Thanks, as always, to my wonderful betas!
From Chapter 20
“You learned to Tush Push on your first date?” Clark asked in surprise. “I thought you grew up in Metropolis.”
“I did,” Lois smiled. “Chad was not your normal Metropolis boy.”
“Oh,” Clark said. But then a moment later, added “Chad, huh? The name of the boy you went on your first date with was Chad?”
Lois' smile weakened. “He was my first boyfriend,” she said quietly.
“Did it end poorly?” Clark asked, placing a warm hand on Lois' arm.
Lois looked away, trying to find the right words. Finally she turned back to Clark, “Don't all relationships end poorly?”
There was a sheen of tears in her eyes and seeing the glimmer of them, Clark used the hand he had on her arm to pull her close to him. He wrapped his arms around her, whispering, “I guess. Until you get married.”
“Not all marriages,” she said into his chest. Clark tightened his grip on her.
Lois stood there a moment, lost someplace between thinking about Chad and realizing that she felt comforted and safe in Clark's embrace. A moment more though, and she felt in control of her emotions. “Let's walk,” she said firmly as she pulled out of Clark's embrace.
“Sounds good,” Clark said, moving to place his hand in hers, but Lois moved her hand just slightly away. Clark's embrace was nice, but that was just because she had been feeling depressed. It did not mean she wanted to hold his hand.
Chapter 21
“So,” Clark looked at Lois, “what next?”
Lois looked around. “Let's go over there. Win me something, Farmboy!”
Clark laughed at her exuberance and walked over towards the strength test. He inwardly groaned when he looked around. The top of the test showed a small image of Superman and it looked like small stuffed Superman dolls were the prizes to be won, too. Did he really need to help her get a Superman doll?
With a sigh, Clark took the hammer from the barker. He lifted it high over his head and brought it down, but probably not quite as hard as he could. Given his current state of un-super-ness, this barely garnered him a “Big Boy”.
“Come on, Clark. I know you can do better than that,” Lois laughed, handing another ticket to the barker.
Clark smiled at her, and forgetting about the prize, he swung again. This time he got “Macho Man”. Lois giggled and Clark reached into his pocket to pull a ticket out, before giving it to the barker.
He paused for a moment, placing the mallet down and Lois came closer. “Come on, Macho Man, show me what you're made of,” she said in a breathy voice running her finger along his arm.
Clark gulped slightly, but kept his face impassive, and smiling at Lois, flexed his bicep. He wagged his eyebrows at Lois and she giggled again.
She backed up and he lifted his arms high above his head. He really concentrated on bringing the mallet down this time and was rewarded with a ding as the ball hit the bell at the top.
“We have a winner!” cried the barker.
Lois clapped her hands and jumped up and down a little in excitement. “Here's your doll, miss,” the barker said, holding out a Superman doll towards her.
Lois' eyes drifted towards Clark. He was looking away from her, but even from this angle, she could see the taut line of his jaw. The relaxed man from a minute ago was retreating. “Can I have Bugs Bunny instead?” she asked. She kept her face impassive as she saw Clark's head swing around to look at her incredulously.
“Sure,” the barker said, shrugging his shoulders. “Your choice. We just haven't gotten too much demand for much else lately.”
He held the new doll out to her and Lois smiled, hugging it to her.
“Thanks, Clark,” she smiled up at him, linking her arm through his.
Clark smiled back at her in response.
“So,” she said as she spotted Rachel and turned him away before he spotted her as well. “Was Rachel the first girl you kissed?” She turned towards him with a smile, her eyes glinting.
Clark laughed, “What?”
“I'm just wondering,” Lois said, her voice completely innocent. “So, was she?”
Clark laughed, “Sort of, yeah, I guess she was.”
“Sort of?” Lois asked. “There's a story there, I'm sure of it. Spill, Farmboy. How old were you? How did it happen? Tell me.”
Clark laughed again. “Is this going to make its way to the front page of the paper?”
“Is it that good?” Lois asked.
“Definitely not,” Clark said, smiling broadly. “Rachel and I kissed at our wedding.”
Lois stopped walking. “Your wedding?” she asked. “Do they do arranged marriages here in Smallville?”
Clark smiled at her. “No, Lois, they don't. It was just something we did in kindergarten. I don't remember why.”
“So you married Sheriff Rachel?” Lois asked.
“Well, as you may have guessed, she wasn't sheriff yet,” Clark teased. “But, yeah, I did. My friend Pete officiated.”
“And you kissed at the end of it,” Lois prodded him on.
“Well, it wasn't that much of a kiss. I mean, Rachel was a girl after all.”
“And that was a problem?” Lois asked, her eyebrows raised.
“Well, not now. But back then? Sure. She had cooties. All girls did,” Clark turned to face her, his eyes glistening with laughter. “I bet even you did.”
Lois laughed. “Nope, I never had cooties.”
“Hmm?” Clark looked at her carefully. “Nope. Don't believe it.”
Lois laughed. “So, then Rachel wasn't your first real kiss?” she asked, walking again.
“No,” Clark said. “My first kiss was with my first girlfriend. Lana.”
“Is she here?” Lois asked, suddenly unreasonably curious about this Lana.
“Here in Smallville? No, she actually married Pete years ago. They live a couple of hours away. Sometimes they make the trip down for the Corn Festival, but they just had their first baby last month, so they skipped it this year.”
“So, you still keep in touch with her?” Lois asked.
“No, not really. Sometimes my mom hears some things from her mom and tells me. But usually I just hear from Pete. We still talk occasionally. Email once every couple of months, that kind of thing.
“So, what about you? What's the name of the first boy you kissed? Was it Chad?”
“Yeah,” Lois said, her voice slightly quiet. She was surprised Clark had remembered Chad's name.
“I really like you, Lois,” Chad said, staring at his shoes.
“I… I like you, too,” Lois said, feeling herself blush even though Chad was still not looking at her. This was the end of their third date, and Chad had not looked this nervous ever before.
“Lois,” he asked, taking her hand even as he stared resolutely at the ground. He took a breath so deep it was audible before he blurted out, “Can I kiss you?”
Lois did not answer at first. She had not expected that question. Chad was so different than she had expected and this was just another way that was the case. She had expected him to kiss her at the end of their first date, even though she was not really ready for it. She did not think she had a choice, though. Why did he ask? Didn't she have to let him kiss her?
When he had not kissed her, she wondered if he did not like her as much as she was beginning to like him, but then he had asked her out again. After he asked for the third date, Lois was pretty sure he liked her, but just had forgotten about the kiss thing. Did boys normally ask?
Chad dropped her hands. “Forget I asked,” he mumbled and Lois realized she had taken too long to answer.
“No,” she said quietly. “I mean… I didn't expect you to ask,” she finally blurted out.
Chad blushed even further. “I know. It's not very romantic, is it?” he asked.
Lois frowned. “That's not what I meant. I meant… shouldn't we just kiss if you want? Isn't that how it works?”
Chad looked at her in confusion. “What do you mean "if I want'? We need to both want to.”
Lois looked at him with wide eyes. “I need to want to, too?”
Chad shook his head, feeling very confused. “Of course. That's why I asked. I mean, I know, it isn't romantic, but I'm no good at these things. I didn't want to kiss you if you didn't want to.”
“Really?” Lois asked.
“Really.”
“Wow,” she said.
“Well, good night,” Chad said, turning around.
“Good night?” Lois asked. “Aren't we going to kiss?”
Chad looked at Lois like she had two heads. “I told you, I don't wanna if you don't wanna and since you don't…”
“I never said I didn't,” Lois interrupted him.
“You mean… Do you want to?” Chad asked.
“Yes,” Lois said softly.
Chad's lips were only on hers for a few seconds, but Lois thought it just might be the best few seconds of her life.
***********************
“I think there's something here,” Lois said as she and Clark poured over story notes in his parents' living room that night.
“Me, too,” Clark said, looking over what they had. “Should we give Perry a call?”
Lois nodded. “I think this is bigger than we thought. I think this could be really huge.”
Clark nodded in agreement, hoping that whatever it was, it was not really about that rock.
***********************
Clark sighed as they drove over to the Irig's. Perry had agreed that all signs pointed to this being a bigger story than they had originally expected and had even told them he was going to see if he could find a photographer to join them. Still, despite their belief that this was something big, the truth was that they had no idea how to prove that. Plus, Clark was a little worried about what might happen if they did. What if it was about the rock and the rock was linked to him or Superman?
He had considered trying to convince Lois to go home, but he could not do it. They had been getting along so well here. He really felt like they were partners, working together, unlike when they were in Metropolis and it often felt like Lois was letting him tag along on her stories. Maybe he was being foolish not to try to get her to go home, but he did not want the feeling of companionship to end. It turned out that when Lex and Superman were not around, Lois actually saw Clark Kent. He was certain that once they were home, that would no longer be the case.
“Any ideas?” Lois turned to him.
“What?” Clark asked, feeling startled out of his thoughts.
Lois laughed, “Distracted as always, I see. I asked if you had a plan. A next step.”
Clark shrugged, although since Lois' eyes were back on the road, she did not see. “No. Not really. You?”
“Not yet,” Lois admitted. “But we'll think of something,” she said as she parked the car.
Clark pointed to a clump of trees. “Okay, I know this is the lamest idea ever, but we could just hang out over there until we see them do whatever it is that they're doing.”
Lois shrugged and moved over to the trees. Once she got inside the group of trees that Clark had pointed to, she turned to him. “This seems like a reasonable vantage point.”
“Wait,” Clark asked, smiling, “Is Lois Lane using my suggestion?”
Lois blushed slightly. “Well, I don't have a better one right now. Don't expect it to happen again.”
A second later, though, three men fell from the trees surrounding them.
Lois, her eyes alight, turned to Clark. “Great plan!”
“Hey, you agreed to it a minute ago!” Clark said, defensively.
“That was before we were surrounded!” Lois snarled at him.
“Enough!” one of the men yelled at them, before pushing them towards each other and leading them out into the clearing.
***********************
Lois and Clark continued to argue as they were pushed across the clearing. As they approached the tent on the other side, though, they stopped. Jason Trask was exiting the tent. Clark felt his entire body go tense. Somehow it was different to be confronted with a man who saw Superman as a threat to mankind now that he knew that there was actually a weapon that could be used against Superman. While he would like to think that Trask did not know that, it was unlikely. Why else would Trask be here?
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Lois, of course, spoke the first words. “Trask!” she said, her voice angry. “What are you doing in Smallville?”
Trask smiled at her. “I could ask the same about you.”
“He lives here,” Lois said, pointing her finger at Clark.
“Ah, just a day in the country to visit the folks?” Trask asked, making it clear he did not believe it for a moment. “What are you doing here, then? This isn't the Kent farm.”
“My parents are friends with Wayne Irig,” Clark said. “He asked them to pick some stuff up for him. Lois and I offered to go.” He saw Lois look at him with a smile out of the corner of his eye.
“Do you always enter the Irig place from across the way over there?” Trask asked, pointing towards the trees where they were found.
Neither Lois nor Clark had an answer for that. A moment more of silence past before Clark decided to give up the cover. It was not like Trask was buying it anyway. “What have you done with Wayne Irig?” he asked Trask.
Trask smiled at them again in a way that made Lois' skin crawl. “I let him go,” he said. “Small town ties mean a lot. Anyone else would have given up their contact in a minute. This man took sodium pentothal and a couple of broken fingers and he still didn't talk. Then it came to me. Let him go.”
Clark felt his stomach turn over. Now it was Wayne who was getting tortured because of him. Or because of Superman this time, maybe. However, since Superman was only here because of him, it was still because of him.
“Take her away,” Trask said to the men around them, gesturing to Lois. “Let the McCurty woman watch her. I want to talk to Kent.”
“Lois!” Clark cried as the men moved Lois inside a holding cell.
Lois looked at Clark compassionately. “I'll be fine, Clark.” Given the way Trask was looking at him, she was more worried about him than herself.
***********************
Superman sat in the living room. It was weird being here this time around. He had always wondered what Metropolis was like when he was not around. Did crime increase? How many people got hurt that would not have if he had not left? At least this time, it was less than he would have thought. Superman duties were not keeping him as busy as he would have liked. He had way too much free time.
Time in which to think about Clark and what was going on in Smallville right now. What if Herb was wrong and something happened to Clark or Martha and Jonathan? It was not even like Herb had promised that they would be okay. He claimed he had no way of knowing. This time/dimension hopping thing was annoying. It seemed like Herb was playing randomly with things, not really knowing for sure what the impact was.
Superman looked at the clock. It had been at least eight hours since he had been floating above the Daily Planet, desperate to see someone familiar even if he could not talk to them, and had heard Perry send Jimmy to Smallville. Jimmy had probably been in Smallville an hour or so by now.
If that was the case, right about now, Trask had the Kents in custody. Superman sat up startled. This was it. This was the moment he could help. Herb had said he could not take Clark's place, but this would not be taking his place. It would just be helping out. He would have the element of surprise and he would be less affected by the kryptonite than Clark would be. He could just float over the farm and wait for the right time.
