Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic Ficathon: Kiss Me (For Carrie Rene) 1-8/8 Complete

Author’s Note: This fic is for CarrieRene for the Ficathon challenge. She wanted: a library, a reveal, and a kissing scene. She didn’t want: Perry, the Daily Planet, and fighting. Thanks as usual to ksarasara who helped me figure out how to piece this together as well as helped with figuring out the library stuff. THANK YOU!

Summary: Set right after their almost-first date, Lois finds herself in Smallville with Clark. She’s not sure why her partner felt it necessary to drag her there for a small town story about a library. She doesn’t know why it means so much to him. What she does know is that she desperately wants to finish what they started on their almost-first date and will follow him anywhere…even Smallville.

Chapter 1

Lois’ heart fluttered as Clark took her hands in his. He gave her that smile – the one that he seemed to reserve only for her – and gave a self-conscious laugh.

“I never thought I’d be so nervous,” he admitted. The warmth in his eyes seemed to wrap around her, protecting her and though he’d just admitted to being nervous, she suddenly felt fearless. “I’ve wanted to do this for so long – go out with you, I mean. But we’re best friends and –”

“It’s okay,” she interrupted, knowing that if she didn’t tell him now she might not get another chance. After all, this was finally their first date, and Lois knew that given the nature of their lives, any moment something could come along and ruin it. She wasn’t about to let that happen. “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time too. Ever since the Planet reopened. I didn’t know how to tell you, so I didn’t say anything but…I’m glad you asked me out, Clark. I’m really really glad. And this restaurant was amazing. Everything was perfect.”

And it was. He looked incredible in his midnight black suit. He’d even chosen a tie that almost matched it. His hair was styled in such a way that told Lois he’d put some effort in, but that a stray curl had escaped nonetheless. She wasn’t entirely sure how it had taken her so long to notice just how breathtakingly handsome he was.

But she was noticing now.

He reached out and gently caressed her cheek with the pad of his thumb. She found herself closing her eyes as a shiver spread through her entire body. She loved it when he touched her like this.

“Lois,” he murmured, his voice deep and husky.

“Mmmm?” Was all she could say in response. Why hadn’t he kissed her yet? What was he waiting for?

“Lois?” His tone was different now. It was still gentle, but it had lost its intimacy. “Lois?”

Something in her body shifted and the restaurant dropped away. She groggily opened her eyes and immediately closed them again as the bright sunlight assaulted her vision.

“Lois, are you awake?” It was definitely Clark speaking and with that awareness also came the knowledge that everything that had just happened had been nothing but an absolutely beautiful dream.

She managed to open her eyes again and took in her surroundings. She sat up, constricted by the seatbelt that pressed against her and remembered in full where she was and why. She groaned.

They were not on a date at some romantic restaurant. They weren’t even in Metropolis anymore.

“I’m awake,” she grumbled, feeling especially resentful towards her partner for having returned her to reality. “Are we there yet?”

“Just about,” he said, his voice cheerfully oblivious to her irritation. She still couldn’t understand why Perry had agreed to this assignment. It was beyond ridiculous. And certainly below the considerable talents Lane and Kent, the hottest team in town.

Well, they weren’t in town anymore, so she wasn’t sure what that made them. Or where they stood.

“You looked like you were having a pretty intense dream,” Clark observed. Lois looked away to hide her embarrassment.

“I wasn’t dreaming, I was thinking,” she said, knowing full well how lame that sounded.

“Oh?” He sounded amused and she looked back at him and glared her most intimidating glare. “What were you thinking about?”

“I was wondering what you have on Perry,” she improvised. He looked confused, which meant he’d forgotten about the fact that she had clearly been dreaming. She kept talking though, just to be sure. “I mean you have to know some deep dark secret of his. After all, why else would he agree to this assignment? Gotta admit I never thought straight-laced Clark Kent would stoop to blackmail but –”

“Lois, I didn’t blackmail Perry,” he said, with that irritating tone of patient amusement. “I simply pitched an idea for a story and he happened to think it was a good one. Everyone likes a good human interest story.”

“Oh, I get it,” Lois said, getting into the rhythm of teasing him. Bantering with Clark was much easier than remembering how desperately she had wanted to kiss him in her dream. Those feelings were much more complicated. “You won a Kerth for your retirement home piece so you think this will get you number two, huh? Well I have news for you, Kent, that was a fluke. Puff pieces don’t win Kerths…usually.”

“Lois, that’s not why I wanted to write this story,” Clark said patiently, refusing to take the bait. “Besides, we’re writing this together, so if I was after a Kerth it would be a joint win. Lane and Kent, remember?”

He was right, damn it. And yet, she could have stayed in Metropolis. Perry would have assigned her something solo until Clark returned and yet, she didn’t want him to go without her. Not since their almost-first date. Despite getting food poisoning, it had been one of the most incredible evenings of her life. And since then, neither one of them had seemed to gather up the courage to mention going out on an actual first date.

So she’d come. Reluctantly. But she didn’t have to like it.

“Well don’t rent your tux just yet,” Lois grumbled. “We could be going after Intergang. Instead, we’re…well, we’re here.”

“That’s right,” Clark replied with a grin. A small sign could be seen in the distance and Lois found herself sighing as the car approached, then passed it.

‘Welcome to Smallville’.

Yep. They were in Smallville.

*****
They stopped at the farmhouse first, where they would be staying for the duration of the story. Lois was grateful to get out of the rental car and stretch her legs. Immediately as she did so, her body was wracked by a violent sneeze. She noticed Clark staring at her out of the corner of his eye and she sighed.

“You okay there?” he asked, eyes twinkling with barely contained amusement. She gave him her most withering stare.

“I hate the country,” she groused. She walked around to the driver’s side, lamenting the choice of footwear as her expensive designer pumps stuck into the grass. “It’s all pollen and farm smells and my eyes start watering. I don’t know how you can stand it.”

“Yeah this fresh air is awful,” he deadpanned. “I’d much rather be breathing smog and car exhaust.” He began unloading their luggage from the car as he spoke, and she allowed herself an appreciative look at his denim-clad backside as he bent to get her bag.

You’re annoyed with him, Lane, she chastised herself. You’re not allowed to admire his butt when you’re annoyed with him.

He turned and ran a hand over his forehead, even though there was zero sweat anywhere to be seen on him — more’s the pity — and proceeded to roll his sleeves up as he went to the trunk to retrieve one more bag. Great...forearms. Even worse.

“Joke all you like, Kent, but I am a city girl, born and bred,” she replied, unable to even pretend to be annoyed with him anymore. There was something about seeing her partner in something other than a suit that caused her heart to beat just a little bit faster. She wasn’t sure why, but this jeans and flannel combo was working for her. A lot.

“Yeah, yeah,” he replied as he set the bag down and closed the trunk. He leaned on it with his elbow and smiled at her with just a bit more intimacy than their usual friendly banter. It was the kind of smile that reminded her that they had almost gone on a date. The kind that made her think back to what might have happened if the food from Ralph’s Pagoda hadn’t ruined their almost-first date. “You know, Lois, you just can’t admit that you might have fun again here.”

“Nice try,” she said with a shake of her head, “but I did not have fun last time we were here, I...acclimated. For survival. You know...like when captives fall in love with their prisoners...”

She trailed off and her cheeks blazed fire engine red as she realised what she’d just said. He raised an eyebrow and she couldn’t help but notice just how amazing his lips were or stop thinking about how much she wanted to kiss them.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say going to the Smallville Corn Festival was like having Stockholm syndrome,” he said wryly. “Methinks the lady doth protest too much.”

“We...should get inside before your parents wonder what’s taking us so long,” Lois said, her mouth suddenly very dry and her heart hammering a mile a minute. She forced herself to break eye contact, for fear she might launch herself at him and embarrass herself in front of his parents, and turned to head towards the house.

“Hey, Lois? Can we not tell my parents exactly why we’re here? I mean they know we are working on a story, but can we keep the details of it to ourselves?” His voice was halting which made her pause. Clark wasn’t the kind of guy to keep anything from his parents, especially the details of a silly little puff piece. Part of her was tempted to keep flirting and ask what was in it for her, but instead she gave a casual shrug.

“No problem. I’m not entirely sure what we are doing here anyway.”

Before she could say anymore, the door to the farmhouse swung open and Martha Kent hurried towards them.

“Oh, Clark, you’re here!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around her son happily. Lois marveled at the way his arms seemed to fold around the tiny hurricane that was Martha Kent. Before she could dwell too much on the sight of his arms again, Martha turned and engulfed her in an excited hug as well. “And Lois, it’s so good to see you!”

“It’s wonderful to see you too, Mrs. Kent,” Lois said, flustered by the genuine excitement and happiness on Martha’s face. It always made Lois wary to meet anyone who seemed to like her this much after knowing her for such a short time. Perhaps it was why it took her so long to warm up to Clark. He was always so warm and open.

“Martha, are they here?” Jonathan Kent asked as he poked his head out the door.

“Yes, it’s them,” Martha called back. She looked at Clark and grinned again. “Are we going to stand out here all day or do you want to come in and have some fresh lemonade?”

Clark’s face seemed to light up like a summer’s day and Lois couldn’t help but think puff piece or not, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. She’d forgotten how happy and relaxed he’d seemed the last time they were here. It had been the first time she’d found herself acknowledging the attraction that had always simmered below the surface, though she’d never tell him that.

Clark took all the luggage, save for the bag Lois had already grabbed, and they headed inside the cozy Kent farmhouse.

“I’ve made up your room for Lois,” Martha was saying, “you can take the bags up there. You are still okay with sleeping on the couch, right?”

Lois bit her lip and looked at her shoes. Martha Kent was not subtle and she was scared that if she made eye contact she would see right through her. They hadn’t done anything yet, and somehow Lois felt as if she was in trouble with the principle.

“The couch is fine,” Clark said firmly and Lois caught him wink at her out of the corner of her eye. “I’ll be right back.”

“Lois and I will be in the kitchen,” Martha told him and Lois followed her as instructed. Jonathan was already at the table. When he looked up he had a slightly guilty expression on his face as well as a small plate in front of him that was empty, save for what looked like a few stray bits of pastry.

“Jonathan, did you get into my pecan pie already?” Martha asked sternly, though Lois could see the affection in her eyes. “We haven’t even had a chance to offer it to our guest.”

“I couldn’t help myself,” Jonathan admitted. “It looked so delicious. Besides, what kind of host would I be if I didn’t taste test it first?”

“Are you saying my pie might be poisonous?” Martha asked with a raised eyebrow.

Jonathan looked like a wild animal who had just been cornered. He was mercifully saved, however, when Clark entered the kitchen.

His dad jumped up and the two men hugged. Lois noticed that it was also a full body hug and not the typical half hearted clap on the back like most men. Another point for the farmboy.

“What did I miss?” Clark asked as he sat down at the table. Martha turned and took a jug of lemonade out of the fridge, setting it down on the table before grabbing four glasses and setting them on the table. Lois took her cue and sat down as well.

“Your father thinks my pecan pie is poisonous,” Martha replied as she turned to grab plates as well. Clark was already pouring the lemonade into Lois’ glass. She suddenly found herself very thirsty.

“Developed a death wish, Dad?” Clark teased.

“It’s a frame job, son,” Jonathan shot back. “I’d like my lawyer.”

Lois smiled as she watched the back and forth between Clark’s parents. Martha had set the aforementioned pecan pie down on the table — sans one slice — and was already lifting out one for Clark and one for Lois.

“Mom’s pecan pie is the best,” Clark told her as he took a bite. “You’re going to love it.”

He wasn’t wrong. One bite in, and Lois hummed her appreciation for the dessert. They ate in silence for a few moments, and Lois allowed herself to relax for the first time since leaving Metropolis. She still wasn’t sure why Clark had found it necessary to drag her all the way out here for some human interest story on his small town. They had small towns that were far closer to Metropolis after all.

And making her even more curious was the fact that he’d asked her not to mention the focus of the story to his parents. A few minutes ago she’d been too distracted by him to really think about it, but now...well, maybe there was a mystery here after all. And she loved a mystery.

Once the pie was gone and the dishes cleared away, Jonathan excused himself to go do some work in the barn.

“We should go too,” Clark said, giving Martha a quick kiss on the cheek. “We’ll be back by dinner, though. Thanks for the pie, Mom.”

“It was delicious, Mrs. Kent,” Lois added.

“Martha,” she corrected warmly. “Please, call me Martha.”

“Martha,” Lois said, the familiarity of it feeling odd on her lips.

“You still haven’t told us what it is you’re writing about this time,” Martha pointed out as Lois grabbed her purse. She hesitated, not knowing what to say and definitely not wanting to be the person who lied to Clark’s mother.

“It’s a human interest story,” Clark said evasively. Lois bit back a grin. She could tell he definitely wasn’t used to lying to her either. “Small town America, the heartbeat of a nation, that sort of thing. We haven’t really narrowed down an angle yet to be honest.”

She wasn’t sure if Martha believed him or not but soon they found themselves heading back to the rental car, Lois wishing she’d brought a different pair of shoes.

Once inside the car, she turned to him with renewed interest as he started the car and began backing out.

“Okay, partner, spill,” she demanded. “Why is Clark Kent, the world’s last honest man lying to his mother? And why are we really here?”

Chapter 2
“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Clark insisted as they found themselves pulling onto Main St. and into an empty public lot. Free parking was one of the many mysteries of small town life, but in this instance, Lois was grateful, as she’d forgotten to go to the bank machine before they’d left. “My Mom told me the other night on the phone that they are planning to close the Smallville Public Library and transfer all the books and services to the library in Emporia. That’s over thirty minutes away.”

Lois gave him a blank stare as they walked, unsure as to the point of this statement. Clark sensed her confusion and kept talking.

“That’s the story,” he said. “The Smallville Public Library has been here for over a century. It’s the heartbeat of the town. It means a lot to...everyone here, so I thought we could write a story about it and maybe if it gets enough attention, we could change some minds at Town Hall.”

“You brought me all the way to Kansas to save a small town library?” She couldn’t keep the incredulity from her voice. This was what they had abandoned their Intergang investigation for? This is the story that Perry cleared them to write?

“Lois, this library is more than just a place you go to take out books,” Clark said, stopping in the middle of the street. Lois noted that in Metropolis, they would already be plastered across the front of a bus, but here in Smallville the closest thing they saw to traffic on Main St. was a bicycle.

“I understand this means a lot to you,” she replied, trying to clamp down on the frustration she was feeling. Especially since they’d put not just their professional lives, but their personal ones on hold just to come all the way out there, “but we’ve already got a story we are working on back home. Remember Intergang?”

“Intergang isn’t going anywhere,” he replied patiently as if he’d rehearsed this speech, having expected her pushback. `1“But this library...it means a lot to this town. It’s a place where seniors go to learn how to use computers. Or where they offer lamaze classes for expecting mothers. There’s storytelling time for preschoolers and baby and me classes for new moms. They host events and invite speakers in and do all sorts of community outreach. There’s not a single person in this town that hasn’t used that library at some point in their life for something important.”

“And you really think one article is going to make a difference?” She hated sounding as skeptical as she did. It sounded as if this library really did mean a lot to him, but she worried that maybe he was expecting too much. After all, he wasn’t Superman.

“An article in the Smallville Post? No. But an article in the Daily Planet? I think there’s a chance. I mean, it’s a national paper, Lois. Maybe it might cause them to rethink the decision if enough people express their opinion about it, then maybe —”

“This is a municipal matter,” Lois pointed out. “And they have likely made the decision based on funding. A few people writing angry letters isn’t going to change anything.”

“Well it’s worth a try,” Clark insisted, turning away from her and picking up the pace. Lois felt her heart sink a little bit. She could tell he was hurt. She followed, and noticed they were headed in the direction of the Smallville Town Hall.

“Okay so what’s the plan?” she asked, catching up to him once more.

“You said it was likely a funding decision.” Clark looked at her, determination in his eyes. “And you’re right. So I think we need to see what the shortfalls of this year’s budget were as part of the story. We also need to dig into what specific programs the library is currently running so that we can talk about the impact that this will have on the people using those programs.”

They reached the steps of Smallville Town Hall. Lois reached out, and touched his arm, stopping him before he could ascend them.

“You really think this library story is the best use of our talents right now?” she asked quietly. His eyes met hers and she sucked in a sharp breath. How did he do that? How did he manage to make her heart skip a beat with just a look? Was he ever going to ask her out again?

“I do, and I need your help.” There was something else he wasn’t telling her. Some other reason this story meant so much to him. And it bothered her more than a little bit that he wouldn’t tell her what it was. But she could also tell this meant a lot to him. She couldn’t let him down now. Even if he had appeared to have forgotten their almost-first date.

“Alright,” she said with a sigh. “Lead the way, partner.”

****
They spent a solid two hours inside Town Hall looking at budget reports and records. When they emerged from the building, Lois found herself rubbing her eyes and squinting into the blinding Smallville sun.

“Where to now?” she asked, after a long, much needed stretch.

“I thought we’d go to the library itself,” Clark suggested. “It’s almost closing time, but I would like for you to meet the people who work there. They’re also facing losing their jobs, so getting their perspective for the article might help.”

Lois nodded, and the two of them walked a short ways down the square until they reached a building that Lois never would have guessed was a library. It was a small, turn of the century building that looked as if it had seen better days.

When they entered, a stout older woman with bushy bottle-dyed blonde hair approached them, gave a squeal of surprise and hugged Clark tightly. Does nobody just shake hands anymore? Lois wondered.

“Clark Kent, what are you doing here?” she exclaimed, stepping back to look at him. “I thought you’d abandoned us for the big city.”

Clark chuckled softly.

“I did move to Metropolis, but I would never abandon you, Miss Marilyn.”

“Such a sweet talker this one,” the woman — Marylin — said, acknowledging Lois for the first time. She turned and yelled towards the back of the library stacks. “Hey, Carol! You’ll never guess who's here!”

Carol — a thin, graying woman Lois assumed to be in her sixties — approached and let out a little gasp.

“Clark Kent, as I live and breathe!” She looked over at Lois. “And who is this lovely creature? Your girlfriend?”

If it was possible for Lois to go six shades of scarlet, she would have done so. It was bad enough back when she’d been here the first time when they really were just friends, but now that they were almost dating, Lois was somehow even more mortified. Especially since these women were looking at her as if they were already sizing her up for a wedding dress.

The good thing was that Clark looked even more embarrassed than she did, which was a small mercy.

“Lois and I are...I mean, we’re almost...”

“Going to miss our deadline,” Lois interrupted smoothly. There was a part of her that had really wanted to hear how he would have answered that question and a part of her that didn’t. And somehow seeing him flounder didn’t feel half as good as she thought it might. “We both work for the Daily Planet and we are in Smallville doing a story.”

“So that’s what it takes to get you to come back and visit, huh?” Carol chastised. “How long has it been since we’ve seen you?”

“Oh, a while,” Clark replied, still clearly uncomfortable. Lois couldn’t help but wonder just how long ‘a while’ was. If he hadn’t been here in a long time, then why was he suddenly so keen to save it?

“Clark used to come in here every day when he was little,” Marilyn continued as if Lois hadn’t even mentioned their deadline — not that they actually were in a hurry. Lois was pretty sure being in a hurry was illegal in Smallville. “All the way up to when he was a teenager. Sometimes he’d sit for hours and sometimes he’d check out as many books as he could. That boy would read anything he could get his hands on. Then for a number of years he stopped coming.”

“We thought it was because he’d started playing football or he’d just gotten too busy with his homework,” Carol continued as if they had told this story a hundred times and maybe they had. “So one day when I ran into him down at the farm supply store, I asked him why he hadn’t been to see us in a while.”

“He looked all embarrassed,” Marilyn said, and Lois could tell she was enjoying this. Truthfully she was enjoying it as well. “And he said to me, ‘well, Miss Marilyn, the problem is I’ve read all the books in the library and there’s nothing left for me to take out.’”

“Can you believe that?” Carol laughed. “I mean, we do get new book shipments, but not as often as the bigger libraries do. Poor kid. I guess we just didn’t have a quick enough turnover for him.”

“In retrospect, that might be one of the reasons they want to shut us down and move everything over to Emporia,” Marilyn said with a sigh.

“That’s why we’re here,” Clark jumped in. Lois sensed he was eager to turn the conversation away from himself. “We wanted to write a story about the library closing. We’re hoping that exposure in a paper like The Daily Planet might change some minds.”

“I’m not sure how likely that is, but we appreciate that you want to help,” Carol said, patting his cheek affectionately. “It’s nice to know you haven’t forgotten us.”

“Never,” Clark assured her and something inside Lois melted just a little. As annoyed as she was by this baffling story, she couldn’t help but feel her heart flutter every time she watched him demonstrate his kindness towards others. He had this way of looking at people with genuine interest — something that was lost on many in the city.

“If you don’t mind, we’d like to ask a few questions about the decision and about the library’s services,” Lois added, trying to take her mind off of how dazzling his smile was.

“We’re not busy,” Marilyn said with an ironic chuckle. “What would you like to know?”

Chapter 3
By the time they left the library it was almost dark. They had spent the last two hours gathering information on the library and not only the services it provided but the reasoning that had gone into making the decision to close it down.

Marilyn had told them that the building was old and in need of several expensive infrastructure upgrades. In addition, their needs were changing as were the demographics of the town. Different services, events, and other needs were going unfilled because there just wasn’t enough money to fund it all in the town budget.

Lois had taken diligent notes, but wasn’t entirely convinced that Carol was wrong when she said there wasn’t much that could be done. It really seemed to boil down to money, and though Lois knew that money didn’t grow on trees, she also believed that if that was the main stumbling block, Clark’s idea of raising awareness might not be as half baked as she’d thought.

They would need to go a step further than that, obviously. And it wasn’t as simple as a one-time fundraiser or a bake sale. Marilyn had been very clear that some of the upgrades the building required were multi-year projects. They would need a steady stream of income in order to keep the library in Smallville.

But Lois had seen these sorts of projects get off the ground before. The key was the willingness of the community. A few key fundraisers throughout the year and a raise in municipal taxes could very well save the library completely. But a petition like that would have to be brought before the Town Hall and then voted on by the community.

In that respect, Clark was right about raising awareness. Nobody could vote to help if they thought the library was beyond saving.

“You seem lost in thought,” Clark commented. Lois had almost forgotten he was there. She looked over and gave him a small smile. He’d gotten her, damn it. He’d managed to get her interested in this silly little project of his.

“I was just thinking of things we could do to help save the library,” she admitted. No use in hiding it. A grin spread across his face and Lois felt her heart skip a beat. Despite the fact that he still hadn’t mentioned their almost-first date, when he smiled like that, she could imagine that it hadn’t been far from his thoughts.

“I knew you’d come around,” he replied, clearly happy. They reached the car and Lois gave him a mock glare.

“Easy, farmboy,” she retorted, “I’m merely making the best of things.”

“Uh-huh,” was his amused reply as they got into the car. On the way back to his parent’s farmhouse, Lois explained her thought process. Obviously part of it involved writing the article, but their trip to the Town Hall had given them some insight as to how to put forward a petition to vote on a raise in taxes, and Lois felt fairly confident that they could at least see the process started before they had to return to Metropolis. And maybe, just maybe, they could resume what they’d started with regards to their interrupted first date.

They pulled into the driveway of the Kent farmhouse. Lois removed her seatbelt and went to open the car door only to feel the warmth of Clark’s hand close over hers, stalling her.

“Lois...” Clark spoke softly, in a halting tone. She turned back to him and allowed her hand to rest in his as their eyes met. “Thank you. I know you didn’t want to be here, so...thank you.”

“Of course,” she replied, too caught up in his deep brown eyes to think of a snappy comeback. “Anything. I mean, that’s what partners are for, right?”

“Partners,” he repeated, his voice sounding slightly deflated. “Yeah.”

“And friends,” Lois prompted, wondering if the reason he hadn’t brought up the date again was because he thought she was no longer interested. Was that what was going on in his mind? Was he really that much of a lunkhead? “And people who go on almost-first dates and then get sick from bad Chinese food and wait patiently afterwards for their partner/friend to ask them out again?”

Whew. There it was. Cards on the table. She held her breath, watching him process her ramble and then saw a small smile tug at the corner of his mouth.

“You could have asked me out, you know,” he teased. “This is the twentieth century.”


“I would have,” she said defensively, “but I didn’t know if you were still interested.”

“I’m interested,” he replied, his voice suddenly raspy as his fingers trailed gentle circles on her palm. “I’ve never stopped being...interested.”

There was something in the way he was looking at her that seemed to take her breath away. The night was dark around them — far darker than the sky in Metropolis, so lit up with noise pollution from the city. It was quiet, too, in a way that was unnerving for Lois, but also peaceful. She could smell the scents of the farm, both pleasant and not so pleasant and the air was warm and sweet. If he’d kissed her here, she’d consider it a very good time and place for a first kiss, were it not for the fact that they were outside of his parent’s farmhouse. Lois had a feeling she’d feel like a nervous teen, scared of getting caught.

“Well, I’m right here,” Lois prompted, feeling lightheaded all of a sudden. “And if it helps, I plan to say yes.”

“Yeah, it does help,” he said with a somewhat mischievous smile that made her heart flutter. “Lois Lane, will you go out with me?”

“Thought you’d never ask,” she replied, unable to keep away the silly grin that had made its way to her face. “Where and when?”

“Would you...” he hesitated and ducked his head in that shy way of his that always made her want to kiss him. “Would you maybe want to go out tomorrow night? Here? I know a nice place in the town square. It’s not like anything we have in Metropolis, but —”

“I’d love to,” Lois said softly, suddenly feeling like she wanted nothing more in the world than to go on a first date with Clark Kent in his hometown of Smallville. What on Earth was happening to her?

“Good,” he said, relief evident in his features. He let out a breath. “Good. Well, we better go inside or my mom will think we’re making out.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Lois replied almost automatically. Her face flushed scarlet as the image flashed through her head of her and Clark making out in the backseat of the rental car.

“Ahh, no, it doesn’t,” he said, his voice sounding slightly deeper. “But I’d rather my parents not catch me doing it.”

“There’s always tomorrow, I guess,” Lois said lightly, getting out of the car before she could see his reaction.

Martha had the tea kettle on the table and two plates set out when they got inside the farmhouse. Lois wondered if the woman was secretly psychic, since they hadn’t given a time in which they would return.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d want dinner when you got back, so I’ve got leftovers from a roast in the fridge. You just have to heat it up. Jonathan already went to bed. He has an early morning.”

Lois’ stomach grumbled at the thought of pot roast and she silently thanked the gods for Martha Kent. A slight pang of envy struck her as she thought of what it might have been like for Clark growing up with fresh pie, pot roasts and parents who weren’t workaholics or alcoholics. No wonder he turned out as honest as he did.

She snuck a glance at Clark who gave Martha a small kiss on the cheek and proceeded to get the food from the fridge and went to work heating it up. He set it on the counter and she watched as he lowered his glasses and then froze. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Martha giving him a small shake of her head. Clark straightened up and took the food over to the microwave.

While she was wondering what that was all about, Martha was pouring her a cup of tea and asking Lois if she was enjoying herself. Lois remembered the last time she’d been in Smallville and felt her cheeks flush as she recalled telling Clark that she’d ‘heard about these small towns’ and then proceeded to speculate that Clark’s father was secretly a cross dresser. Clark then threw her under the bus and relayed that news back to his parents, and as much as they seemed to take it in stride, she was much more careful of her words now. Especially since it appeared she was officially going to be dating their son.

She had the oddest urge to ask Martha for permission, but suppressed it.

“It’s a beautiful town,” she said, realising that she was being honest about that. “Much quieter than Metropolis. You can actually see the stars, which is a bit of a novelty.”

“I love looking at the stars,” Martha replied, sitting down at the table as Clark placed the plates in front of them. “Clark’s father and I used to go out into the fields on dates and just lay on his truck and look at the stars. Of course, that’s not all we did —”

“Mom!” Clark sounded only half horrified. It must be nice to know your parents actually loved each other.

“There are some beautiful lookout spots,” Martha continued, casually stirring her tea. Lois had the strangest feeling they were both being expertly steered somewhere. “I’m sure Clark can show you some if you have the time while you’re here.”

“Maybe,” Clark replied, and if Lois didn’t know any better, she would swear that he was blushing. Martha on the other hand looked like the cat that just swallowed the canary.

“I think that would be really nice,” Lois replied, her voice sounding equally as casual but her eyes meeting Martha’s in silent understanding. Looks like she did just ask permission and permission had been granted.

“Well, I’m going to turn in,” Martha told them with a conspiratorial grin. “Lois, the room is all made up for you and Clark...your things are on the couch.”

“Goodnight, Mom,” he mumbled. Martha winked at Lois before leaving the kitchen. Lois and Clark sat silently for a few moments exchanging awkward glances.

“She’s not exactly subtle, is she?” Clark finally said, breaking the silence as he stood up to wash the dishes. Lois laughed and found herself relaxing slightly at the mention of what had just happened.

“The woman has zero poker face,” she replied, heading over to the sink to hand Clark her plate. He took it, and their fingers brushed against one another. That familiar jolt of electricity shot through her as her eyes met his and she found herself feeling nervous and flustered and not understanding why. This was Clark. She knew him. She had known him for almost two years now. She wasn’t used to feeling shy or nervous around him but now...

“I take it this means I have her blessing? To...date you, I mean?”

“If she had her way we would have already been dating when I brought you to Smallville the first time,” Clark said, offhandedly as he turned on the faucet and plugged the drain in the sink. Lois looked at him in surprise. “I just mean...well, she knew I...I mean I talked about you all the time and...well, I had feelings for you...have feelings for you and she...well, she liked you right away, and I guess she just wanted to see me happy...”

Now he looked flustered and shy and Lois felt her heart squeeze with happiness. She’d wondered ever since he had taken back his declaration of love in the park before her wedding to Lex if he had meant it when he said he was lying.

“Good babble,” she told him, touching his arm lightly and squeezing him gently. He was so incredibly solid. Her mouth felt dry for a moment as she imagined those arms locked around her. “Ten out of ten.”

“Coming from you that’s high praise,” he said wryly. “Are you okay with the fact that she obviously knows we’re —”

“Dating?” she interrupted, wanting to say the words out loud. He nodded and gave her an incredible smile. “I think so. If that’s what we are.”

“Dating?” he echoed, smiling even wider now. “It might be tempting fate a bit, but I like the sound of it.”

“Me too,” she said, feeling the sudden urge to study her feet. An awkward moment passed and she looked back up at him. “I guess we should...get to bed.”

Oh God. Had she just said we should get to bed? And had she imagined the change in her voice when she said the word bed? Clark’s gaze darkened ever so slightly, and she knew she hadn’t imagined the freudian slip.

“I mean, I should get to bed. You should get to...couch. Unless you want the bed. I mean it is your bed, and really the only reason I am sleeping in it is because of some outdated notion of chivalry, so if you want the bed, I certainly won’t begrudge you for it, especially since you didn’t get your turn in the honeymoon suite at the Lexor hotel...you know, where we shared that amazing kiss? Of course you know, you were there. You kissed me. It was all a ruse, but still as far as kisses go it was one of the best I’ve ever had and...please shut me up before I say anything even more humiliating?”

“Good babble,” he whispered, taking a step closer to her so that she could feel the proximity of his body to hers. “Ten out of ten.”

“I’m going to go,” Lois replied, backing away before she did something stupid like kiss Clark right there in the kitchen.

“Good night, Lois,” he said softly. She headed to the kitchen entrance and turned back only to see him standing there, staring back at her, lost in thought.

Chapter 4

The following day went by in what seemed like no time at all. They had gone to the library to explain their ideas to Miss Marilyn and Miss Carol. Both seemed excited at the idea that there might be some hope. They sat down for a few hours, itemizing all the things that needed done or needed fixing so they had an idea of how much money would be needed to save the library. Lois was relieved to see it was a fairly reasonable number.

“If you can raise at least half of that via some fundraisers, you shouldn’t have to raise taxes more than one or two percent!”

“We would still need to get the town to vote on it,” Clark reminded her. His tone said he didn’t want to get his hopes up, but his eyes told her he already had. She felt a small glow of pleasure in the knowledge that she’d helped in some small way with that.

“What will you do now?” Miss Carol asked them.

“Well, I suppose the next step is to decide what fundraisers we want to do. That way we can include information in the article about our efforts — even if the dates aren’t set in stone.”

“We could also go to the Town Hall office and get the forms for Miss Carol and Miss Marilyn to fill out to petition for a vote on an increase in property taxes. I imagine that petition would need to come directly from the library.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Clark agreed and the two older women nodded as well. They went about their errands fairly efficiently and spent part of the afternoon organizing their notes. Clark’s parents had a computer in the corner of Martha’s studio, so they would be able to type up the story the following day and fax it to the Planet. Clark was eager to get the Planet to print it as quickly as possible in order to start the ball rolling.

Lois was eager to get their work finished for the end of the day so they could begin their date. For once her mind was nowhere near her work and entirely focused on the handsome man next to her who she was only just beginning to truly see.

Had he always looked so good in a pair of jeans? Was he always this well built? Had he always smiled at her that way? Were his lips always that kissable? What would he look like without his glasses? Lois was dying to find out and fought the impulse once or twice when they were sitting in close proximity to just remove them. She had the vaguest feeling she must have seen him without his glasses on at some point but couldn’t for the life of her remember when.

Eventually they decided that organizing some sort of fundraiser was the first step and they needed it to be something they could put together relatively quickly with not a lot of money to begin with.

“What about a festival?” Lois suggested, remembering how much fun she’d reluctantly had at the Corn Festival. Marilyn shook her head.

“Something like that usually takes a whole year to plan. We’d need a committee, money for start-up costs, tables and donations...no, that’s far too involved for what we need.”

“We could do a movie under the stars?” Clark suggested, sneaking a peak in Lois’ direction. Lois wasn’t sure why, but the suggestion sent flutters through her stomach.

This time it was Carol who shook her head.

“It would be expensive to rent the drive-in for something like that,” she told them. “And even if we just used a projector, we would need to buy the license to show the film and that can be pricey.”

“What about...” Marilyn started to speak, hesitated, then stopped. Lois gave her an encouraging look. “Well, you two know Superman, don’t you? I remember he did an event in Metropolis maybe a year ago where people could bid on a date with him. I bet some of the women in Smallville would empty out their life savings for a date with Superman!”

“You want us to...auction off a date with Superman?” Clark echoed, looking deeply uncomfortable.

“Well, sure!” Carol agreed, warming to the idea as well. “Think of all the money that would bring in. Do you think you could talk to him?”

Clark looked as if he wanted to sink into the chair. At first she wasn’t sure why he would be opposed to the idea. Carol and Marilyn were right that it would bring in good money. But as she thought about it, she realised that she’d almost been willing to drop an exorbitant amount of money that she had been saving for a trip to Tahiti, in order to win the date with him. It had never been a secret that Lois had once thought she was in love with Superman. It must have been hard for Clark to feel like he was always in Superman’s shadow.

He was about to reply when Lois spoke first.

“I think Superman would probably be too busy,” Lois said smoothly. “He’s had to scale back on the charity events lately as it is and he usually sticks to Metropolis.”

Both women looked disappointed, but didn’t press the issue. The relief on Clark’s face was palpable and she knew she’d made the right decision. She also promised herself that she would make every effort on their date tonight to let Clark know that it wasn’t Superman she wanted. That if he were to do another charity auction event, she would not be spending one dime to date him. It made her cringe even now to think of the way she’d thrown herself at him, only to be met with firm friendship.

“We will think of something,” Marilyn said with a sigh. “But anyway, you two can’t be cooped up in this library all day. Don’t you have a date to get to?”

“How did you...” Lois trailed off, shocked at the twin grins she saw on Carol and Marilyn’s faces. Did Martha send out carrier pigeons or something?

“Have a nice time,” Carol said as she shooed them out the door.

As they walked to the car, Lois gave Clark a look of bewilderment. He grinned.

“It’s Smallville,” he said by way of explanation. “You tell one person...”

He trailed off and smiled at her. Somehow the fact that he wasn’t the least bit embarrassed that the whole town knew made her feel slightly better.

She checked her watch as she got in the car and stole a quick look at her partner. She hadn’t brought anything with her to wear for a date. At least, nothing she wanted to wear for their first date. She didn’t even know where they would be going, and she doubted that there was anything even close to resembling fine dining in Smallville and yet somehow she wanted to buy a new outfit all the same.

“Clark, if I were to drop you off at your parent’s house, would you be okay to type up the notes on your own? There’s...an errand I wanted to run. I’ll be back in time for our...our date.” He looked at her, confused, but nodded.

“Sure,” he reached over and gently touched her hand, giving it a small squeeze that sent a thrill of pleasure through her body. “Take your time.”

****

Lois did take her time, visiting every single women’s clothing shop in the town. Somehow all the sales ladies seemed to know who she was and what she was looking for. Which was good because even she wasn’t sure.

She knew that Clark found her attractive. She knew it deep in her core, despite the fact that Clark had been found scientifically to not be attracted to her given the pheromone perfume incident last year. It didn’t matter. The way he looked at her and the excuses he often found to touch her...well, science be damned.

But she not only wanted Clark to be attracted to her, she wanted him to find her...sexy. Of course, given the seemingly advanced methods of communication in Smallville, she didn’t want to go overboard either. It was at this moment she wished she had a girlfriend she could call and ask for advice. Hell, she’d have asked Cat if she could have. As it was, she was on her own.

She knew how to dress for work. She knew how to dress for high fashion events in the big city. She knew how to be sultry and sensual if she needed to, but she wasn’t sure that would work here in Smallville. She needed something that set his pulse racing just a little bit more than usual.

Eventually she came to a little shop on the edge of the town square. She was met at the door by a woman about her age named Julia. She smiled and welcomed her into the store, informing her of their current sales. Lois spent a few minutes aimlessly looking through the clothing racks before turning to Julia who stood conveniently behind her.

“I’m looking for something special,” she finally admitted. She wasn’t good at asking for help, especially for this sort of thing. “For...a date.”

“Do you know where he’s taking you?” Julia asked and Lois could tell by the look on her face that she knew exactly who Lois was going out with. Lois shook her head.

“No, it’s a surprise,” she replied, wondering just how many places there were to go in this town. Julia nodded and proceeded to search through a few racks until she produced a few items. Lois’ eye was immediately drawn to the white peasant blouse in her hand. Julia smiled.

“Good choice,” Julia said with a grin. She handed her a pair of jeans with it. “These are a great fit. They really hug the curves. He won’t know what hit him!”

Lois managed to avoid blushing as she took the clothes and tried them on. The sales lady wasn’t wrong. The jeans were a perfect fit. They were tight without being uncomfortable and made her butt look fantastic.

She happily paid for the outfit and headed back to the farmhouse. She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face!
Chapter 5

When she entered the farmhouse, Martha was there, waiting to inform her that Clark was helping Jonathan in the fields before their date. Martha grinned the entire time she spoke and Lois couldn’t help but smile in return. It was beyond gratifying to see just how happy Martha was for both of them. It reassured Lois to think that even if she wasn’t sure she deserved someone like Clark, somehow his mother was.

“Thanks Martha,” she said as she set her bags down. Martha raised an eyebrow when she saw the bag from the shop.

“Good choice,” she said knowingly.

“I’m...uh, I’m going to go get changed,” Lois said, feeling a flush of embarrassment on her cheeks.

“And I’m going to get out of your way,” Martha replied, squeezing her arm gently.

Lois headed up to the spare bedroom and changed into her outfit. She rummaged through her bag and found some makeup, applying it carefully so that she kept it understated. Pleased with her results, she took one final look in the mirror in an attempt to calm her nerves.

She looked good. Better than good. So why was she nervous? This was Clark. It wasn’t a stranger. She knew him better than anybody. And maybe that was it. Maybe it was easier to go out on a date with a stranger — someone that you had no expectations of.

Whereas Clark...she worked with Clark. She and Clark were best friends. She and Clark were...

And if things didn’t work out, what would happen to them? Suddenly, this date felt very dangerous.

Part of her was tempted to get in the rental and drive back to Metropolis, but another part of her wanted to see where this was going to go, despite the danger. It was the part of her that remembered how it had felt to be held in his arms as he carried her to her bedroom door during their almost-first date. It was the part that knew what it felt like to kiss him — even if it was because they were about to fall out of a plane or on a stakeout.

It was the part that felt her heart race a mile a minute as she walked down the stairs to see him standing in the living room of the Kent farmhouse wearing a snug-fitting black t-shirt with a deep green flannel long-sleeved shirt over top and another pair of extremely well fitted jeans.

Her heart leapt into her throat as she watched his eyes widen. He smiled that same smile he’d given her when she’d worn that dress to the Corn Festival and she knew she’d chosen the right outfit.

“You look incredible,” he said, his tone full of awe.

“You look pretty handsome yourself,” she managed to say, despite the fact that her mouth was suddenly dry and her hands shaking. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

“It’s a surprise,” he said, his eyes giving her another indulgent once-over. She felt a bit flushed from the look he was giving her and was suddenly very grateful that Martha and Jonathan had made themselves scarce.

“Then let’s get going,” she managed to reply. He nodded and reached for her hand. His hand was warm and the contact sent shivers throughout her body. She wasn’t used to this sort of purposeful touching where he was concerned. It was both thrilling and terrifying.

She reluctantly let go when they got to the car and they made the drive in silence. Lois fiddled nervously with the radio, trying desperately to find a station that wasn’t country. Eventually, she gave up and spent the rest of the drive studying the face of her partner, now date, intently.

After a few more minutes, they passed through the town square and drove almost to the edge of town where they stopped at what looked to be an out of the way pub. The outside of it looked like a log cabin and Lois got the impression that this was the closest thing Smallville had to a fancy restaurant.

He looked at her nervously as they entered. Inside was exactly what Lois had expected. The walls were covered with a mishmash of decorations — inspirational phrases, deer antlers, classic movie posters and Route 66 signs. The tabletops were covered in brown paper so that kids could draw on them with crayons and the waitresses all had the same bottle-dyed blonde hair. At the far end of the pub was a small stage with a microphone on it.

“I know it’s not what you were expecting,” Clark said, and Lois wondered if he was second guessing this choice. “There’s a really nice restaurant down the road in Emporia we could drive to if you don’t like it here. I get that it’s a bit...rustic.”

“I like it,” she told him, and she was surprised to realise she meant it. She didn’t think of herself as a snob, by any means, but she had gotten used to a certain standard of restaurants and social venues in Metropolis. A place like this in Metropolis would be meant as a joke, or some kind of ironic statement. Here, it was simply a reflection of the place Clark grew up and as such, it interested Lois. She suddenly wanted to know everything about him — something she thought she knew already.

“Good,” he said, sounding relieved. They were seated quickly by a waitress whose name tag said Dianne. Clark hadn’t needed to read it, however, as it appeared that they had gone to high school together. A few moments passed in which Clark explained his work for the Daily Planet and Dianne told him of her marriage to her high school sweetheart and their two children.

Lois always felt a jolt of alarm when she ran into someone her own age who had gotten married and had children — as if they’d beaten her in a race she wasn’t even sure she wanted to be running in. She’d never really given much thought to marriage or kids or whether she wanted them. Growing up the way she had, she hadn’t seen much of an example of a functional family and she doubted her ability to be a good parent because of it.

Still, watching Clark ask Dianne her kids names and ages and the way he seemed genuinely interested in the reply made her think that it might just be possible with the right partner.

And that thought was terrifying.

Dianne took their drink order, leaving Lois to wonder if she had honestly just thought about what it might be like to be married to Clark and to have children with him.

Get it together, Lane, you’re on a first date.

“Your friend seems nice,” Lois said, trying desperately to find some line of conversation that didn’t involve contemplating having Clark’s children — or the process involved in doing so.

“She’s not really a friend,” Clark replied, “more like an acquaintance. We went to school together but never really hung out with the same people. Still, she always seemed nice.”

“I wonder what it would have been like for you if you’d stayed,” Lois mused, unable to stop herself from thinking aloud. “Do you think you’d be editor of the Smallville Post? Married like Dianne with two kids?”

“Ahh, no, I doubt that,” Clark replied, looking oddly uncomfortable at the thought. He was a study in contradiction sometimes. “Smallville is where I grew up, but it hasn’t felt like home in a while. Metropolis might be busy and loud and full of smog and noise pollution, but it has one thing going for it that Smallville doesn’t.”

“That little Italian restaurant on Second St.?” Lois joked nervously. He reached over and took her hand again and she welcomed the shiver of pleasure it gave her.

“It’s where you are,” he said simply.

There it was again. That breathless feeling. That feeling of complete and utter weightlessness. That look in his eyes. That pull that she felt whenever he touched her. That need to be kissed.

“Clark, I...”

“That was too much, wasn’t it?” he asked, removing his hand and running it through his hair. “I’m just...not sure how this works, you know? We’ve been friends for so long, but I’ve also wanted this...for as long as I’ve known you, and I don’t know how much to say or what not to say or what might scare you off. And I want to get this right.”

“I know how you feel,” Lois reassured him. She reached out for him and took his hand once more. “I’m scared too. I find myself sitting here thinking ‘do I make small talk’? But we’ve known each other for so long I wouldn’t even know how. So then what do I say? Do I tell you that you look incredibly sexy in black? Or that I haven’t been able to keep my eyes off you all day? Do I tell you that I love it when you take my hand? Or that I went to four different clothing stores trying to find an outfit that you thought was sexy?”

“You...you did?” He looked surprised. “I mean, you do...look sexy. You look incredible. But...you...you were trying to impress me?”

“Of course,” she said, suddenly feeling shy. “I know I haven’t been the most open with my feelings, but I’m not going to get scared off. I’ve wanted to do this for a long time...I’ve wanted you for a long time.”

She watched as he visibly relaxed and ran his fingers gently over the top of her hand.

“Thank you,” he said softly. “It means a lot...knowing that.”

“So that brings us back to the question of ‘what do we talk about’?” Lois said, trying desperately to ignore the way his fingers were making her feel. “Do we discuss the weather? Politics? The fact that I keep thinking about how much I want you to kiss me?”

“I vote for the last one,” Clark said, his voice deepening ever so slightly. Lois was about to reply when the waitress interrupted. It was then she realised she hadn’t even looked at the menu.

“Have you both decided?” she was asking. Clark looked equally caught out. He glanced down quickly at the menu and ordered spaghetti. Lois ordered a chicken burger, figuring it was a fairly safe order when it came to pub food. Dianne wrote the orders down, took their menus and left.

Lois took a sip of her wine and smiled at Clark. Their hands were no longer touching, but the feel of it still lingered.

“Maybe we should start with something safe,” she suggested, knowing that if she brought up the topic of kissing him again, she would find herself giving in to impulse and the town would really have something to talk about. “We could think of some fundraiser ideas.”

He quirked an eyebrow at her.

“You want to talk about work on our first date?” He sounded amused, but not annoyed which was reassuring.

“The way I figure it,” she reasoned, “is that we work together and we are best friends. There’s very little we don’t know about each other and the stuff we don’t isn’t something we can cover in small talk. Work is safe, common ground. We can start there and then see where it goes. This time without holding back. What do you think?”

“I think you might be right,” he replied thoughtfully. “In fact, I had some ideas earlier while you were out that I wanted to run by you.”

“Like what?” she asked, feeling both relieved and disappointed that the conversation had been steered away from how much she wanted to kiss him.

“Well, we might do a race or a fun run,” he suggested. “You know, have people enter, collect sponsors, that sort of thing. It’s low cost and not a lot of money has to go into the set up. We could get the Daily Planet to sponsor us.”

“Uh-uh,” Lois said with a shake of her head. “I don’t do runs. If you see me running, that means something is chasing me.”

“I happen to know you go for a morning run almost every day,” he pointed out.

“Yes, but I don’t enjoy it,” she shot back. “Anyone who says they do is lying. You’ll get far more people involved if they don’t have to do any sort of physical exercise. What else do you have?”

He met her gaze head on and she could tell by the look on his face that he could see the challenge in her eyes. Okay, so there was something oddly sexy in work banter.

“What about a board game tournament?” he said. Then, after a slight pause, shook his head. “Nope, bad idea.”

“What? Why? I think it’s a great idea,” she replied. “It’s low cost, fun, something everybody can do...what? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You’re forgetting I have played board games with you,” he said with a grin. “I think it would be better not to have any casualties at our charity event.”

“Exactly what are you implying, Kent?” she demanded, feeling herself smiling despite his teasing.

“Not implying,” he said with a mock-innocent shake of his head. “Just merely pointing out that you tend to get a bit...competitive. And you don’t like to lose.”

“Well, then I just won’t lose,” she said defiantly. He laughed and gave her that look. It was a look she had seen a million times, but now she was seeing it through different eyes. It went beyond friendship. It spoke of something deeper.

“Sure, Lois,” he murmured.

She was about to point out that she absolutely could be a good loser if she ever lost, but before she could, the whine of a microphone cut through the din. A man stepped up to the stage and tapped it a few times adding a few “testing testings” for good measure. Clark groaned and put his head in his hands.

“Oh no, it’s Thursday, I should have remembered.”

“What?” Lois asked, her curiosity suddenly piqued. Was there about to be some sort of godawful cover band about to perform?

Clark sighed. “It’s karaoke night every Thursday. I completely forgot. I’m sorry.”

He looked positively depressed and her heart went out to him. She knew that he was already thinking he should have taken her to the nicer restaurant in Emporia. Now that they faced the prospect of listening to a bunch of drunken patrons butcher Bon Jovi, he clearly assumed Lois would want to leave.

The weird thing was, she didn’t. She very much wanted to stay. She couldn’t put a finger on the why of it. It could be because she and Clark were enjoying themselves so much or the fact that this was the most unique date she’d ever been on or a combination of the two. But she also suspected that it was because she was with her best friend and that they could enjoy almost anything as long as they were together.

The karaoke host introduced himself and pointed to a table with song books, golf pencils and sheets of paper.

“Don’t be,” she replied firmly. Standing up, she walked up to the table and wrote down a selection on the little piece of paper. Heart hammering, she handed it to the host, who nodded and set it down among a small handful that were already there — no doubt put there ahead of time by some regulars. When she returned, Clark was looking at her somewhat stunned.

“Are you planning on singing?”

“Why not?” she challenged. “One of my ideas for the fundraiser was to have an open mic night. Maybe this could be a practice run.”

“What did you pick?” he wondered, looking relieved. The host launched into a surprisingly passable rendition of “Hotel California” and Lois gave him a wink.

“You’ll see,” she replied, enjoying the air of mystery and the look on Clark’s face. They listened to a few of the regulars that were ahead of Lois butcher various classic rock artists. In the meantime, their food arrived and Lois tucked in, enjoying the fact that Clark was still giving her that look.

Eventually, her name was called and Lois sauntered up to the mic with a confidence she didn’t truly feel. She wasn’t nervous about performing in a small town pub. She’d sung at the Metro Club and had been a regular in college at her local karaoke pub, though she would never admit that to Clark.

But the song she’d picked...the intention behind it. Well, she would be singing not just in front of him, but to him.

She took the mic and waited while the host loaded her song choice. When the first few strains of the guitar hit, she closed her eyes and allowed the sound to wash over her before she began to sing.

Kiss me, out of the bearded barley
Nightly, beside the green, green grass
Swing, swing, swing that spinning step
You wear those shoes and I will wear that dress

She’d never done this one before. She’d sung it in her shower a couple of times, but never anywhere public. The first verse she just concentrated on getting the words and tempo right as well as making sure she was in the right key. But as she headed into the chorus, she found herself making eye contact with Clark. Her hips began to sway slowly, sensuously of their own volition and the rest of the pub fell away. All doubts or fears or insecurities fled entirely as his gaze darkened into one of deep affection and...desire?

He clearly understood that the song had only one message and it echoed the one Lois had been hoping he’d get since their almost-first date. If the look in his eyes was any indication, she’d get her wish tonight.

Oh, kiss me, beneath the milky twilight
Lead me out on the moonlit floor
Lift your open hand
Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance
Silver moon sparkling
So kiss me...

She didn’t even remember singing the rest of the song. She found herself mesmerised by his stare, and the promise it contained. When the last chords of the song finished, the world seemed to come back into focus as the karaoke host took the mic from her and the pub erupted into genuine and enthusiastic applause.

Her cheeks were on fire as she made her way back to her chair, the host making a joke about how lucky Clark was. It was no secret who that had been for, after all.

She sat down and he immediately reached out and took her hand.

“That was...you are...” he trailed off and Lois flushed with pleasure at seeing him so at a loss for words.

“So what do you think?” she asked innocently, taking a sip of her wine. “Do you think we should do an open mic night?”

“No,” he replied immediately. “No performance in this pub could ever top that so it would be foolish to even try.”

Lois’ body felt warm all over at the timbre of his voice and the way he touched her hand. She barely even heard the drunk who was up at the microphone causing Freddie Mercury to turn over in his grave.

“Well, I’m afraid I’m out of ideas,” Lois said, feeling almost breathless as she fell under his spell all over again.

“Then I guess we should keep talking until something jumps out at us,” Clark said, his voice deepening.

“Yeah,” she agreed, playing into the flirtation. “For as long as it takes.”

The rest of the dinner seemed to go by in a blur. Lois couldn’t even remember what they talked about, but whatever it was felt merely like a cover for the alternative conversation they seemed to be having through looks, and touches that were becoming increasingly bolder.

They had been seated in a booth and somehow Lois found herself moving from one side of the booth to the other on the pretext of trying his spaghetti. Admittedly, it was actually quite good, but made even better by his feeding it to her gently off his fork and the look on his face when she moaned in appreciation.

She didn’t go back to her seat after that, and as a result, Clark had gone from holding her hand to placing his on her leg and making slow, torturous circles on her thigh with his thumb as they talked. He seemed to become bolder after their conversation and the song. If she didn’t know any better, she’d swear even the pasta was responsible.

Eventually, she found herself feeling slightly lightheaded from both the wine and the way he was making her feel. She suggested heading back to the farmhouse, as it was late, and he agreed.

There was something thrilling in the way he put his arm around her as they walked out — as if he did so all the time and this date was just one of many. They reached the rental car, and before Lois could walk around to her side of the car, he reached for her hand and pulled her close. She shivered slightly, as she met his eyes.

“That song you sang,” Clark said, his voice gruff as he placed his hands tentatively on her waist. “Was that a request?”

“Yes,” she breathed, moving closer to him and inviting him to slip his arms around her. “Yes, please.”

He dipped his head towards her and she closed her eyes in anticipation. But before she felt his lips on hers, a frightened cry pierced the night air, followed by the sound of brakes and something crunching underneath the tires of a vehicle.

Clark let go of her almost immediately and ran towards the sound of the crash. Lois followed, heart pounding with adrenaline.

Chapter 6
The minute Lois saw what happened she knew it was bad. A truck had somehow managed to hit a cyclist and both the cyclist and the bike were trapped underneath the truck.

The driver stumbled out of the cab and Lois could see he was drunk. He took one look at the situation and ran towards the road. Lois was tempted to go after him, but the emergency took precedence over anything else. Clark reached the truck, halted in his tracks and turned to Lois.

“Call 911!”

She nodded, and turned to run inside, bumping into one of the bartenders who had clearly also heard the accident.

“We need an ambulance,” Lois told him urgently. “Someone is hurt.” The bartender nodded and headed back inside. Lois turned back and ran towards the truck to see if there was anything she could do. The cyclist was unconscious and she could see even from a little further back that his leg was bent back unnaturally underneath the bike.

Before she could even reach Clark, she watched as he looked left, then right and then reached a hand under the truck’s front tire and lifted the entire thing right off the ground with one hand. Lois gasped as she watched him. He held the truck up while he used his other hand to move the bike off the cyclist’s leg and drag him to safety before setting the truck back down.

She reached the cyclist just in time to see Clark look up. Their eyes met and she saw in them the truth of things as clear as day. He knew it too. She could see that as well.

“Oh my God,” she said aloud as shock set in. There was only one man who could do something like that. And he...and Clark...

“Lois, I...”

“Is he okay?” Lois asked, not wanting to think about what she’d just seen. She couldn’t. Not now. Not when someone was injured and the man she’d just been on a date with turned out to be two completely different men. It was all too much. So one thing at a time, and right now this was more important.

“His leg is broken,” Clark replied, using the same voice he used when he...Oh God. It was true. All of it. “But I think he’ll be okay. Where did the driver go?”

“He...he ran,” Lois said, her voice shaky and her legs just as unstable. “That way, down the road. You should...you should go get him. I can stay here until the ambulance arrives.”

“You mean...” he gave her a meaningful look and she nodded. Superman obviously didn’t make rescues in Smallville all that often and Lois had a feeling she now understood why. However, it was dark and Lois felt the need for some space. Clark got the message and took off down the road. A moment or so later, she heard him take off into the sky.

Moments crawled by like years until eventually Superman...Clark...whoever he was returned with the driver of the truck, blubbering about how sorry he was and how he didn’t see the cyclist.

Lois didn’t even have time to form a thought, as the ambulance arrived around the same time and took the injured man to the hospital. Lois felt as if her entire world was made of sand. She watched as the patrons of the bar gathered round, eager to get a glimpse of the superhero and suddenly felt very much superfluous to the entire situation.

She had just begun to finally accept that Clark was the man she wanted and Superman was an unattainable fantasy. She had just begun to realise how deeply she felt about Clark...maybe even loved him. And now...who was he?

Everything suddenly felt claustrophobic and Lois wanted to turn to Clark for help, but he was in the suit and something about the sight of him standing there with the gaggle of onlookers and admirers made her feel like an outsider. This was his town. His home. And she didn’t even know who he really was.

She took a few deep breaths and got into the rental car. Grateful they got two sets of keys, Lois put them into the ignition and took a deep breath.

“Clark, I know you can hear me,” she said, trying to keep her voice from trembling. “I’m going back to your parent’s house. I’m okay, I just...need some time to process everything. I’ll see you there.”

She risked a glance in Clark’s direction as she turned the key and as their eyes met, she saw him manage a quick, stiff nod. It was probably all she could get out of him without him breaking character. But was it a character? Or was it just another part of him? Or was Clark the disguise?

Her throat felt tight as she drove back to the Kent’s farm house, thinking about all the ways she’d wanted the night to end. In another life, a date with Superman would have been a dream come true. But tonight, she’d only wanted to be with Clark.

So where did that leave her?

****
Martha knew something was wrong the moment Lois walked through the door. Whether it was the look on Lois’ face or the fact that Clark wasn’t right behind her, she was at her side immediately.

“Lois, honey, what’s wrong? What happened? Where’s Clark?”

“I...” she tried to form a complete sentence but all her thoughts were jumbled. “He...there was an accident. Someone was hit and Clark...he...the truck was on the man’s leg and he lifted it. I mean he just...”

Martha’s entire expression changed and Lois felt her stomach drop. Would Martha even want her knowing Clark’s secret? Clearly Clark hadn’t, given that he hadn’t told her. She’d spent a lifetime protecting her son and now someone knew. Someone she didn’t know very well at all.

“Let’s go into the kitchen and have some tea. Jonathan is in bed already so it might be a good time for you and I to talk.”

Lois nodded dumbly and allowed Martha to lead her into the kitchen. She sat in silence as the older woman put the kettle on and got out the mugs, sugar, milk and spoons.

Eventually, Martha sat down at the table while they waited for the kettle to boil. She looked at Lois and gave her a reassuring smile.

“So you know that Clark is Superman,” she said quietly. Lois nodded. The truth was indisputable but somehow, hearing Martha say it out loud made it even more real than ever.

“I want you to know that I will keep his secret,” Lois said. She couldn’t help but worry about what Martha might be thinking. Lois was a reporter, after all, and the secret identity of Superman was big news. Pulitzer-level material, really. But regardless of how she felt — and even she wasn’t sure about that — she knew on a cellular level she could never betray Clark like that. No story, no Pulitzer would be worth ruining the Kent’s lives over.

“I know you will, honey,” Martha said as the kettle began to scream. She stood up and gave Lois’ shoulder an affectionate squeeze before pouring the hot water into the tea mugs. “I know how much you care about him. I never thought you would print this.”

“How could you be so sure?” Lois asked. “I mean, I barely knew him last year when we came here.”

“I knew because I could see what sort of person you were,” Martha told her. “I could see you were kind, and funny, and stubborn, and all the things my son said you were. All the things that made him so smitten. And I knew that anybody who could capture my boy’s heart the way you clearly had was a good person. Even if you never returned his feelings, I knew you wouldn’t expose him.”

“You have more faith in me than I do,” Lois said, bitterly wondering if what Martha was saying was true. Would she have exposed him? She thought about that first visit and what had brought them there. “Trask...oh God, he must have known something he...how did he know to come here?”

Martha sat back down and exhaled slowly. “I suppose I should start from the beginning.”

“You don’t have to, Martha,” Lois said softly. “You don’t owe me any sort of explanation.”

“I know,” she replied, smiling at Lois, “but I’ve never had someone I could talk to about my boy other than Jonathan. So this is important for me too. Jonathan and I desperately wanted children. But after years of trying, we realised it wasn’t going to happen for us. I was devastated. I had dreamed of being a mother since I was a child.”

“That must have been so hard for you,” Lois murmured. She felt oddly guilty for not giving much thought to motherhood, favouring her career over all else. She knew
how badly she wanted to be the best at her job. And maybe that was similar to how much Martha had wanted to be a mother.

“It took me a long time to accept,” Martha nodded. “But eventually I did. And then one night Jonathan and I were driving by Schuster’s field and we saw what we thought was a shooting star, except...something landed. When we got to where it was, we found a baby inside, wrapped up in a blanket. Jonathan and I weren’t sure what to do. We didn’t know if it was a spaceship or a Russian experiment. All we knew was that we couldn’t leave him out there, so we took him home.”

“You must have felt so alone,” Lois said, thinking of what it must have been like to have this child fall from the sky and not be able to tell anyone about it.

“It was hard,” Martha agreed. “We didn’t know who to trust or who we could talk to and we had to come up with a story as to why we suddenly had this child. We hadn’t told anyone we were pregnant or planning to adopt so we just told people that a distant cousin of mine from Wichita had gotten pregnant too young and we offered to take the baby to spare her the humiliation.”

“That sounds terrifying,” Lois said, only now starting to realise the enormity of what the Kents had done. They had essentially committed fraud and risked jail, or worse if he had been some secret government experiment in order to keep him.

“It was,” Martha nodded, her face a tight mask. Lois got the feeling she didn’t like even thinking about those first scary months. “The magistrate approved the paperwork for us since we were well known in the community, but we worried every day. We didn’t know what would happen or whether he was an alien or an experiment. The scariest thought was that one day someone might show up and take him away.”

“When did he...I mean did he always have powers?” Lois found herself more curious now than anything. These were questions she’d always wondered about Superman but never thought she would get to ask. The reporter in her couldn’t help it, even though on a personal level she was still so very confused.

“Thankfully, no!” Martha said with a relieved laugh. “Can you imagine what an infant with superstrength would have been like? He didn’t start developing abilities until he was older. But as a kid he was never sick — not once. We were grateful for that, because it meant we were able to avoid most doctor’s appointments, but we knew that wasn’t normal.”

“You spent every waking second trying to protect him, didn’t you?” Lois said. Martha nodded and she saw the woman’s shoulder’s slump in a way that suggested a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

“It was everything I ever wanted,” Martha assured her, “but it was also easily the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And it was so lonely. Not just for Jonathan and I, but for Clark as well. Once he started to develop his powers, we had no choice but to tell him he wasn’t the same as the other kids. Most adopted children have questions about their birth parents. We didn’t have those answers. We couldn’t even tell him if he came from this planet.”

“Poor Clark,” Lois said, her heart suddenly feeling painfully tight as she thought of her kind, gentle partner being so isolated for so long.

“In some ways creating Superman was the best thing to ever happen to him,” Martha continued. “And I have you to thank for that.”

“You do?” Lois looked at her, stunned. What part could she have possibly played in Clark becoming Superman?

“Clark told me it was you who gave him the idea,” Martha said with a knowing smile. “We were constantly reminding him that he couldn’t let anybody find out about his abilities. But Clark was never the kind of person who could just look away if someone needed help. There were so many close calls. He moved from place to place, in order to keep from getting noticed. Eventually he decided on Metropolis because it was big and busy and I guess he thought he could just...hide.”

“Funny way to hide,” Lois commented. “And I don’t remember telling him to put on bright blue spandex and a cape.”

“Oh the spandex was my idea,” Martha said with a slight giggle. “I figured the louder the suit, the easier it would be to distract people. But that wasn’t what I meant. He told us about a rescue he’d performed only days after starting at the Planet. He was nearly seen and got himself filthy in the process and you told him to bring a second outfit to work just in case. And it worked!”

“I...” Lois shook her head, surprised and feeling a little dazed. “That’s how he got the idea?”

“Mmm hmmm,” Martha replied with a grin. “So in a way, it was you who invented Superman. I mean, you also named him.”

“This is all so much,” Lois said more to herself than anyone else. “Tonight I went on a date with my best friend and partner. And it was a good date. The best date. And now all of a sudden everything feels upside down and I don’t know what to think! I feel hurt that he didn't tell me, but also so very very awful for acting as if Superman was some sort of God and Clark...”

“For what it’s worth, I think he wanted to tell you,” Martha said softly. “I don’t blame you for being dazzled by Superman. That was, after all, the point. And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but my son can be a bit of a lunkhead at times.”

Lois laughed and took a deep breath.

“Thank you,” she said to Martha, feeling as if the fog was starting to clear. “I can’t tell you what it means to me to know that you trust me with this.”

“And I can’t tell you what it means to me to finally see my son with someone who loves him,” Martha replied, clasping her hands tightly, her voice thick with emotion. Lois hadn’t been able to fully name her feelings for Clark, but when Martha spoke, she knew those words to be the truth. She loved Clark. And she knew deep down that he loved her.

But what did that mean?

“Martha, I don’t know what to do,” she confessed. She didn’t want to let her down, but she also suddenly understood the enormity of the secret the Kents had kept and worried she wasn’t cut out for that kind of pressure. It was a huge burden to be entrusted with. What if she disappointed him? Or broke his heart? She wouldn’t do so willingly, but she also hadn’t grown up with role models like Martha and Jonathan.

“You do nothing tonight,” Martha said firmly. She stood up and began clearing the dishes away. “I want you to go to bed. I’ll talk to Clark when he comes in and explain that you need some time to think.”

“I appreciate that,” Lois replied gratefully as she stood up. She yawned and realised how suddenly and completely exhausted she was. “But I can’t hide forever. We still have this library story to finish.”

“Library story?” Martha echoed, sitting up a little straighter and suddenly looking very interested. Lois’ heart sank. She’d promised Clark she wouldn’t tell his parents what they were working on and the second she was stressed she blurted it out. If she couldn’t even keep a silly little secret like this, how was she supposed to be trusted with arguably the most important secret she’d ever been entrusted with?

“We came here to write a story about the decision to close the library and move it to Emporia,” Lois said with a sigh. She knew there was no way she could make anything up. Martha was far too shrewd. “Clark was hoping an article in the Daily Planet would help bring awareness in order to save it. We were in the process of planning some fundraisers and a vote to...Martha? Martha, what's wrong?”

Martha was wiping a tear away from her eyes as Lois spoke causing her to wonder if she’s put her foot in it worse than she’d thought.

“That boy,” Martha murmured tearfully. “That sweet, wonderful boy.”

Lois sat back down again once she realised that Martha’s tears were not tears of sadness. She was curious again.

“This library is more important than Clark led me to think, isn’t it?”

Martha nodded.

“Clark usually comes for dinner on Sunday nights. Last week when he came, I...well, I’d just heard from Nancy Wilson that they were planning to close the library. That library means a lot to Jonathan and I and I was pretty upset the entire evening. I tried to hide it from Clark, but I guess he noticed and wanted to help. He always wants to help...”

“That’s who he is,” Lois realised, knowing deep down it had always been in Clark’s nature to give, rather than to ask. Maybe that’s why he didn’t tell her. Maybe he was afraid she’d be disappointed to learn that Superman was just...Clark.

“It is,” Martha replied. “And even if it doesn’t work it means something that he…that you both tried. Jonathan and I had our very first kiss inside that library. He was so shy. I just couldn’t bear the thought of one of my most precious memories disappearing.”

“It won’t,” Lois promised, her determination to save the Smallville library thoroughly renewed. “Whatever happens, Clark and I will do everything we can to save it.”

“I know you will,” Martha said with a watery smile. “Get some sleep.”

Lois nodded and stood up again.

“Goodnight, Martha,” she said quietly. “Thank you for everything.”

Chapter 7

Lois spent the night thinking about Clark and their friendship. She thought about what it had been like when she thought he had been shot and killed right in front of her. She thought about the look on Clark’s face when she told him that she could never love him. She thought about that same face and how cold it became the moment she professed her love to him, telling him she would love him if he were an ordinary man with no powers.

She thought about the way he’d looked at her when she sang to him and the feel of his touch. She thought about how nervous he’d been when he asked her out, after having been rejected so completely the year before. It must have taken so much bravery to risk his heart a second time.

She thought about the Kents and how necessary it was to keep them safe, not just from the villains that seemed to pop up every week, but from the government who would obviously have a lot of questions as to Clark’s origin and adoption if they knew.

But most of all she thought about how she felt about him. How she’d fought the truth for the longest time, but was no longer able to do so. Somewhere along the way, completely against her will and without her knowledge, she’d fallen in love with Clark Kent.

Knowing that caused her to re-evaluate every hurt and every regret and look at it through different eyes. She could be angry that he didn’t tell her he was Superman after he’d been shot. But he could also be furious with her for treating him so cruelly every time she gushed over Superman and rejected him as Clark. He seemed to bear her no ill will though and she knew that if anything was to happen between them it needed to do so with a clean slate.

He had made mistakes but so had she and though her feelings were valid, she knew his reasons were also equally so. It came down to the question of whether or not she wanted to be with him and the answer was an unequivocal yes.

There could be no other option. No other man had ever made her feel the way he did. No other man could touch her heart the way he could with a look, or set her body on fire with a single touch.

And so in order to love him, she needed to forgive not only him, but herself as well.

When she woke up the following morning, she was resolved to tell Clark how she felt once and for all. They needed to clear the air and she was eager to do so as quickly as possible. But when she found herself heading downstairs into the kitchen, Clark wasn’t there.

“He left early this morning,” Martha told her. “He said he needed to fly a bit to clear his head.”

Jonathan’s head snapped up, clearly unaware that Lois knew Clark’s secret. Martha shot him a look and he said nothing. She felt her heart drop and worried that she might already be too late. What if he spent the night thinking she was going to reject him for lying to her?

“I really screwed this up, didn’t I?” She asked herself. Martha crossed to the kitchen and gave her a hug.

“You didn’t,” Martha reassured her. “It will all work out, you’ll see.”

“I wish I had your confidence,” Lois said sadly.

“Would you like some breakfast while you wait?” Martha asked. “I can make eggs.” Lois shook her head. The last thing she wanted right now was food.

“I think maybe I’ll try to get some work done,” Lois decided. “If Clark…when Clark comes back can you tell him to meet me at the library?”

“The library?” Jonathan echoed, looking surprised. Martha laughed and patted his arm affectionately.

“I’ll tell you later,” she promised him. Then, turning to Lois, said, “I’ll let him know. At least take a cinnamon bun with you? They’re freshly baked.”

Despite not being hungry, Lois’ stomach rumbled immediately at the prospect of anything freshly baked by Martha Kent. She took the cinnamon bun and thanked both of them for their help before getting into the rental car and driving towards the library.

****
Lois drove to the library lost in her thoughts. She pulled into the parking lot, wondering why she was even here. It wasn’t as if they had any sort of breakthrough. They still hadn’t thought of a fundraiser idea, nor had they sent anything to Perry to print.

Still, she wasn’t sure where else to go. It wasn’t as if she had an apartment to go back to. And as nice as the Kents were, she felt odd sitting around in their living room waiting for Clark to return.

She took a bite of her cinnamon bun, intending to eat it before going into the library. It was incredible...easily the most amazing cinnamon bun she’d ever tasted. Martha Kent’s baking was second to none, and it was with that thought, that Lois got her idea.

She finished her cinnamon bun and eagerly climbed out of the idea. She strode purposefully towards the library when the sound of footsteps behind her caused her to stall. She turned to see that Clark had caught up to her and her heart flipped over in her stomach as she noted all the differences and similarities between him and his alter ego, as if watching the two men merge into one in real time.

“Lois, I’m sorry,” Clark blurted out. His jaw was tight and she could see the anxiety written all over his face — a Clark trait, of course, as Superman always appeared to have everything under control. “I should have told you. I wanted to tell you. You don’t know how many nights I practiced telling you —trying out different ways to say it, and failing miserably to find the perfect one. I know it’s no excuse and you have every right to be mad and —”

“You’re right, I do,” she interrupted. She took a shuddering breath and chose her words carefully. “I should be mad. For a hundred reasons, the worst of which was allowing me to think you were dead. But you have every right to be mad at me as well. I dismissed you. I ignored you. I openly fawned over another man in front of you…well, I thought it was another man. I made you feel like second best. And that wasn’t fair of me.”

“You didn’t know,” Clark said, shaking his head sadly. “I let you think I was two different people and I was so desperate for you to notice me, to see me the way I saw you...I sometimes encouraged the attention, even when I shouldn’t have. I wouldn’t blame you if you never wanted to speak to me again.”

“You see?” She exclaimed, “you see what I mean? There’s so much. There’s so much we could choose to be angry about…so much that could destroy us before we even...” She stepped forward and reached up to gently touch his jaw. She could see the fear and regret in his deep brown eyes and she knew how much this meant to him. It meant the same to her.

“Lois I—”

“I’m not angry at you,” she whispered, and she moved a little closer. His arms closed around her almost instinctively and she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him gently on the cheek. “I choose not to be angry.”

“It’s that simple?” he asked, his voice gruff with emotion. She nodded, her heart beating triple-time to be this close to him.

“It’s that simple,” she replied softly. “I thought about it all night and try as I might, I couldn't talk myself out of this. I want this too much. And I think you do too.”

“I do,” he whispered, running his hands gently along her waist to her hips. His hands were strong and certain — the way she’d always imagined Clark would touch her. “I’ve wanted this ever since the day I met you.”

“Then it’s settled,” she said breathlessly. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily, Clark Kent. You should have trusted me, but I didn’t give you much of a reason to. I’m sorry too. Can we just both…start again?”

His lips quirked ever so slightly.

“You want another ‘first date’? Would that make last night our ‘almost almost first date’?”

“I don’t know,” she said, a slow smile forming on her face as she allowed herself to enjoy the flirtation. “I guess that depends on what you define as a date.”

“And what do you define as a date then?” he asked, giving her that smile. The one that made her entire body feel weak.

She pretended to think about it, while she allowed her hands to wander the expanse of his chest, enjoying the way he seemed to suck in small breaths every time she touched him.

“I guess I would define a first date as an event in which a man and woman go out together, have an absolutely amazing time, and then kiss at the end of the night.”

“High standards,” Clark said, his voice taking on a husky tone that caused bolts of pleasure to shoot through her. He gripped her waist just a little bit tighter causing her to feel short of breath. “I suppose by that definition, we still have yet to go on a date then, huh?”

“You can fix that, you know,” she teased, running her hand up to his face to caress his cheek. His jaw twitched and she knew she was having an effect on him.

“Can I?” he murmured, reaching up to cup her cheek. She had no idea why she was suddenly so nervous. Her entire body was on overdrive. She’d kissed him before. She knew what it felt like to have his lips on hers, to have their tongues dance, to have body on top of hers and yet…she didn’t. She didn’t know what it was like to have a first kiss. Not with Clark.

“Please,” she breathed. “Kiss me?”

“Your wish is my command,” he said before running his hands through her hair, and bringing her lips to his. The kiss started out gently, tentatively and then as her pulse quickened, the kiss deepened. He pulled her flush against his body and she could feel his heart hammering beneath the thin fabric of his t-shirt. She whimpered against him with pleasure as she realised he wasn’t wearing the suit underneath. He’d come to her as Clark and only Clark, desperately afraid he might be too late, but wanting to make it right anyway.

When she pulled away, they were both flushed, and their breathing heavy. Lois was acutely aware of the fact that they were standing in the middle of the library parking lot. She was suddenly grateful they weren’t somewhere far more private because she had a feeling that kissing him could get out of control if they weren’t careful. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to be.

“I’m so glad you stayed,” Clark whispered, leaning forward to kiss her again.

“I couldn’t leave. You mean too much to me to just walk away,” she breathed. “Besides, after talking to your mom, I’m beginning to care just as much about this library as you. Especially since this is where your parents had their first kiss.”

“I...I didn’t know that,” he said, sounding surprised.

“Really?” She found herself equally surprised. She’d assumed that a memory so special to Martha was one that Clark would have known about…especially since she’d told Lois about it without a second thought. “I figured since you wanted to save it so badly and didn’t want your Mom to know that you —”

“I knew it was important to her,” Clark acknowledged, “but obviously not why. She just seemed really sad about it last week when I…when I flew home for dinner. My Mom isn’t the type of person to get upset about change or progress, so I figured she had her reasons. I just wanted —”

“To make her happy,” Lois said, reaching up to touch his face gently again. “That’s who you are. It’s why I can’t be angry at you. I know your heart too well.”

“Lois I...I want to tell you how I feel…how much I care, but I’m afraid it’s too soon.” He looked down at his shoes and then back up at her, and she could see the truth of those feelings in his eyes. It was too soon, but Lois was grateful to know just the same.

“I think it is,” Lois replied. “But when the time comes to say it...I feel the same way.”

Relief flooded his features and he kissed her again, this time with a boldness that set her entire body on fire. When they broke apart, he grinned and she found herself grinning back.

“We should probably put this on pause,” he said regretfully. “We are in a parking lot and we have lots of work to do. Now that this library is also the place where we’ve had our first kiss, we can’t let it go that easily.”

Lois laughed and took the hand he offered her and began walking towards the entrance.

“It just so happens I had an idea for a fundraiser, right before you showed up,” she told him. “What if we did a ‘taste of Smallville’ food festival?”

“A food festival?” He echoed, thinking it over. She nodded, feeling enthusiasm for her idea flood her.

“Think about it! People and businesses could pay for a table with businesses paying slightly more. Your mother makes the best baked goods I have ever tasted and I am sure she isn’t the only one.” She was on a roll now, and Clark watched in apparent fascination as she talked. “You’ve got a few diners and restaurants in Smallville that actually have really good food! Maisie’s milkshakes are second to none and that pub we were at last night actually made really good spaghetti. You’ve got that Italian market as well. People could pay at each table to sample the food which goes directly towards the library and if they want more, they can order it directly from the vendor, that way they make a profit as well. What do you think?”

“I think...I think it’s a fantastic idea,” Clark replied as they reached the reception desk.

“What’s a fantastic idea?” Marilyn asked, popping out of the stacks behind them. Lois explained it to her and Marilyn nodded along enthusiastically. When she was finished, Lois noticed Carol had joined them.

“I think we have ourselves a fundraiser,” Carol agreed. “I’ve filled out the paperwork for the petition to raise taxes as well. We might just do this.”

“Then we better get started,” Clark replied, rolling up his sleeves. Lois tried to keep herself from staring at his forearms — an action that was noticed by both women.

“Correction, we better get started,” Marilyn said, shooting a knowing look at Lois and Clark. “You two have done enough. You two should go enjoy yourself. Finish what you started out there in the parking lot.”

She winked at them both and Lois felt a deep flush move through her. She hadn’t realised they’d had an audience. Clark put his arm around her waist, and her heart sped up. She loved the way his casual gestures of affection felt.

“Any chance the entire town won’t know about this by noon?” She asked Clark as they left the library and the fundraiser in the capable hands of Marilyn and Carol. Clark laughed and shook his head.

“Not a chance,” he replied, kissing the top of her forehead. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

End
Epilogue

Thursday night karaoke was in full swing when Lois and Clark walked through the door a full two weeks later. The ‘taste of Smallville’ fundraiser was taking place that weekend in the town square and in a move that completely shocked Perry, Lois and Clark both booked four days off so they could go to Smallville and support the library. Clark had been keeping in touch with Marilyn and Carol and a vote for a slight tax increase was planned for a month from now, but they sounded hopeful, which made Lois happy.

Somehow, a story that had seemed pointless and a waste of time had become more important to her than anything she’d won a Kerth for. Having spent some time in Smallville, she could see what the library meant, not just to her, but to the town as well. Clark was right — it was the heart of the community.

To that end, she’d been the one to suggest they attend the fundraiser. After all, travel was no longer an issue. There were some perks to Clark being Superman it turned out.

But it was Clark who had wanted to come a day earlier for karaoke night and Lois loved the idea. After all, they hadn’t gotten to finish their date properly the first time. And despite the tacky decor, there was something about the restaurant that Lois genuinely enjoyed.

So here they were. A man was on stage caterwauling to a Def Leppard song as they were seated. This time they sat on the same side of the booth, abandoning all pretense. Lois ordered a cheeseburger this time, while Clark stuck with the spaghetti.

The last two weeks together had been incredible. She’d never felt so close to anyone in her life. There were so many times she’d been tempted to tell him she loved him and yet something held her back. A little voice inside her head saying This is against the rules. It’s too soon. You’ve only been together for two weeks.

But despite all of that, she knew that this was the real thing...that her heart fully and completely belonged to Clark Kent. And Lois had never been one to play by the rules. So what was holding her back?

Once again, the entire town seemed to know that Clark Kent was off the market. Lois had been congratulated by almost everyone she met and she even noticed a few women shooting jealous glares her way every now and then. Clark, of course, was oblivious to it all, preferring instead to touch, caress and kiss her every chance he got.

She wasn’t complaining. Despite the loud atmosphere, somehow Lois felt as if they were the only two people in the world. They lost track of time as they ate. Eventually, when they finished their meal, the waitress — Dianne again — came by to clear the dishes.

“Didn’t expect to see you both back so soon,” she commented. “You back for the fundraiser?”

“We wouldn’t miss it,” Lois replied.

“You aren’t the only ones,” Dianne told them. “Hotels are completely sold out in the surrounding area. Ever since you wrote that article. Are you both staying at your parents’ place Clark?”

Clark nodded. Lois was surprised to hear the hotels were sold out but grateful, as it seemed like this was going to be a big help. Clark had been right about the reach of the Daily Planet.

“My mom is already hard at work baking for the festival,” he replied with a grin. “Her kitchen is filled with pies.”

“Well, I can’t wait to try some,” Dianne said as she handed them the bill. She looked at Lois. “You singing something for us tonight? You have such a lovely voice.”

“Oh no, I thought I’d just watch tonight,” Lois said, blushing slightly. Clark took out some money and handed it to Dianne, telling her to keep the change, which turned out to be a very generous tip.

“Shame,” Dianne said as she took the money. “You two have a good night.”

Once she was gone, Lois sighed and snuggled into Clark. She’d never been this happy. She didn’t want to go back to the Kent farmhouse. She wanted this date to keep happening, but she knew eventually it would have to end.

“What should we do now?” she asked him, hoping he would suggest they go to one of those lookout spots Martha had mentioned and spend a few hours lost in the feel and touch of one another. Instead, he stood up.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, placing a gentle kiss on her lips before he headed in the direction of the restroom. A few moments passed by and Clark returned, looking oddly pleased with himself.

Before she could say anything, the karaoke host was calling her name. Well, her name and Clark’s. She looked at him in shock.

“I thought we could sing something together,” he said with a mischievous grin. Lois felt like a deer caught in the headlights.

“I don’t even know what song you put up there,” she protested as he took her by the hand and led her to the stage. “What if I don’t know the words?”

“Trust me,” he said, his voice a deep warm rumble in her ears. “You know this one.”

She found herself on the stage being handed a microphone, her stomach all sorts of jittery. She’d never heard Clark sing. What on Earth had prompted him to want to do a duet?

The name of the song popped up on the screen and Lois relaxed slightly. He was right. She did know this song.

The opening chords began playing and looked over at Clark and saw him nervously bouncing as he prepared to sing. Something about this side of him — this happy, flirty and extroverted side felt real and natural. He was a different person now that she knew the truth and only now did she feel that she knew him.

Once the bouncing karaoke ball showed up, he smiled at her and began to sing.

“Don’t go breaking my heart.”

Her stomach clenched with love and she sang the opposite line in return.

“I couldn’t if I tried.”

“But, honey, if I get restless...”

“Baby, you’re not that kind.”

The audience was loving it. And though Clark was incredibly tone deaf, she’d never found him more sexy than she did at this moment.

They launched into the chorus with gusto and by the end of the song, both of them were laughing so hard they had tears streaming down their face and found themselves barely able to finish.

Despite their less than stellar performance, the audience cheered just as loudly for both of them and Lois found herself stumbling off the stage with Clark’s arms wrapped firmly around her waist as he placed soft, tantalizing kisses on her neck.

“Let’s get out of here,” he whispered in a way that made her entire body come to life. “I want to be alone with you.”

They weren’t outside the door to the pub for more than ten seconds before his arms were around her again, his lips on hers, tongue seeking entrance. Lois responded instantly, pulling him closer. He ran his hands through her hair and they stumbled towards the Kent’s family truck until eventually Lois found herself pressed against the truck as Clark kissed his way down her neck to her collar bone.

She moaned with pleasure as his lips left a trail of fire on her skin and his hands gripped her hips tightly.

A wolf whistle startled them both as a couple walked by and Lois laughed in embarrassment. They were making out against the Kent family truck like a couple of teenagers. What on Earth had gotten into them?

“I think we have an audience,” she told him. “We should probably go.” He nodded, eyes dark and intense. She wanted to suggest they go somewhere else together. She wanted to be alone with him more than anything. But she was also afraid. Afraid she might lose control. Afraid she might break the rules. Afraid of what a kiss might turn into.

He reached out, caressed her face gently and kissed her one more time before pulling his keys out.

“I love you,” he said, softly. There was no fanfare to it. No great pause or swelling of music in the background. The way he said it made it sound as if he’d been saying it to her since the day he met her. And maybe he had. She just hadn’t been willing to hear it.

But now she was. And whether or not she was breaking the rules, she no longer cared.

“I love you too,” she replied, surprised at how sultry her voice sounded. “Let’s go somewhere private.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice husky.

“Yes,” she breathed. “Kiss me, Clark. I want to go somewhere with you and I want you to kiss me.”