Everything the others have said, plus one more thing that I hope I can present in a cogent fashion.
In this story, Clark and Lois have always had a buffer between them, be it Clark's students or the distance between Metropolis and Smallville. So Lois isn't threatened by Clark's skill and ever-present presence. She can afford to open up to him over the phone (and when he magically appears in the newsroom) because he's not staying. She doesn't have to guard her heart against him because she has that buffer already. She can afford to dance around the does-she-or-doesn't-she-love-him quandary because there is no commitment between them yet. Oh, yes, they're writing all kinds of almost-sloppy letters and emails to each other and acting like lovesick teens on the phone, but she still has the buffer.
And that's not a bad thing at all. One of the reasons that L&C Lois was hesitant to open up to Clark was because if it went south between them, he'd be in the newsroom every day as a reminder of her latest federal disaster. But because he's not there, the pressure is off. If this relationship goes pear-shaped (Heaven forfend!) the only reminders will be ones she can eliminate. Her defenses haven't engaged because she hasn't needed them.
I almost wish some TV show would have shown their relationship developing in exactly this way. It's lovely to watch. And I want to watch more! Now! Flee not from me, Tomorrow! Hasten! I long for your sweet embrace! Ply me with kisses and flights of fancy!
Can you tell I like this part of the story? The only problem is that you have two more long-form stories to follow and y'all have set the bar so high now that I can hardly wait to see how you top this part.
