiling, she took stock of every inch of his face. From the obsidian hair she had just ruffled, to the way his thick eyebrows were pinned in confusion, she avoided his eyes as hers travelled down his straight nose until they landed on his irresistible lips once again. Pressing a chaste kiss against them, simply because she couldn't help herself, she met his cerulean eyes and gave him an answer.

"Nothing, Smallville. I'm just happy," she said. The smile that erupted on his face was so bright that she swore it could have powered all of Metropolis for days. And that made her even happier, if that was even possible. He didn't respond immediately and instead looked at her the way she had just been, while she was drinking in his features. The smile on his face slowly ebbed away and instead something more intense crossed his face that made her unusually nervous.

"What?" she asked, echoing his earlier question.

"He was right, you know," he said, looking so deep into her eyes that it was hard to concentrate on what he was even talking about. But when she finally found her footing, her heart lurched to her throat. Did he mean what she thought he meant? Or was she way off base and getting ahead of herself? She knew that he cared about her deeply, but she wasn't sure if he felt the way she did about him. The way she felt was overwhelming and scary and wonderful and totally, completely consuming… and if he didn't feel the same, she didn't want to know. But Clark wasn't the type of person to tease her about something like that.

"About what?" she breathed. His eyes trailed down to her lips then back up to her eyes before his hand came up and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Her heart was beating so fast that she thought it might jump out of her chest, but before she had a chance to think about anything else, he answered.

"I do love you."

And just like that, every worry and concern she had about his feelings towards her dissipated. Every doubt that she wasn't good enough for him, every fear that she was in way deeper than he was, and every trepidation she had about whether he was with her out of love or simply because she knew his secret all vanished with just four words. The smile that stretched across her face was so large that it nearly brought tears to her eyes and she had to look away to blink them back. Sniffling, she gave herself a moment, and thankfully he did to, before she composed herself enough to look back at him.

"So that's what you were talking about?" she asked. She knew it wasn't the answer he was looking for and she knew she was being just a little mean, but it was the only thing she could say to keep herself from disintegrating into a puddle of tears. Thankfully, knowing her—and apparently, loving her—like he did, he took her response in stride, rather than rejection.

"Does everything have to be this hard with you?" he asked. His voice was low and husky, making her knees wobble, but his strong arms were still wrapped around her and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that he'd never let her fall.

"What do you think?" she whispered. When he didn't reply and she saw the tendrils of rejection begin to creep into his expression, she finally relented. "I love you too, Smallville. I think I always have."

The way he looked at her, blue eyes shining down at her and his smile brighter than all the stars on a clear night in Smallville, made her feel like she was the one who had super powers. At this rate, she might even learn how to fly before he did. When he kissed her this time, it wasn't sudden or fiery. His lips were soft, delicate, and pressed ever so gently against hers, yet it was the most passionate kiss she'd ever had in her life. It ended far too soon, in her opinion, especially because when she opened her eyes, they were blurry with tears, but it didn't matter. He loved her. And she loved him.

"So you've always loved me? Even when you hated me?" he asked. She didn't think it was possible, but damn, she loved him even more. He could have said something sappy or even kissed her again and though she certainly wouldn't have complained, he knew her well enough to know that she hated being emotional and that his comment was an easy out for her. But even so, she also knew him well enough to know that he was a sucker for sap and she didn't mind giving in to that side of herself just a tiny bit.

"I never hated you. You just annoyed me. But in a very cute and very endearing way I never would have admitted back then," she said. Grinning, he buried his face in her neck and pressed his lips very briefly to her collarbone, sending an obvious shudder down her spine. When he pulled back, he unceremoniously lifted her on to the counter, causing her to yelp at the sudden movement, and insinuated himself between her legs.

"Do I still annoy you?" he asked. His voice was low and seductive again, undoubtedly because he had finally figured out that she could rarely resist him when she spoke to her like that, but it was his hands slowly inching their way up her thighs that made her shiver. He was being so confident—borderline cocky—and it took every bit of willpower she possessed not to completely succumb to his seductive techniques, not because she didn't want to, but because she knew the longer she dragged it out, the more pleasurable it would be later. And after admitting their love for one another, she was well past taking things slow.

"Every day and twice on Sundays," she answered as his hands drifted from her hips to her backside, scooting her forward towards the edge of the edge of the counter. Her heart was hammering against her chest and she knew without a doubt that his super hearing had picked up on it by the way he was grinning at her.

"Right back at you, Lane," he said. Leaning towards her, he zeroed in on her lips, but paused before he made contact. "So… do you still want to turn on the movie?"

As charming and completely mesmerizing as he was, Lois couldn't help but laugh inside at the obvious opening he had just given her. It was true that she wanted nothing more than to have her way with him right now, and she probably would, but if there was one thing that she hoped he never learned, it was to never give her an opportunity to turn the tables when he wanted something.

"You said it had explosions, right?" she whispered. Still unwavering in his staring contest with her mouth, he simply nodded, most likely unaware of what she'd even said, so she tipped his chin up with her index finger to break his gaze. "Then what do you think?"

She tried and seemingly succeeded with every bit of willpower she possessed to look serious because it only took one brief moment for her words to sink in and for Clark's head to drop between his shoulders with an exasperated huff. Biting her lip to keep herself from laughing, she couldn't help but feel the least bit bad for him as he straightened himself up and glanced resignedly at the living room.

"I'll get it set up, you get the snacks," he said with a sigh. But as he made a move towards the living room, she caught his hips with her legs and pulled him right back to her. As much as she loved to tease him, she felt a tiny bit bad about stomping all over his parade. But she intended to make up for that in spades.

"Don't pout, Smallville. Just because I said I want to turn it on, doesn't mean we're going to watch it."

The DVD never even made it off the kitchen counter that night.