Hi Corrina,
Sorry for the little break
Eventually, he said, “Yes… No… And a whole lot of history.”
Like *that’s* gonna comfort the skittish reporter.
Figuring it was obvious he hadn’t given a complete answer, Lois waited, restraining her natural inclination to bombard him with questions.
Yes, she only dates smart men.
“How long do you have?” he asked.
Until Perry finds her and sends Jimmy to retrieve her.
She leaned a little, close enough that she could feel some of his body warmth.
Wonder if he turns up the heat?
She’s good at waiting.
“I took Lana to the Prom. We were good friends, and for a while, we thought there might be a future together.”
Oooookay?
“But it didn’t work.” Lois felt his shrug. “I guess Lana is the closest thing I have to a sister. Anything beyond that just didn’t feel right.”
CANON LOIS: See? But when I love him like a brother, it’s the end of the world!
“She has Levi.”
“Yeah. She married Brett Irig. He is… was the neighbours’ son.”
Aaaaaaaaahhhhh…
“Yeah. We did a lot together.”
*Must not say it. Must not say it. Must not say it.*
“Then he married your high school sweetheart.”
“She wasn’t my sweetheart. Not then. Not now.”
Lois had figured as much, but for some reason, it was good to hear Clark say it.
Oh, look, there’s a whole rockslide coming off that mountain in the middle of Kansas.
. On the way home, a truck went through a stop sign and ploughed into them.”
Oh dear!
“If Lana moved, Wayne and Maggie would lose their grandson.”
“Yeah,” Clark said with a long sigh. “And that was about when Maggie started trying to push Lana and me together.”
Oh boy.
“No.” Under the blanket, his hand squeezed hers. “What would you do?”
Well, marrying the billionaire crime lord is out, so…
“Worse. I seem to be attracted to terrible men, with absolutely no conscience, who are completely untrustworthy. And even more damning,” she said, trying to smother the resentment from her voice, “is that I don’t seem to be able to learn from the disasters.”
There there, at least none of them were alien invaders, bent on populating their new world with their offspring.
LOIS: If you put it that way…
CLARK:
LOIS: Clark?
His fingers closed around hers. “I’m so sorry,” he said.
/points at above/
“Anything about Claude… and me?”
“Not in The Daily Planet.”
Only in publications with a slightly more strained relationship with the truth.
. “I think you could have your job back if you wanted it.”
Awwwww
“If Perry offered you your job back, would you take it?”
Lois chuckled sombrely. “Not a fair question, Farm Boy.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m snug and warm in a barn in the middle of the night, watching a cow and her beautiful calf, surrounded by peace, and lured by the sense of tranquillity and… I don’t know… maybe the sense of how good this feels. Right now, I cannot imagine pounding those Metropolis streets in search of a story ever again.”
Awwwww…but eventually, the hunger will return.
But the price is living a cutthroat, exhausting, lonely, meaningless, empty life in a relentless pressure cooker world. I’m no longer sure I want to pay that price.”
So, what she’s saying is that she wants Clark to keep her company in Metropolis.
“Because I really don’t want to outstay my welcome.”
Yeah, about that…
“Did you get the chocolate?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Do you still have some?”
“Yes.”
“Is it in the house?”
“No.” He reached up to the hay behind them. “It’s right here.”
“Perfect,” she said.
He has learned so much in just a few days.
His fear – irrational and unlikely – had been that he would marry Lana and then later meet a woman who was everything he’d ever wanted.
Yes, very unlikely.
But what woman would want to be dragged into the complications and weirdness of being married to an alien?
The adventures kind.
“You fell asleep, Lois,” he whispered. “I’m taking you back to your room.”
Clark!
“Goodnight, Lois,” he said, very low. Then, “I love you,” even lower.
Awwwwww
. “What are you two ladies doing?” he said.
One is being adorable and the other is watching a cow.
“I would sense she was about to move,” he said. “I can tell if she’s shifting weight from one foot to another.”
“You’re quite tuned in to her?”
“Yep.”
Now, does the same also work for reporters dangling over the jaws of death?
“It’s not right to marry someone I don’t love,” he said. Particularly now that he was hopelessly in love with someone else.
BESS:
“I think they’re expecting a wedding, so I figure a lot will be disappointed.”
Did they specify who should get married?
“Yes! If we go out to dinner in Smallville, Lana will hear about it. If she doesn’t seem to mind, you’ll know she’s relieved that you’re not wanting to marry her. If she does mind, you’ll know you need to talk to her.”
Yes, but this implies Lois being perceived as more than a sister.
“And it will dampen down all the expectation of the town. It’s a great idea, Clark.”
It will also provide readers with a date and thus a chance to gush over it.
He had a date with Lois! But somehow it had turned into a not-real date.
Nah, doncha worry.
He was unsure whether to sigh or laugh out loud. The laughter won.
He had a date with Lois!
I think I can see where the next part is probably headed to! /cuts to asteroid falling towards the Earth/
Michael
