Drabble 71 | Exes
Jul. 8th, 2010 12:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sanalaylaLois ran into the bullpen, intent on grabbing her notes and her bag and then running back out. Glancing down at her watch, she saw that she was already ten minutes late to her meeting with her source. Pulling out her phone, Lois quickly typed a message to him to let him know that she’d be there within twenty minutes and that he shouldn’t go anywhere.
So intent on her task, Lois didn’t notice the petite woman standing near her desk until it was too late. With an oof, she crashed into the much smaller woman and Lois’s phone went flying out of her hands.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” Lois exclaimed and grabbed a hold of the woman to help her up. “Are you okay?” Then, she focused her attention on the person she was helping up and her eyes widened with recognition. “Lana?”
Letting out a disarming laugh, Lana nodded and then gave a shocked Lois a quick hug. “Yeah.” Then, she bent down to pick up Lois’s phone and handed it to Lois, her brown eyes twinkling with undisguised amusement. “Some things never change. You’re still a whirl wind, Lois.”
“Aahh…” Lois didn’t quite know how to respond to that. So, instead, she just asked what she considered to be the obvious question. “What are you doing here?” Then, she winced, hoping that her question hadn’t come off as being unwelcoming.
Lana, for her part, didn’t seem the least bit offended. Instead, she grinned at Lois and picked up Clark’s name-plate. Brandishing it a bit, she explained, “I’m looking for Clark. You haven’t seen him today, by any chance, have you?”
“Um… depends.” Her cheeks heated up. Technically, the last time Lois had seen Clark, they’d been in bed together and he’d been doing wicked things to her with his very talented hands and tongue. Blinking a bit, she cleared her throat and choked out, “At work? No. Not yet.”
Lana gave her an odd look, clearly confused by Lois’s response.
So, Lois expanded, “Um… I mean, I’ve been running around in meetings all day. And Smallville?” Lois glanced at his empty chair and shrugged. “Probably off chasing after a story. You know how his day can get.”
“Yes, I know,” Lana answered, simply. She set the name plate back down on the desk and then smiled at Lois. “His day can get pretty crazy. With him having to juggle everything, I mean.”
Awkwardly, Lois nodded. She knew that Lana knew about Clark’s extra-curricular activities, but she wasn’t exactly sure whether or not Lana knew that Lois knew. From what she had understood, Lana and Clark didn’t talk much. The thought reminded Lois that it was actually a little odd that Lana was looking for Clark, since the last she’d heard, Clark was pretty much going to die if he stood too long in Lana’s presence.
With a frown, Lois began to ask Lana that very question, when Lana interrupted. “Lois! Is that an engagement ring?” Before Lois could respond, Lana had lifted up her hand and was analyzing the diamond on her finger. With a huge grin, Lana declared, “It’s beautiful. Congratulations!”
Distracted by the sincerity and happiness radiating from Lana, Lois responded, faintly, “Um, thanks.”
“Who’s the lucky guy?” Lana asked, dropping Lois’s hand. She leaned back against Clark’s desk and wrinkled her nose. “Wait, no, let me guess. I bet it’s Oliver Queen.”
Lois’s brows rose at that and she couldn’t help but let out a slight laugh. “No, it’s not Oliver.” With a slight shrug, Lois added, “Ollie’s actually dating Chloe now. Didn’t she tell you?”
Blinking a bit in confusion, Lana straightened up at that revelation. “No….” Then, she said, slowly, “Chloe and I haven’t talked in months. I’ve been….” Lana cut herself off and then finished weakly, “I was kind of busy with some stuff and I wasn’t easy to get a hold of.”
“I see,” Lois answered, even though she didn’t see, at all. But since it was clear that Lana didn’t want to give her any more information, Lois didn’t think it was her business to pry. “Well, yeah. Chloe and Oliver are an item.”
“That’s… odd,” Lana seemed to be flummoxed. With a speculative look in Lois’s direction, she commented, “That must be hard for you. Your ex with your cousin? You don’t find it a bit… weird?”
Truthfully, Lois had never really given it much thought. So, it was with complete honesty that she answered, “No, not really. I mean, I’ve moved on. Oliver’s moved on.” She glanced down at her finger, where her engagement ring sparkled. “Actually, I’m happy that Ollie’s happy.”
“Right.” Lana nodded and appeared to agree with her. “That’s very big of you.”
Her lips twitching a bit in amusement, Lois shook her head. “I wouldn’t put it that way….”
“You always were too hard on yourself, Lois,” Lana cut in. She gave Lois a genuinely friendly smile. “Never at ease with a compliment.”
Feeling uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation – or, rather, the lack of direction – Lois shrugged.
An awkward silence stretched between them. Lois used that time to appraise Lana. She looked good, as she usually did. Flawless, really, was a good word to describe Clark’s ex-girlfriend. Never a hair out of place or even a piece of lint. Today was no exception. She wore a silk, sleeveless, dark blue dress; the skirt was a tasteful length, hitting her just at the knees. With it, she wore a beautiful pair of dangling earrings and a matching necklace.Her hair had grown back out since the last time Lois had seen her and curled around her shoulders elegantly.
It was a bit absurd, but Lois couldn’t help but feel a bit dowdy in her own simple black skirt and white dress shirt. As usual, Lois had foregone any jewelry, since it would have added an extra two minutes onto her morning prep time. She glanced down at her hands and saw a couple of ink stains on her right hand and, covertly, rubbed her hand against her skirt.
For her part, it seemed Lana was doing some checking out of her own, because she looked at Lois and said, with a friendly smile, “You look great, Lois. I love your hair that color.”
“Thanks.” And, then, because she couldn’t think of anything else to say, she added, lamely, “It’s my natural color.”
“Right. I think I knew that.” Lana nodded and then changed the subject. “Anyway, do you have any idea where Clark is? I kind of wanted to surprise him.”
“He’s with Chloe.” Normally, she would have had no clue where he was when he was in Blur mode, but Clark had just texted her thirty minutes ago to tell her that he’d been held up at Watchtower and that he didn’t know when he’d make it back. “No clue when he’s going to be back.”
Lana’s lips curved up into a fond smile. “Again, some things never change.”
Lois let out a tiny sigh. Because she’d just realized that it was going to be up to her to explain to Lana exactly how much things had changed. And that sucked.
*
“I think it’s great that you and Oliver are making it work, Chloe.” Clark walked down the stairs of the DP quickly, but at a pace that his friend would be able to keep up as she followed him down. “I’m happy for you.”
“Don’t count your chickens before they become omelets,” Chloe answered, warningly. “We’re not like you and Lois. We’re taking it slow.”
Clark let out a little laugh. “Lois and I started out taking it slow. Look where it got us.” He couldn’t help but grin at the thought. “We’re planning a wedding.”
Instead of responding with a teasing retort, his friend stopped in the middle of the stairs and whispered, “Oh my God.”
Alarmed, Clark stopped walking, too, and frowned at her. “Chloe? What is it?”
Chloe ignored him and grinned. This time, she spoke much louder and her voice carried. “Lana!”
Frozen in shock, Clark’s eyes followed the direction that Chloe was looking towards and his heart seemed to stop for a brief second. Sure enough, there stood his ex-girlfriend. And, right next to her, was Lois. Both women were looking up towards him and Chloe. One woman was beaming warmly at him and the other looked like she would rather be anywhere else on the planet.
“Lana!” Chloe said, again, and then hurried down the stairs towards her old friend. Lana moved towards her, at the same time, and the two met somewhere in the middle to wrap each other up in a hug.
Pulling back slightly, Lana said, breathlessly, “So what’s this I hear about you and a certain billionaire? You need to give me the details!”
Chloe frowned a bit and shot a look towards Lois over Lana’s shoulder. Lois shrugged slightly, as though she were saying that she couldn’t help it. Shaking her head, Chloe answered, “Not much to tell, really. It’s not that big of a deal.”
Lana didn’t look like she believed her, but she nodded, anyway. “Okay, if you say so.” Then, she turned her attention to Clark, who had actually managed to make his way down to the bullpen. With a teasing grin, she said, “Surprise!”
Clark’s brows shot up, but he couldn’t help but smile. “Let me guess. You’re cured?”
Lana let go of Chloe and stepped closer to Clark. She stopped right in front of him and looked up at him, her eyes full of mirth and happiness. “What gave it away?”
Leaning down a bit, so others couldn’t hear him, he answered, wryly, “Other than you standing half a foot away from me and I’m not writhing in pain?”
Standing a few feet away, Lois watched the exchange with a fond smile. Clark looked so happy and she was glad that Lana had managed to take care of her situation so the two of them could be in the same room again. She knew that it had hurt him to imagine Lana out there, with Kryptonite poisoning, because he was afraid of what the side-effects were going to be. And, in typical Clark Kent style, he blamed himself.
Lost in her thoughts and wrapped up in watching their reunion, Lois was startled when she felt her phone buzz in her hand. Glancing down, she saw a text from her source and that reminded her that she wasn’t exactly supposed to still be there. Turning around, she quickly grabbed her notes and her bag.
“Lois.” Clark saw her getting ready to leave and he frowned. He moved past Lana, to get to Lois’s side. “Where are you going?”
Lois lifted up her phone and responded, with a bright smile, “I have meeting with a source that I’m already late for. I gotta go, Smallville.”
“Wait.” As Lois started to brush past him, he captured her arm and turned her back around. “Can’t you re-schedule?” He glanced back in Lana’s general direction. “You should stay. We should all catch up.”
“Uhh….” Lois leaned over to look past Clark to Lana, who was watching them with an odd expression. She couldn’t help but let out a giggle at the dismay and discomfort in Clark’s eyes. Making an apologetic face towards Lana, she said, “Can you excuse us for a second?”
Not bothering to wait for a response, Lois grasped a hold of Clark’s hand and pulled him back towards the copy room. It didn’t afford a huge level of privacy, since the walls were made of glass, but it was at least far away enough to conduct a conversation without other people listening in. She closed the door behind them and turned to face Clark.
“You didn’t tell her and neither did Chloe,” Lois stated, in wry tone.
“We just got engaged a couple of months ago,” Clark protested. “And I haven’t talked to her in over a year.”
Rolling her eyes slightly, Lois answered, “Have none of you heard of e-mail? Or texting? Sheesh.”
Clark looked a little guilty and he shifted uncomfortably. “I didn’t want to tell her like that.”
“Oh, Smallville.” Taking pity on him, Lois shook her head and punched him lightly in the arm, with a slight grin. “Always the boy scout. It’s okay. I get it; I wouldn’t tell one of my exes like that, either.”
At that, Clark frowned and his eyes narrowed on her suspiciously. “What do you mean? How many of your exes don’t know about us? And how many exes do you have, anyway?”
“That’s not relevant to this conversation,” Lois responded hastily. She motioned towards the bullpen and pointed out the obvious. “That’s your ex out there and it’s your job to deal with this. Not mine.”
“Gee, thanks, Lois,” Clark responded, dryly. “That’s so supportive.”
Lois couldn’t help but laugh at his expression. Part fear, part discomfort; it was like he was about to face a firing squad, as opposed to just a small woman. “Clark, she’s not made of Kryptonite. At least, not anymore. You don’t need to look so scared.”
“Very funny.” Clark made a face, making it clear he wasn’t amused. “I’m not scared, Lois. I’m just….” He glanced out through the glass windows and finished, softly, “I don’t want to hurt her.”
Staring at him for a moment, Lois felt a rush of sympathy. She understood where he was coming from. The previous year, when Oliver had declared his love for her, it had been so hard to look him straight in the eye and tell him that she didn’t feel the same way. Especially because it had been on the heels of him almost taking his own life. It didn’t feel good to let the ones you loved down and having someone care about you more than you were able to care about them was a horrible feeling.
“Lois, I want you to be there,” Clark said, decisively. “Reschedule your source.” He gazed down at her earnestly and gave her one of those half-grins that she found utterly impossible to resist. “Please. For me.”
Letting out a resigned sigh, Lois finally caved. “Okay, let me see if I can push him back by an hour.” Pulling out her phone, she quickly dialed the number and gave Clark a warning look. “But, after an hour, you’re on your own. I managed to let Ollie down all by myself. I didn’t need you to hold my hand through that process. You should be able to handle this, Smallville.”
Clark raised his brows and leaned closer to her and said, teasingly, “I think we’ve established that you’re the stronger one in this relationship.”
Lois gave him a dirty look. “Flattery will get you nowhere. Even if it's the truth.”
Before Clark could respond, Lois turned away from him to speak rapidly into the phone. He watched as she cajoled the reluctant source into agreeing to meet her an hour later. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he studied her and the way she moved, the rise and fall of her voice as she used her persuasion skills. As usual, she was a constant blur of motion; she probably didn’t even realize she was pacing back and forth in the tiny copy room, her heels striking against the tiles with each step; her tight, black skirt restricted those steps to smaller ones than she’d probably like.
The skirt hit her mid-thigh and, for a second, his mouth went dry as he stared at her long legs; they looked a mile long with the black high heels. Clark let out a sigh of resignation that he had go back out there to re-connect with his ex, when he’d rather just take his fiancée back home for lunch. He knew from experience that it would only take him five seconds to get her out of that particular outfit if he used his super-speed. Three, if she’d let him rip it. Not that she ever did. Well, hardly ever.
Seemingly oblivious to the direction of his thoughts, Lois turned back to face him and gave him a confused look when she saw that he was staring at her. Her job done, Lois hit the off button on the phone, and turned to face him, her hands on her hips. “There. Happy?”
Clark looked down at her for a moment and bit back a grin. The fact was that he didn’t really need her to come with him. But he’d once made the mistake of letting Lois walk away while he went after Lana. He wasn’t going to do that again. And even though it seemed like Lois didn’t need it, he felt like he needed to go on record to make that distinction.
But Clark didn’t share his thoughts with Lois. Instead, he just replied, “Very.” Clark held out his hand to her. “Ready?”
For the first time, there was a flicker of hesitation in Lois’s eyes. She glanced out the window towards Lana, who seemed to be absorbed in conversation with Chloe, and then back down at his hand. “Um….”
So, Clark didn’t wait for her move. Instead, he bridged the distance between them and, before she could protest, he grasped her left hand. Her engagement ring felt cool under his fingers. Almost instinctively, he rubbed at it with his thumb and he said, gently, “C’mon, let’s go tell our friend we’re engaged.”
With a nod, she let him lead her out into the bullpen. Chloe was nowhere to be found and Lana was watching them approach with a speculative expression on her face.
Before either one of them could say anything, Lana said, “Chloe left. She had something to take care of.”
“Chloe had the right idea,” Lois muttered her breath. Clark shot her a dirty look and Lois gave him a half-shrug in response.
Lana looked down at their intertwined hands and said to Lois, with a small smile, “Let me guess. Clark’s the lucky guy?” There was no censure in her tone. If anything, she sounded warm and friendly.
Lois and Clark exchanged a glance and Lois let Clark answer, “Yes.”
“Congratulations,” Lana stated, simply, and her lips curved up into a wider smile. “When’s the wedding?”
“A few months,” Clark responded. At the same time, Lois answered, “About a year.”
The two looked at each other, confused, and then Lois explained, “We haven’t really pinned down a date, yet.”
“I see.” Lana glanced at the two of them and then offered, “Why don’t you guys let me take you out for lunch right now? To celebrate and catch up?”
“You don’t have to do that, Lana,” Lois answered, hastily. “I mean, it’s nice of you, but --.”
“No, I want to,” Lana insisted. “Please. My treat.”
Clark gave Lois a look, conveying to her silently that it would be rude of them to turn Lana’s offer down. Clearly, she agreed, because she turned to Lana, with a pained smile, and said, “Of course. That would be great.”
*
“I just want the record to show that I was right, Clark,” Lana said to him, teasingly, as they all perused the menus.
Lois glanced up from her menu. “Right about what?”
“Back when you two first met.” Lana set her own menu down and took a sip of her ice water. “I told Clark you two would end up together.”
Taken aback by that revelation, Lois glanced at Clark sharply. “You did?” Thinking back to the year she’d first met Clark and how madly in love he’d been with Lana, she couldn’t help but be a bit perplexed. “Why?”
Clark looked incredibly uncomfortable and he shot Lana a warning look. “Lois doesn’t need to hear this story.”
“Oh, but Lois does!” With a bright smile, Lois put down her menu and folded her hands across it. She focused her full attention on Lana. “Do tell. I love stories.”
Uneasily, Lana looked between the two of them and then she shrugged. “It’s not that big of a deal.” She looked towards Clark, who let out a sigh of resignation and indicated to her that she might as well continue. “It was in the caves. I bumped into Clark there and we were talking about you.”
With a raised brow, Lois asked archly, “You were?” She bit back a smile as Clark shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Interesting.”
At this point, even Lana was beginning to look like she very much regretted bringing it up. But, she went on, anyway. “I told him that you two made a good couple and he said that you guys weren’t together. And that he thought you were rude, annoying, stuck-up, and bossy.” With a slightly apologetic shrug, she added, “Or something like that. And, then, I told him that the best ones always start that way.” At that, her teasing look came back and she finished, “And, clearly, I was right.”
“Huh…” Lois turned to Clark, whose cheeks were flushed. “I see. What an interesting list of adjectives there, Smallville.”
“Hey, in my defense, all of those things were…” Clark paused and, then grinned at her wickedly, as he finished, “….completely true."
Lois opened her mouth to defend herself and then snapped it shut when she realized that he was right. That actually was a semi-accurate portrayal of who she was when she first got to Smallville. So, in the end, she just made a face and said, “Be that as it may – you left out all my good qualities.”
“Like what?” Clark asked.
“Like my ability to turn a blind eye to your horrendous plaid,” Lois pointed out. “And a deaf ear to the singing in the shower and --.”
“Wait a minute,” Clark interjected, holding up one hand. “You brought up my plaid every second you got. And I didn’t sing in the shower, so I don’t know what you’re --.”
“You totally sang in the shower,” Lois cut in, with a laugh. “In fact, you still sing in the shower. And I’m still turning a deaf ear.”
Clark let out an incredulous and disbelieving laugh. “No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do.” Lois leaned in closer to him. “In fact, you stick my name into a lot of your songs.” With a grin, she added, “As long as you don’t butcher Whitesnake, Smallville, it’s all good. But the second you get to the eighties top 100? I will have to jump in.”
Clark blinked at her in bemusement and said, slowly, “I had no idea I did that.”
“I don’t get you, Smallville.” Shaking her head slightly, Lois opened her menu again and murmured, “Guy’s got super-hearing and can’t hear himself sing in the shower. Go figure.”
Lana, who had been silent throughout the whole exchange, snapped her head in Lois’s direction at the comment. “Wait. You know?”
Frowning in confusion, Lois glanced up from her menu. “Know what?”
“Well, of course, it makes sense that you know.” Lana fiddled with the edge of her napkin. “I mean, I assumed you didn’t, but it does make sense.”
Still confused, Lois looked towards Clark for clarification. “Know what?”
“About my…” Clark glanced around and finished, “… heritage. You know.”
“Oh!” Lois eyes widened, as understanding dawned. “Yes, I know….” She turned to Lana and added, “And I know that you know. And that you had to leave because of complications with your special… suit.” Lois winced slightly, unable to figure out a better way to put it. “How is the situation with your suit?” She gestured towards Lana. “Do you still have it?”
Lana answered her, but kept her eyes fixed on Clark. “No. I… I couldn’t get rid of the poisoning without discarding the suit.” She glanced down and focused her attention on her silverware. “So, I decided to have it removed completely.”
“I’m sorry.” Lois put her hand on Lana’s. “I know that it was important to you.”
At that, Lana’s eyes lifted and she looked directly at Clark. “Not as important as other things.” For a moment, Lois saw a flash of pain in the other woman’s eyes. A second later, it was gone as Lana shuttered her gaze.
“I’m sorry,” Lois said again, but this time for an entirely different reason.
With a smile, Lana turned to Lois and said, “Don’t be. It’s not your fault. Sometimes, we have plans but fate has something else in store. So, we just have to come up with a new plan, that’s all.”
Lois knew that Lana was talking about more than just the power suit. But, out of respect, she didn’t point that out. Instead, she said, briskly, “So, now that you’re not leaping tall buildings in a single bound, anymore, what’s your plan?”
“You’re looking at the owner of the new art gallery in Metropolis,” Lana answered, with a genuine smile. “I hope you both will be able to make it to the opening. It’s next week.”
“Um… well…” Lois leaned back and admitted, “Art’s not really my thing --.”
“We’d love to,” Clark interjected. He caught Lois’s hand in his and gave it a warning squeeze. With a warm smile directed at Lana, he added, “How could we not be there to support a friend?”
Lois made a mental note to kill Clark later, but – in that moment – she just shot him a fake smile and said, through her teeth, “Of course.” But she couldn’t help but add, “Out of curiosity, will you be serving wine at this thing? Because I appreciate art so much more with a little bit of alcohol in my system.”
“Lois!” Clark shot her an exasperated look.
“What?” Lois gave him an innocent shrug. “It’s a valid question, Smallville.”
Lana let out a peal of laughter. “Yes, I’ll be serving wine. You’ll be fine, Lois.”
“There, you see?” Lois gave Clark a dirty look. “Lana gets it.”
Clark shook his head, in an affectionate manner, before glancing down at his menu.
At that moment, Lois’s phone buzzed and she picked it up, scrolling through the messages. Apologetically, she turned to Lana. “I have to go. It’s my source.” Casting a glance towards Clark, she added, “You’ll be fine without me?”
“Yes, I think I’ll survive,” Clark answered, wryly. “As long as you promise to be careful,” he added, the worry clear in his voice. He turned to Lana and explained, “The last time Lois had a source meeting, she ended up dangling from a fifty story building.”
Lois grimaced at the reminder. “A minor miscommunication.”
Clark shot an incredulous look. “Is that what we’re calling it?”
“It’s what I’m calling it.” Lifting one shoulder in a careless shrug, Lois got up and threw her bag over her shoulder. Turning to Lana, she added, “It was good seeing you, Lana. We’ll catch up at your opening.” Then she bent down and brushed her lips across Clark’s jaw before hurrying away. “See you at home, Smallville.”
They both watched her go and, after she’d disappeared from their view, the two turned to look at each other. An awkward silence descended on the table as they both tried to figure out what to say. Until that moment, they hadn’t realized how much Lois had kept the conversation going.
“Uh… so….” Clark fiddled with the menu in front of him and then looked around. “Where is our waiter? They haven’t taken our order, yet.”
Lana glanced around the restaurant, too, and nodded. “Yeah, that’s odd. But the place is pretty busy. It is lunch time, after all.”
“Yeah,” Clark agreed and then fell silent again.
For a second, Lana leaned back in her chair and allowed herself to study the man before her. He looked pretty much the same as he had when she’d known him as a boy and then a young man. Clark didn’t age as rapidly as most people, and he had still retained all of his good looks. If anything, he looked even more devastatingly handsome in his dark blue dress shirt and charcoal dress slacks. It was a step up from the t-shirts and jackets he used to wear when he was younger. He was bigger, too. More filled out and just – in general – a more commanding presence. Lana couldn’t tell if it was because of the way he carried himself or because he had actually physically grown. But whatever it was, it suited him.
Clark seemed to have caught her staring, because he quirked a brow at her and said, “What?”
With a slightly embarrassed smile, Lana looked down at her water glass. “Nothing. I was just thinking about how you haven’t changed, at all. You still look just like the kid that used to trip over his feet in the halls of Smallville High.”
Letting out a slight laugh, Clark took a sip of his water. “I don’t know whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, Lana.”
“Neither. Just an observation.”
Nodding slowly, Clark set down his glass. A little gently, he said, “Well, I may look the same, but I’ve changed quite a bit.”
“Yes, you have,” Lana responded, easily. She looked him over and, in a somewhat bemused way, tapped one finger against her lips. “You’re happy.”
Clark gave her a look. “What, was I not before?”
Lana stated, a little matter-of-factly, “Not like this.” Letting out a sigh, she elaborated, “It’s not like you were unhappy before. But this….” Forcing a teasing lilt to her voice, she pointed out, “Let’s just say that you never sang in the shower when I lived with you.” She didn’t show him how much the admission pained her.
At that, Clark burst out laughing. “I don’t actually believe I do that now.”
“I don’t know, Clark.” Lana grinned at him. “Lois is many things, but she is also truthful to a fault. I can’t imagine she’s making it up.”
With a slight eye roll, Clark conceded the point. “Yes, that’s true. It’s one of Lois’s many great qualities.”
“What are her other great qualities?” Lana asked, abruptly. Then, she winced a bit, wondering why she’d said that out loud. She’d promised herself that she’d be the epitome of graciousness about Clark’s new relationship. “I mean, I’m curious,” Lana amended. “You two spent years at each other’s throats. What changed?”
For his part, Clark seemed to accept her curiosity at face value. At least, he didn’t question it. He appeared to consider her words and then he answered, thoughtfully, “I don’t know. Some would say that we both grew up. Or that we finally realized what we had in front of us the whole time.” He stopped and gazed off into the distance. And, then added, softly, “Or maybe it was just fate. Sometimes, you have to catch up to it. And we finally caught up.”
“Fate.” The word seemed to stick in her throat. “Something even you can’t out-run, Clark. Even with all your powers.”
“Yeah.” His eyes met hers across the table and his gaze was sympathetic and warm. “But you know what? For once in my life, I’m not trying to out-run it. If anything, I’m running towards it. Because, for the first time, I like the view.”
Lana kept silent, because she really couldn’t come up with a response to that. With those simple words, Clark had just told her so much. And, as much as it hurt her, she had no choice but to step back. The happiness she’d seen in his eyes as he bantered with Lois; the look in Lois’s eyes when she teased him back. They were a couple very much in love. And she had no right to interfere with that. Not if she loved him.
“Lana.” Clark seemed to struggle with what he was going to say next. She waited for him to continue and when he finally spoke, he said, “I may not have a right to ask you this. But I need to know. Did you get cured because of me?” His blue-green eyes, the same ones that used to look at her with love and devotion, were now clouded with concern. “Leave your powers behind because of me?”
Lana swallowed. And lied, smoothly, “No.” She saw him let out a sigh of relief and she forced a smile to her lips. “No, Clark. I was ready to leave that life behind. Although, I did think it was a perk that we could finally share a meal together.” With a slight laugh, she wrinkled her nose and added, “If our waiter would ever show up!”
“That’s true.” With a grin, he raised his hand to gesture to the nearest staff person. “Let’s see if we can speed up the process.”
Lana nodded and busied herself with looking through her menu. She took a moment to compose herself, so she had enough strength to get through a whole meal with the love of her life. While, at the same time, convincing him that he wasn’t. Because he belonged to someone else.
*
“And, then, can you believe it? He actually had the audacity to tell me that the flash drive had been corrupted.” Lois kicked off her heels and began to unzip the side of her skirt. “Like I was born yesterday, Smallville. Clearly, Manheim’s people had already gotten to him.”
Clark, who had already changed into his pajamas, lounged back on the bed and watched Lois get ready for bed. He listened to her with half an ear as she took off her work clothes and pulled on yellow cotton pajama bottoms and a white tank top. She chattered on about the story she was working on for a few more minutes, as she pulled off her engagement ring and put it on the dressing table.
Taking the cream from the side table, she squirted some onto her hands and began working it through her fingers. At that point, she stopped talking and looked at Clark, her gaze narrowing dangerously on his face. “Smallville! Are you even listening?”
Blinking slightly, he looked up at her and shot her crooked grin. “Um… no. I was too distracted by the view.”
Letting out a disapproving groan, Lois grabbed the nearest pillow and hit him with it. “Very funny.”
With a laugh, he easily caught the pillow with one hand and then grabbed her around the waist with the other, tugging her down until she landed on top of him on the bed. Her lips were mere inches away from his and he bridged the gap, kissing her and nipping lightly at her bottom lip.
Lois pulled back and made a face. “No fair. You’re playing dirty.”
“You have no idea how dirty. I haven’t even started, yet,” he murmured in response and then leaned to kiss her neck.
Rolling her eyes, she smacked him on the chest and pushed him back against the headboard. “How was your day? Unlike you, I won’t zone out while you give me the details,” she added, sweetly.
“Uhh… It was fine?”
“Your lunch?” Lois reminded him and one brow rose in question. “With Lana?”
“Oh, right.” Clark raked a hand through his hair, as he recalled the lunch that had followed after Lois had left. “It was… weird. And awkward.”
“Awkward?” Lois tilted her head to the side as she pondered that. “Really? That sucks.”
“Well, she is my ex-girlfriend,” Clark pointed out.
Lois smile wryly. “Thanks for reminding me. I’d forgotten for a total of three point two seconds.”
Clark flushed. “I mean, it’s bound to be weird.”
Lois seemed to give that some thought. “I don’t know. I mean, Ollie and I seemed to get along even better after we became exes. We never had any awkward lunches.”
“And thanks for reminding me of that,” Clark retorted, with a dirty look. “What you and Oliver have isn’t normal, Lois.”
“On the contrary,” Lois shot back, waving her hand airily. “What you and Lana have isn’t normal. Let’s face it, Clark. You two were never good at being friends. It was all or nothing for both of you.”
“Maybe,” Clark conceded, after giving it some thought. “But it’s different now. I’ve moved on. She’s moved on. I think we can be friends.”
Lois scooted back a bit, straddling his legs more comfortably to be able to look at him. She didn’t bother to hide the doubtful note in her tone, “I don’t know, Clark. I think she’s still in love with you.”
“No, she’s not,” Clark assured her. His hands were still at her waist and he pulled her closer to him. “I asked her.”
“You asked her if she was still in love with you?” Lois repeated, incredulously, with her eyes widening in horror.
“No. I asked her if she got the cure because of me and she said that she didn’t.” Clark thought back to Lana and how she’d behaved at the lunch. “I believe her. I think she’s really happy.”
“Clark, of course you believe her,” Lois replied, shaking her head in exasperation. “You’re… Clark Kent.” She waved her hand in his general direction. “You believe everybody about everything. If the Pope told you he was a Buddhist, you’d believe him.”
“Well, of course I would. He’s the Pope. Why would he lie?” Clark answered smoothly, with a grin.
“Smallville!” Lois wasn’t amused. “Focus.”
Sobering up a bit, Clark shook his head. “Lois, you’re making too much out of this. Trust me, it’s possible for Lana and me to be friends.”
“I do trust you,” Lois answered, with a sigh of resignation. “It’s just that….”
“What?” Clark gazed at her searchingly. “You don’t think that I’d --.”
“No,” Lois cut in, quickly. “It’s not you. I’m worried about Lana.”
“Lana?” Clark’s brows furrowed in confusion as he tried to process that. “About what?”
For a moment, Lois was quiet and then she put her hand on his shoulder. “Let me put it this way. I know what it’s like to be in love with Clark Kent. You’re a hard guy to get over, Smallville. So, I just think that Lana is bound to end up hurt in an equation where you’re with another woman and completely oblivious to her feelings.”
Clark thought about it and realized that she had a valid point. He wasn’t sure he was ready to completely agree with Lois, yet. But it was something worth thinking about. He didn’t say that out loud, though. Instead, he met her gaze and asked, teasingly, “Since when did you get so smart?”
“While it’s a given that I am smart,” Lois began, with a wink, “I’m not speaking from an intellectual standpoint right now. I’m speaking from experience.”
Clark frowned. Since when did she have experience of being in love with him while he was with another girl? “What do you mean? I was never with anyone while --.”
“Not you,” Lois interjected and rolled her eyes. “I’m talking about Oliver. Oliver was in love with me while I was with you.”
Clark flinched and rolled his eyes. “I’ve tried to forget.”
Letting out a slight laugh, she slid off of his lap and went back towards her dressing table. “It doesn’t matter, anymore. He found Chloe.” She slipped her ring onto her left hand and turned to face him. “You just need to be careful until Lana finds her Chloe.” Then, she cocked her head to the side as she added, thoughtfully, “I hope she doesn’t actually find Chloe. The two are close, but that would be a bit weird. And then that'll mean Chloe's hooked up with both of our exes.”
“Lois!” Clark exclaimed. He rubbed his eyes as he tried to scrub the mental images Lois’s words had evoked out of his head.
Lois burst out laughing, as though she could tell exactly what he was doing. “Sorry.”
Shaking his head, Clark got up off the bed and super-sped until he was standing right behind her. Lois gasped in surprise as he slid his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him. Her eyes met his in the mirror and he moved her hair to the side to kiss her neck.
“How sorry are you?” Clark asked, as he trailed his lips over her neck down to her shoulder.
Her breath hitched. “A lot.” As he continued his assault, she leaned back and let out a slight moan. “Um… more than a lot?”
“Good.” Clark smiled and hooked his fingers into her pajamas. “You should make it up to me, then.”
She turned around in his arms and put her arms around his neck. "I should, huh?"
"Yes." He bent down and started kissing her; all thoughts of the day and exes flying out his mind. Either hers or his.
So intent on her task, Lois didn’t notice the petite woman standing near her desk until it was too late. With an oof, she crashed into the much smaller woman and Lois’s phone went flying out of her hands.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” Lois exclaimed and grabbed a hold of the woman to help her up. “Are you okay?” Then, she focused her attention on the person she was helping up and her eyes widened with recognition. “Lana?”
Letting out a disarming laugh, Lana nodded and then gave a shocked Lois a quick hug. “Yeah.” Then, she bent down to pick up Lois’s phone and handed it to Lois, her brown eyes twinkling with undisguised amusement. “Some things never change. You’re still a whirl wind, Lois.”
“Aahh…” Lois didn’t quite know how to respond to that. So, instead, she just asked what she considered to be the obvious question. “What are you doing here?” Then, she winced, hoping that her question hadn’t come off as being unwelcoming.
Lana, for her part, didn’t seem the least bit offended. Instead, she grinned at Lois and picked up Clark’s name-plate. Brandishing it a bit, she explained, “I’m looking for Clark. You haven’t seen him today, by any chance, have you?”
“Um… depends.” Her cheeks heated up. Technically, the last time Lois had seen Clark, they’d been in bed together and he’d been doing wicked things to her with his very talented hands and tongue. Blinking a bit, she cleared her throat and choked out, “At work? No. Not yet.”
Lana gave her an odd look, clearly confused by Lois’s response.
So, Lois expanded, “Um… I mean, I’ve been running around in meetings all day. And Smallville?” Lois glanced at his empty chair and shrugged. “Probably off chasing after a story. You know how his day can get.”
“Yes, I know,” Lana answered, simply. She set the name plate back down on the desk and then smiled at Lois. “His day can get pretty crazy. With him having to juggle everything, I mean.”
Awkwardly, Lois nodded. She knew that Lana knew about Clark’s extra-curricular activities, but she wasn’t exactly sure whether or not Lana knew that Lois knew. From what she had understood, Lana and Clark didn’t talk much. The thought reminded Lois that it was actually a little odd that Lana was looking for Clark, since the last she’d heard, Clark was pretty much going to die if he stood too long in Lana’s presence.
With a frown, Lois began to ask Lana that very question, when Lana interrupted. “Lois! Is that an engagement ring?” Before Lois could respond, Lana had lifted up her hand and was analyzing the diamond on her finger. With a huge grin, Lana declared, “It’s beautiful. Congratulations!”
Distracted by the sincerity and happiness radiating from Lana, Lois responded, faintly, “Um, thanks.”
“Who’s the lucky guy?” Lana asked, dropping Lois’s hand. She leaned back against Clark’s desk and wrinkled her nose. “Wait, no, let me guess. I bet it’s Oliver Queen.”
Lois’s brows rose at that and she couldn’t help but let out a slight laugh. “No, it’s not Oliver.” With a slight shrug, Lois added, “Ollie’s actually dating Chloe now. Didn’t she tell you?”
Blinking a bit in confusion, Lana straightened up at that revelation. “No….” Then, she said, slowly, “Chloe and I haven’t talked in months. I’ve been….” Lana cut herself off and then finished weakly, “I was kind of busy with some stuff and I wasn’t easy to get a hold of.”
“I see,” Lois answered, even though she didn’t see, at all. But since it was clear that Lana didn’t want to give her any more information, Lois didn’t think it was her business to pry. “Well, yeah. Chloe and Oliver are an item.”
“That’s… odd,” Lana seemed to be flummoxed. With a speculative look in Lois’s direction, she commented, “That must be hard for you. Your ex with your cousin? You don’t find it a bit… weird?”
Truthfully, Lois had never really given it much thought. So, it was with complete honesty that she answered, “No, not really. I mean, I’ve moved on. Oliver’s moved on.” She glanced down at her finger, where her engagement ring sparkled. “Actually, I’m happy that Ollie’s happy.”
“Right.” Lana nodded and appeared to agree with her. “That’s very big of you.”
Her lips twitching a bit in amusement, Lois shook her head. “I wouldn’t put it that way….”
“You always were too hard on yourself, Lois,” Lana cut in. She gave Lois a genuinely friendly smile. “Never at ease with a compliment.”
Feeling uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation – or, rather, the lack of direction – Lois shrugged.
An awkward silence stretched between them. Lois used that time to appraise Lana. She looked good, as she usually did. Flawless, really, was a good word to describe Clark’s ex-girlfriend. Never a hair out of place or even a piece of lint. Today was no exception. She wore a silk, sleeveless, dark blue dress; the skirt was a tasteful length, hitting her just at the knees. With it, she wore a beautiful pair of dangling earrings and a matching necklace.Her hair had grown back out since the last time Lois had seen her and curled around her shoulders elegantly.
It was a bit absurd, but Lois couldn’t help but feel a bit dowdy in her own simple black skirt and white dress shirt. As usual, Lois had foregone any jewelry, since it would have added an extra two minutes onto her morning prep time. She glanced down at her hands and saw a couple of ink stains on her right hand and, covertly, rubbed her hand against her skirt.
For her part, it seemed Lana was doing some checking out of her own, because she looked at Lois and said, with a friendly smile, “You look great, Lois. I love your hair that color.”
“Thanks.” And, then, because she couldn’t think of anything else to say, she added, lamely, “It’s my natural color.”
“Right. I think I knew that.” Lana nodded and then changed the subject. “Anyway, do you have any idea where Clark is? I kind of wanted to surprise him.”
“He’s with Chloe.” Normally, she would have had no clue where he was when he was in Blur mode, but Clark had just texted her thirty minutes ago to tell her that he’d been held up at Watchtower and that he didn’t know when he’d make it back. “No clue when he’s going to be back.”
Lana’s lips curved up into a fond smile. “Again, some things never change.”
Lois let out a tiny sigh. Because she’d just realized that it was going to be up to her to explain to Lana exactly how much things had changed. And that sucked.
*
“I think it’s great that you and Oliver are making it work, Chloe.” Clark walked down the stairs of the DP quickly, but at a pace that his friend would be able to keep up as she followed him down. “I’m happy for you.”
“Don’t count your chickens before they become omelets,” Chloe answered, warningly. “We’re not like you and Lois. We’re taking it slow.”
Clark let out a little laugh. “Lois and I started out taking it slow. Look where it got us.” He couldn’t help but grin at the thought. “We’re planning a wedding.”
Instead of responding with a teasing retort, his friend stopped in the middle of the stairs and whispered, “Oh my God.”
Alarmed, Clark stopped walking, too, and frowned at her. “Chloe? What is it?”
Chloe ignored him and grinned. This time, she spoke much louder and her voice carried. “Lana!”
Frozen in shock, Clark’s eyes followed the direction that Chloe was looking towards and his heart seemed to stop for a brief second. Sure enough, there stood his ex-girlfriend. And, right next to her, was Lois. Both women were looking up towards him and Chloe. One woman was beaming warmly at him and the other looked like she would rather be anywhere else on the planet.
“Lana!” Chloe said, again, and then hurried down the stairs towards her old friend. Lana moved towards her, at the same time, and the two met somewhere in the middle to wrap each other up in a hug.
Pulling back slightly, Lana said, breathlessly, “So what’s this I hear about you and a certain billionaire? You need to give me the details!”
Chloe frowned a bit and shot a look towards Lois over Lana’s shoulder. Lois shrugged slightly, as though she were saying that she couldn’t help it. Shaking her head, Chloe answered, “Not much to tell, really. It’s not that big of a deal.”
Lana didn’t look like she believed her, but she nodded, anyway. “Okay, if you say so.” Then, she turned her attention to Clark, who had actually managed to make his way down to the bullpen. With a teasing grin, she said, “Surprise!”
Clark’s brows shot up, but he couldn’t help but smile. “Let me guess. You’re cured?”
Lana let go of Chloe and stepped closer to Clark. She stopped right in front of him and looked up at him, her eyes full of mirth and happiness. “What gave it away?”
Leaning down a bit, so others couldn’t hear him, he answered, wryly, “Other than you standing half a foot away from me and I’m not writhing in pain?”
Standing a few feet away, Lois watched the exchange with a fond smile. Clark looked so happy and she was glad that Lana had managed to take care of her situation so the two of them could be in the same room again. She knew that it had hurt him to imagine Lana out there, with Kryptonite poisoning, because he was afraid of what the side-effects were going to be. And, in typical Clark Kent style, he blamed himself.
Lost in her thoughts and wrapped up in watching their reunion, Lois was startled when she felt her phone buzz in her hand. Glancing down, she saw a text from her source and that reminded her that she wasn’t exactly supposed to still be there. Turning around, she quickly grabbed her notes and her bag.
“Lois.” Clark saw her getting ready to leave and he frowned. He moved past Lana, to get to Lois’s side. “Where are you going?”
Lois lifted up her phone and responded, with a bright smile, “I have meeting with a source that I’m already late for. I gotta go, Smallville.”
“Wait.” As Lois started to brush past him, he captured her arm and turned her back around. “Can’t you re-schedule?” He glanced back in Lana’s general direction. “You should stay. We should all catch up.”
“Uhh….” Lois leaned over to look past Clark to Lana, who was watching them with an odd expression. She couldn’t help but let out a giggle at the dismay and discomfort in Clark’s eyes. Making an apologetic face towards Lana, she said, “Can you excuse us for a second?”
Not bothering to wait for a response, Lois grasped a hold of Clark’s hand and pulled him back towards the copy room. It didn’t afford a huge level of privacy, since the walls were made of glass, but it was at least far away enough to conduct a conversation without other people listening in. She closed the door behind them and turned to face Clark.
“You didn’t tell her and neither did Chloe,” Lois stated, in wry tone.
“We just got engaged a couple of months ago,” Clark protested. “And I haven’t talked to her in over a year.”
Rolling her eyes slightly, Lois answered, “Have none of you heard of e-mail? Or texting? Sheesh.”
Clark looked a little guilty and he shifted uncomfortably. “I didn’t want to tell her like that.”
“Oh, Smallville.” Taking pity on him, Lois shook her head and punched him lightly in the arm, with a slight grin. “Always the boy scout. It’s okay. I get it; I wouldn’t tell one of my exes like that, either.”
At that, Clark frowned and his eyes narrowed on her suspiciously. “What do you mean? How many of your exes don’t know about us? And how many exes do you have, anyway?”
“That’s not relevant to this conversation,” Lois responded hastily. She motioned towards the bullpen and pointed out the obvious. “That’s your ex out there and it’s your job to deal with this. Not mine.”
“Gee, thanks, Lois,” Clark responded, dryly. “That’s so supportive.”
Lois couldn’t help but laugh at his expression. Part fear, part discomfort; it was like he was about to face a firing squad, as opposed to just a small woman. “Clark, she’s not made of Kryptonite. At least, not anymore. You don’t need to look so scared.”
“Very funny.” Clark made a face, making it clear he wasn’t amused. “I’m not scared, Lois. I’m just….” He glanced out through the glass windows and finished, softly, “I don’t want to hurt her.”
Staring at him for a moment, Lois felt a rush of sympathy. She understood where he was coming from. The previous year, when Oliver had declared his love for her, it had been so hard to look him straight in the eye and tell him that she didn’t feel the same way. Especially because it had been on the heels of him almost taking his own life. It didn’t feel good to let the ones you loved down and having someone care about you more than you were able to care about them was a horrible feeling.
“Lois, I want you to be there,” Clark said, decisively. “Reschedule your source.” He gazed down at her earnestly and gave her one of those half-grins that she found utterly impossible to resist. “Please. For me.”
Letting out a resigned sigh, Lois finally caved. “Okay, let me see if I can push him back by an hour.” Pulling out her phone, she quickly dialed the number and gave Clark a warning look. “But, after an hour, you’re on your own. I managed to let Ollie down all by myself. I didn’t need you to hold my hand through that process. You should be able to handle this, Smallville.”
Clark raised his brows and leaned closer to her and said, teasingly, “I think we’ve established that you’re the stronger one in this relationship.”
Lois gave him a dirty look. “Flattery will get you nowhere. Even if it's the truth.”
Before Clark could respond, Lois turned away from him to speak rapidly into the phone. He watched as she cajoled the reluctant source into agreeing to meet her an hour later. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he studied her and the way she moved, the rise and fall of her voice as she used her persuasion skills. As usual, she was a constant blur of motion; she probably didn’t even realize she was pacing back and forth in the tiny copy room, her heels striking against the tiles with each step; her tight, black skirt restricted those steps to smaller ones than she’d probably like.
The skirt hit her mid-thigh and, for a second, his mouth went dry as he stared at her long legs; they looked a mile long with the black high heels. Clark let out a sigh of resignation that he had go back out there to re-connect with his ex, when he’d rather just take his fiancée back home for lunch. He knew from experience that it would only take him five seconds to get her out of that particular outfit if he used his super-speed. Three, if she’d let him rip it. Not that she ever did. Well, hardly ever.
Seemingly oblivious to the direction of his thoughts, Lois turned back to face him and gave him a confused look when she saw that he was staring at her. Her job done, Lois hit the off button on the phone, and turned to face him, her hands on her hips. “There. Happy?”
Clark looked down at her for a moment and bit back a grin. The fact was that he didn’t really need her to come with him. But he’d once made the mistake of letting Lois walk away while he went after Lana. He wasn’t going to do that again. And even though it seemed like Lois didn’t need it, he felt like he needed to go on record to make that distinction.
But Clark didn’t share his thoughts with Lois. Instead, he just replied, “Very.” Clark held out his hand to her. “Ready?”
For the first time, there was a flicker of hesitation in Lois’s eyes. She glanced out the window towards Lana, who seemed to be absorbed in conversation with Chloe, and then back down at his hand. “Um….”
So, Clark didn’t wait for her move. Instead, he bridged the distance between them and, before she could protest, he grasped her left hand. Her engagement ring felt cool under his fingers. Almost instinctively, he rubbed at it with his thumb and he said, gently, “C’mon, let’s go tell our friend we’re engaged.”
With a nod, she let him lead her out into the bullpen. Chloe was nowhere to be found and Lana was watching them approach with a speculative expression on her face.
Before either one of them could say anything, Lana said, “Chloe left. She had something to take care of.”
“Chloe had the right idea,” Lois muttered her breath. Clark shot her a dirty look and Lois gave him a half-shrug in response.
Lana looked down at their intertwined hands and said to Lois, with a small smile, “Let me guess. Clark’s the lucky guy?” There was no censure in her tone. If anything, she sounded warm and friendly.
Lois and Clark exchanged a glance and Lois let Clark answer, “Yes.”
“Congratulations,” Lana stated, simply, and her lips curved up into a wider smile. “When’s the wedding?”
“A few months,” Clark responded. At the same time, Lois answered, “About a year.”
The two looked at each other, confused, and then Lois explained, “We haven’t really pinned down a date, yet.”
“I see.” Lana glanced at the two of them and then offered, “Why don’t you guys let me take you out for lunch right now? To celebrate and catch up?”
“You don’t have to do that, Lana,” Lois answered, hastily. “I mean, it’s nice of you, but --.”
“No, I want to,” Lana insisted. “Please. My treat.”
Clark gave Lois a look, conveying to her silently that it would be rude of them to turn Lana’s offer down. Clearly, she agreed, because she turned to Lana, with a pained smile, and said, “Of course. That would be great.”
*
“I just want the record to show that I was right, Clark,” Lana said to him, teasingly, as they all perused the menus.
Lois glanced up from her menu. “Right about what?”
“Back when you two first met.” Lana set her own menu down and took a sip of her ice water. “I told Clark you two would end up together.”
Taken aback by that revelation, Lois glanced at Clark sharply. “You did?” Thinking back to the year she’d first met Clark and how madly in love he’d been with Lana, she couldn’t help but be a bit perplexed. “Why?”
Clark looked incredibly uncomfortable and he shot Lana a warning look. “Lois doesn’t need to hear this story.”
“Oh, but Lois does!” With a bright smile, Lois put down her menu and folded her hands across it. She focused her full attention on Lana. “Do tell. I love stories.”
Uneasily, Lana looked between the two of them and then she shrugged. “It’s not that big of a deal.” She looked towards Clark, who let out a sigh of resignation and indicated to her that she might as well continue. “It was in the caves. I bumped into Clark there and we were talking about you.”
With a raised brow, Lois asked archly, “You were?” She bit back a smile as Clark shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Interesting.”
At this point, even Lana was beginning to look like she very much regretted bringing it up. But, she went on, anyway. “I told him that you two made a good couple and he said that you guys weren’t together. And that he thought you were rude, annoying, stuck-up, and bossy.” With a slightly apologetic shrug, she added, “Or something like that. And, then, I told him that the best ones always start that way.” At that, her teasing look came back and she finished, “And, clearly, I was right.”
“Huh…” Lois turned to Clark, whose cheeks were flushed. “I see. What an interesting list of adjectives there, Smallville.”
“Hey, in my defense, all of those things were…” Clark paused and, then grinned at her wickedly, as he finished, “….completely true."
Lois opened her mouth to defend herself and then snapped it shut when she realized that he was right. That actually was a semi-accurate portrayal of who she was when she first got to Smallville. So, in the end, she just made a face and said, “Be that as it may – you left out all my good qualities.”
“Like what?” Clark asked.
“Like my ability to turn a blind eye to your horrendous plaid,” Lois pointed out. “And a deaf ear to the singing in the shower and --.”
“Wait a minute,” Clark interjected, holding up one hand. “You brought up my plaid every second you got. And I didn’t sing in the shower, so I don’t know what you’re --.”
“You totally sang in the shower,” Lois cut in, with a laugh. “In fact, you still sing in the shower. And I’m still turning a deaf ear.”
Clark let out an incredulous and disbelieving laugh. “No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do.” Lois leaned in closer to him. “In fact, you stick my name into a lot of your songs.” With a grin, she added, “As long as you don’t butcher Whitesnake, Smallville, it’s all good. But the second you get to the eighties top 100? I will have to jump in.”
Clark blinked at her in bemusement and said, slowly, “I had no idea I did that.”
“I don’t get you, Smallville.” Shaking her head slightly, Lois opened her menu again and murmured, “Guy’s got super-hearing and can’t hear himself sing in the shower. Go figure.”
Lana, who had been silent throughout the whole exchange, snapped her head in Lois’s direction at the comment. “Wait. You know?”
Frowning in confusion, Lois glanced up from her menu. “Know what?”
“Well, of course, it makes sense that you know.” Lana fiddled with the edge of her napkin. “I mean, I assumed you didn’t, but it does make sense.”
Still confused, Lois looked towards Clark for clarification. “Know what?”
“About my…” Clark glanced around and finished, “… heritage. You know.”
“Oh!” Lois eyes widened, as understanding dawned. “Yes, I know….” She turned to Lana and added, “And I know that you know. And that you had to leave because of complications with your special… suit.” Lois winced slightly, unable to figure out a better way to put it. “How is the situation with your suit?” She gestured towards Lana. “Do you still have it?”
Lana answered her, but kept her eyes fixed on Clark. “No. I… I couldn’t get rid of the poisoning without discarding the suit.” She glanced down and focused her attention on her silverware. “So, I decided to have it removed completely.”
“I’m sorry.” Lois put her hand on Lana’s. “I know that it was important to you.”
At that, Lana’s eyes lifted and she looked directly at Clark. “Not as important as other things.” For a moment, Lois saw a flash of pain in the other woman’s eyes. A second later, it was gone as Lana shuttered her gaze.
“I’m sorry,” Lois said again, but this time for an entirely different reason.
With a smile, Lana turned to Lois and said, “Don’t be. It’s not your fault. Sometimes, we have plans but fate has something else in store. So, we just have to come up with a new plan, that’s all.”
Lois knew that Lana was talking about more than just the power suit. But, out of respect, she didn’t point that out. Instead, she said, briskly, “So, now that you’re not leaping tall buildings in a single bound, anymore, what’s your plan?”
“You’re looking at the owner of the new art gallery in Metropolis,” Lana answered, with a genuine smile. “I hope you both will be able to make it to the opening. It’s next week.”
“Um… well…” Lois leaned back and admitted, “Art’s not really my thing --.”
“We’d love to,” Clark interjected. He caught Lois’s hand in his and gave it a warning squeeze. With a warm smile directed at Lana, he added, “How could we not be there to support a friend?”
Lois made a mental note to kill Clark later, but – in that moment – she just shot him a fake smile and said, through her teeth, “Of course.” But she couldn’t help but add, “Out of curiosity, will you be serving wine at this thing? Because I appreciate art so much more with a little bit of alcohol in my system.”
“Lois!” Clark shot her an exasperated look.
“What?” Lois gave him an innocent shrug. “It’s a valid question, Smallville.”
Lana let out a peal of laughter. “Yes, I’ll be serving wine. You’ll be fine, Lois.”
“There, you see?” Lois gave Clark a dirty look. “Lana gets it.”
Clark shook his head, in an affectionate manner, before glancing down at his menu.
At that moment, Lois’s phone buzzed and she picked it up, scrolling through the messages. Apologetically, she turned to Lana. “I have to go. It’s my source.” Casting a glance towards Clark, she added, “You’ll be fine without me?”
“Yes, I think I’ll survive,” Clark answered, wryly. “As long as you promise to be careful,” he added, the worry clear in his voice. He turned to Lana and explained, “The last time Lois had a source meeting, she ended up dangling from a fifty story building.”
Lois grimaced at the reminder. “A minor miscommunication.”
Clark shot an incredulous look. “Is that what we’re calling it?”
“It’s what I’m calling it.” Lifting one shoulder in a careless shrug, Lois got up and threw her bag over her shoulder. Turning to Lana, she added, “It was good seeing you, Lana. We’ll catch up at your opening.” Then she bent down and brushed her lips across Clark’s jaw before hurrying away. “See you at home, Smallville.”
They both watched her go and, after she’d disappeared from their view, the two turned to look at each other. An awkward silence descended on the table as they both tried to figure out what to say. Until that moment, they hadn’t realized how much Lois had kept the conversation going.
“Uh… so….” Clark fiddled with the menu in front of him and then looked around. “Where is our waiter? They haven’t taken our order, yet.”
Lana glanced around the restaurant, too, and nodded. “Yeah, that’s odd. But the place is pretty busy. It is lunch time, after all.”
“Yeah,” Clark agreed and then fell silent again.
For a second, Lana leaned back in her chair and allowed herself to study the man before her. He looked pretty much the same as he had when she’d known him as a boy and then a young man. Clark didn’t age as rapidly as most people, and he had still retained all of his good looks. If anything, he looked even more devastatingly handsome in his dark blue dress shirt and charcoal dress slacks. It was a step up from the t-shirts and jackets he used to wear when he was younger. He was bigger, too. More filled out and just – in general – a more commanding presence. Lana couldn’t tell if it was because of the way he carried himself or because he had actually physically grown. But whatever it was, it suited him.
Clark seemed to have caught her staring, because he quirked a brow at her and said, “What?”
With a slightly embarrassed smile, Lana looked down at her water glass. “Nothing. I was just thinking about how you haven’t changed, at all. You still look just like the kid that used to trip over his feet in the halls of Smallville High.”
Letting out a slight laugh, Clark took a sip of his water. “I don’t know whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, Lana.”
“Neither. Just an observation.”
Nodding slowly, Clark set down his glass. A little gently, he said, “Well, I may look the same, but I’ve changed quite a bit.”
“Yes, you have,” Lana responded, easily. She looked him over and, in a somewhat bemused way, tapped one finger against her lips. “You’re happy.”
Clark gave her a look. “What, was I not before?”
Lana stated, a little matter-of-factly, “Not like this.” Letting out a sigh, she elaborated, “It’s not like you were unhappy before. But this….” Forcing a teasing lilt to her voice, she pointed out, “Let’s just say that you never sang in the shower when I lived with you.” She didn’t show him how much the admission pained her.
At that, Clark burst out laughing. “I don’t actually believe I do that now.”
“I don’t know, Clark.” Lana grinned at him. “Lois is many things, but she is also truthful to a fault. I can’t imagine she’s making it up.”
With a slight eye roll, Clark conceded the point. “Yes, that’s true. It’s one of Lois’s many great qualities.”
“What are her other great qualities?” Lana asked, abruptly. Then, she winced a bit, wondering why she’d said that out loud. She’d promised herself that she’d be the epitome of graciousness about Clark’s new relationship. “I mean, I’m curious,” Lana amended. “You two spent years at each other’s throats. What changed?”
For his part, Clark seemed to accept her curiosity at face value. At least, he didn’t question it. He appeared to consider her words and then he answered, thoughtfully, “I don’t know. Some would say that we both grew up. Or that we finally realized what we had in front of us the whole time.” He stopped and gazed off into the distance. And, then added, softly, “Or maybe it was just fate. Sometimes, you have to catch up to it. And we finally caught up.”
“Fate.” The word seemed to stick in her throat. “Something even you can’t out-run, Clark. Even with all your powers.”
“Yeah.” His eyes met hers across the table and his gaze was sympathetic and warm. “But you know what? For once in my life, I’m not trying to out-run it. If anything, I’m running towards it. Because, for the first time, I like the view.”
Lana kept silent, because she really couldn’t come up with a response to that. With those simple words, Clark had just told her so much. And, as much as it hurt her, she had no choice but to step back. The happiness she’d seen in his eyes as he bantered with Lois; the look in Lois’s eyes when she teased him back. They were a couple very much in love. And she had no right to interfere with that. Not if she loved him.
“Lana.” Clark seemed to struggle with what he was going to say next. She waited for him to continue and when he finally spoke, he said, “I may not have a right to ask you this. But I need to know. Did you get cured because of me?” His blue-green eyes, the same ones that used to look at her with love and devotion, were now clouded with concern. “Leave your powers behind because of me?”
Lana swallowed. And lied, smoothly, “No.” She saw him let out a sigh of relief and she forced a smile to her lips. “No, Clark. I was ready to leave that life behind. Although, I did think it was a perk that we could finally share a meal together.” With a slight laugh, she wrinkled her nose and added, “If our waiter would ever show up!”
“That’s true.” With a grin, he raised his hand to gesture to the nearest staff person. “Let’s see if we can speed up the process.”
Lana nodded and busied herself with looking through her menu. She took a moment to compose herself, so she had enough strength to get through a whole meal with the love of her life. While, at the same time, convincing him that he wasn’t. Because he belonged to someone else.
*
“And, then, can you believe it? He actually had the audacity to tell me that the flash drive had been corrupted.” Lois kicked off her heels and began to unzip the side of her skirt. “Like I was born yesterday, Smallville. Clearly, Manheim’s people had already gotten to him.”
Clark, who had already changed into his pajamas, lounged back on the bed and watched Lois get ready for bed. He listened to her with half an ear as she took off her work clothes and pulled on yellow cotton pajama bottoms and a white tank top. She chattered on about the story she was working on for a few more minutes, as she pulled off her engagement ring and put it on the dressing table.
Taking the cream from the side table, she squirted some onto her hands and began working it through her fingers. At that point, she stopped talking and looked at Clark, her gaze narrowing dangerously on his face. “Smallville! Are you even listening?”
Blinking slightly, he looked up at her and shot her crooked grin. “Um… no. I was too distracted by the view.”
Letting out a disapproving groan, Lois grabbed the nearest pillow and hit him with it. “Very funny.”
With a laugh, he easily caught the pillow with one hand and then grabbed her around the waist with the other, tugging her down until she landed on top of him on the bed. Her lips were mere inches away from his and he bridged the gap, kissing her and nipping lightly at her bottom lip.
Lois pulled back and made a face. “No fair. You’re playing dirty.”
“You have no idea how dirty. I haven’t even started, yet,” he murmured in response and then leaned to kiss her neck.
Rolling her eyes, she smacked him on the chest and pushed him back against the headboard. “How was your day? Unlike you, I won’t zone out while you give me the details,” she added, sweetly.
“Uhh… It was fine?”
“Your lunch?” Lois reminded him and one brow rose in question. “With Lana?”
“Oh, right.” Clark raked a hand through his hair, as he recalled the lunch that had followed after Lois had left. “It was… weird. And awkward.”
“Awkward?” Lois tilted her head to the side as she pondered that. “Really? That sucks.”
“Well, she is my ex-girlfriend,” Clark pointed out.
Lois smile wryly. “Thanks for reminding me. I’d forgotten for a total of three point two seconds.”
Clark flushed. “I mean, it’s bound to be weird.”
Lois seemed to give that some thought. “I don’t know. I mean, Ollie and I seemed to get along even better after we became exes. We never had any awkward lunches.”
“And thanks for reminding me of that,” Clark retorted, with a dirty look. “What you and Oliver have isn’t normal, Lois.”
“On the contrary,” Lois shot back, waving her hand airily. “What you and Lana have isn’t normal. Let’s face it, Clark. You two were never good at being friends. It was all or nothing for both of you.”
“Maybe,” Clark conceded, after giving it some thought. “But it’s different now. I’ve moved on. She’s moved on. I think we can be friends.”
Lois scooted back a bit, straddling his legs more comfortably to be able to look at him. She didn’t bother to hide the doubtful note in her tone, “I don’t know, Clark. I think she’s still in love with you.”
“No, she’s not,” Clark assured her. His hands were still at her waist and he pulled her closer to him. “I asked her.”
“You asked her if she was still in love with you?” Lois repeated, incredulously, with her eyes widening in horror.
“No. I asked her if she got the cure because of me and she said that she didn’t.” Clark thought back to Lana and how she’d behaved at the lunch. “I believe her. I think she’s really happy.”
“Clark, of course you believe her,” Lois replied, shaking her head in exasperation. “You’re… Clark Kent.” She waved her hand in his general direction. “You believe everybody about everything. If the Pope told you he was a Buddhist, you’d believe him.”
“Well, of course I would. He’s the Pope. Why would he lie?” Clark answered smoothly, with a grin.
“Smallville!” Lois wasn’t amused. “Focus.”
Sobering up a bit, Clark shook his head. “Lois, you’re making too much out of this. Trust me, it’s possible for Lana and me to be friends.”
“I do trust you,” Lois answered, with a sigh of resignation. “It’s just that….”
“What?” Clark gazed at her searchingly. “You don’t think that I’d --.”
“No,” Lois cut in, quickly. “It’s not you. I’m worried about Lana.”
“Lana?” Clark’s brows furrowed in confusion as he tried to process that. “About what?”
For a moment, Lois was quiet and then she put her hand on his shoulder. “Let me put it this way. I know what it’s like to be in love with Clark Kent. You’re a hard guy to get over, Smallville. So, I just think that Lana is bound to end up hurt in an equation where you’re with another woman and completely oblivious to her feelings.”
Clark thought about it and realized that she had a valid point. He wasn’t sure he was ready to completely agree with Lois, yet. But it was something worth thinking about. He didn’t say that out loud, though. Instead, he met her gaze and asked, teasingly, “Since when did you get so smart?”
“While it’s a given that I am smart,” Lois began, with a wink, “I’m not speaking from an intellectual standpoint right now. I’m speaking from experience.”
Clark frowned. Since when did she have experience of being in love with him while he was with another girl? “What do you mean? I was never with anyone while --.”
“Not you,” Lois interjected and rolled her eyes. “I’m talking about Oliver. Oliver was in love with me while I was with you.”
Clark flinched and rolled his eyes. “I’ve tried to forget.”
Letting out a slight laugh, she slid off of his lap and went back towards her dressing table. “It doesn’t matter, anymore. He found Chloe.” She slipped her ring onto her left hand and turned to face him. “You just need to be careful until Lana finds her Chloe.” Then, she cocked her head to the side as she added, thoughtfully, “I hope she doesn’t actually find Chloe. The two are close, but that would be a bit weird. And then that'll mean Chloe's hooked up with both of our exes.”
“Lois!” Clark exclaimed. He rubbed his eyes as he tried to scrub the mental images Lois’s words had evoked out of his head.
Lois burst out laughing, as though she could tell exactly what he was doing. “Sorry.”
Shaking his head, Clark got up off the bed and super-sped until he was standing right behind her. Lois gasped in surprise as he slid his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him. Her eyes met his in the mirror and he moved her hair to the side to kiss her neck.
“How sorry are you?” Clark asked, as he trailed his lips over her neck down to her shoulder.
Her breath hitched. “A lot.” As he continued his assault, she leaned back and let out a slight moan. “Um… more than a lot?”
“Good.” Clark smiled and hooked his fingers into her pajamas. “You should make it up to me, then.”
She turned around in his arms and put her arms around his neck. "I should, huh?"
"Yes." He bent down and started kissing her; all thoughts of the day and exes flying out his mind. Either hers or his.
