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There's nothing like falling from the ledge of a building to put life into perspective.
Lois was huddled on the couch in the Talon apartment, shaken up by her latest brush with death. This time, she had truly believed she was a goner, and weirdly enough, she would have been okay with it if it meant Clark was free to continue being a hero.
Except, apparently, Clark wasn't The Blur, and her noble sacrifice had been misplaced bravado. Clark had only just left her apartment after hovering all evening, his eyes saying more than anything else because neither of them would touch the elephant in the room.
It's not even that she thought he was The Blur. Being prepared to die for Clark is what she struggled to wrap her head around. Her therapist told her to look at the man in front of her, and she did. Believing Clark was The Blur had been the best twenty-four hours of her life. It was like everything made sense.
To have it snatched away…well, Lois should be upset. Heck, she almost died. It was the look in Clark's eyes that stopped her in her tracks. The terror…horror…the desperation, and…she's spent a lifetime wishing someone needed her, and in that moment, he did.
Still, launching herself off a building is extreme even for Lois. It was all over Clark's face, and then Chloe when she stopped by at the apartment to chastise her for being so reckless.
"Lois, what were you thinking?" Chloe asked, pacing in front of the couch, her short blonde hair swishing around frantically.
"I don't know!" Lois cradled her mug of tea against her chest, feeling oddly small. "I wanted to help The Blur."
"By falling off a building in front of Clark?"
Chloe was extremely concerned, or she was a good actress, not that Lois wanted to get into it. Believing Clark was The Blur meant processing the fact that her friends had been lying to her the entire time. Call it cowardice, but she wasn't ready to do that.
Setting her mug down on the coffee table, she chose her next words carefully.
"I admit it wasn't my best move."
"Understatement of the century," Chloe retorted, finally coming to a standstill. "Next time you want to help The Blur, call me."
"Why?" Lois asked. "Do you know who he is?"
Chloe's answer was cryptic, the way they had been since she left the Daily Planet. "I know him about as well as you do."
"Really?" Lois leaned forward with interest. "I guess your work with the ISIS foundation would definitely put you on his radar. Similar to how my work at the paper puts me on his. He's big on helping everyone, not just us regular folk."
Lois usually avoided talking about The Blur with Chloe. Ollie was busy being a hero, and the last thing she wanted to do was discuss another guy with Clark. Chloe would have been her first choice, but her cousin was like Fort Knox these days.
“Maybe you don't know him as well as you think you do, Lois. He let you fall off a building.”
From the hard expression on her face, Chloe wasn't the guy's biggest fan. It was strange. Based on everything she'd covered in The Torch at Smallville High, it should have been right up her alley, yet ever since Jimmy died, Chloe was like a new person. Less bubbly and more abrasive.
Sitting up, Lois folded her arms across her chest. “That's kind of harsh.”
Chloe's expression softened, and her shoulders dropped. "Can you honestly say I'm wrong?"
For once in her life, Lois didn't have a response.
+
Clark was in the kitchen at the farm when he heard a car pulling up. A door slammed shut, and footsteps crunched on the gravel before Chloe appeared in the doorway.
“Chloe," Clark said, slinging a dishcloth over his shoulder. "I thought you were looking after Lois."
The events of the past day were whirling in his mind like they had super speed. He kept replaying Lois falling over and over, like a tattoo on his brain. She had only been in that position because she was protecting him. And he'd been too much of a coward to reveal who he was, even if it was the last thing he ever said to her.
“Lois is fine," Chloe said, dropping her bag onto the table. "I think all those near-death experiences had made her an expert at getting over it."
Clark didn't quite buy that, although he wasn't stupid enough to tell Chloe he knew her cousin better than she did. Lois hid behind her shellac exterior, but she was just as vulnerable as anybody else. He could tell she was badly shaken up after the phone call from Chloe pretending to be The Blur.
“I can't believe..." Clark trailed off, choosing his words carefully. "What happened out there was unacceptable."
Chloe's eyebrows rose in agreement. “Well, I did my best to get her off the trail. I even took some sheen off The Blur.”
“How did you manage that?"
"I told her you let her fall off the building," Chloe said, matter-of-factly. "Not that I'm judging."
"Haven't we told each other enough lies, Chloe?" Clark wasn't surprised that Chloe was taking a hard line. Everything he did seemed to be wrong these days, and they found themselves more at odds.
Chloe pressed her lips together and rolled her neck, like she was fighting her better nature. "Getting this close to Lois was a risk, Clark. You know that. And whether you like it or not, you had a choice on that rooftop."
"That's not fair, Chloe," Clark said. "I went up there to save her, and I did not know that she knew about me. What was I supposed to do?"
“Clark, you had no way of knowing what would happen when Lois sacrificed herself for you," Chloe said. "But was leaving her out in the cold the best option?"
“Are we talking about Lois or you?”
Chloe's stance wasn't surprising given how their friendship had changed since Doomsday. Still, Clark missed the support he'd taken for granted so many times. He missed the version of Chloe who believed in him no matter what.
“I know what I signed up for. She doesn't. And if you're not willing to tell her the truth, maybe you need to rethink your strategy.”
By strategy, Clark knew Chloe meant his burgeoning relationship with Lois. It had long been a bone of contention. If he trusted Lois enough to be in his life, his secret should have been an extension of that. Yet, he held firm, teetering between pretending what he had with Lois was enough while knowing it was barely scratching the surface.
“The only reason she was up on that roof was because of me. If I saved her as Clark, she would have been in even more danger.”
“You've found creative ways to save people before.”
“There's creativity, and then there's…watching someone you care about dangling off the side of a building. I froze.”
Chloe released a quiet breath. "And you had no way of knowing what sacrifices Lois was prepared to make to protect you. Wanna talk about that?”
“Do we have to?” Clark was so used to being the protector that it always felt strange being on the receiving end.
“You called me out on listening to your phone calls. We've already sailed past awkward. Admit it, Clark. Sooner or later, you're going to have to decide what's more important. Being around Lois or being The Blur.”
“From your tone, I see you think it's the latter.”
“I'm sorry, Clark.” Chloe grabbed her bag and took a step towards the door before she turned back. "For what it's worth, I think Lois would want you to make the same choice."
+
Chloe had been gone for a few hours to run errands when a creaky pipe and one too many howls in the night sky freaked Lois out. She called Oliver, but he was in the middle of an arrow fight. She thought about calling her father before deciding his dressing-down earlier was enough.
Apparently, the Lanes did not engage in irresponsible behaviour, such as claiming to know a superhero on national television. Luckily for her, the District Attorney trying to murder her was enough for the Department of Defense to hold off on dragging her to an undercover bunker for a thorough debriefing.
In the end, her deliberation led her to The Kent farm, the place she'd always felt at home.
Clark was in the barn when she arrived, waiting at the foot of the staircase when she strolled in, wishing she'd worn a pair of sneakers for once. Instead, she had traded her long, oversized t-shirt and sweatpants for a plain white blouse and jeans, and her trusty brown heeled boots.
The way he stood there was odd, almost like he'd been expecting her.
“Hey!” she says, a touch too enthusiastic. “I thought you'd be tucked up in bed by now.”
“Yet, you drove all the way over here?” Clark asked, his eyes twinkling under the relaxed lighting in the barn. The same eyes Lois had been up close to when he kissed her (not that she was ready to revisit that just yet).
"I wanted to talk to you before we went back to work," she said. "I've been all over the place lately. I figure I owe you an explanation."
Clark takes the steps slowly, stopping a few feet shy of her. He smelt like wood and Old Spice, and it was oddly captivating.
“Lois, you need to rest. The DA tried to kill you. That would put an enormous strain on anyone.”
“Is this your way of avoiding the subject?” Lois asked. She was hardly one to talk after running a country cross mile to avoid talking about the kiss they shared.
“No.” Clark stepped forward, closing the distance between them. “It's my way of saying that I'm worried about you.”
They shared a look, and she felt his concern radiating through her. It was overwhelming, and Lois did what she did best. She buried those feelings and put her armour back up.
“You don't need to worry about me!” Lois chuckled. “I'm an army brat, remember? Violence is like having pancakes for breakfast. Luckily for me, I didn't spill any syrup.”
The words were glib even for her, yet Clark followed her lead. He offered her a tiny smile that seemed to say, I see what you're doing, but I'll play your game.
“You always have such a colourful way of spinning your near-death experiences.”
“And you're always around for these near-death experiences," Lois retorted. "Careful. I might think you're my bad luck charm, Prince Charming.”
Clark's eyes gleamed with intrigue, and Lois's heartbeat kicked up a notch. “I didn't think you'd be one for fairytales.”
“What girl isn't?” Lois said. “I dated a billionaire, remember.”
“How could I forget?” Clark grimaced, which Lois filed away for later. Something about the easy-going Clark Kent being jealous tickled her. “Remember when my Mom made me practice dancing with you the first time he invited you to a black-tie event? You stepped on my foot seventeen times.”
Laughter bubbled in Lois's chest, and the cloud of fear lifted. She'd almost forgotten that evening. Clark had grumbled and complained the entire time, but he didn't quit until she had mastered the steps.
“It's not my fault that you have the grace of a heavily pregnant cow, Smallville. I guess farm life will do that to you.”
Clark grinned and shook his head. "You're making farm jokes. All is right in the world."
"Yeah," Lois said, taking in the barn and appreciating that Clark didn't mind her being in his comfort zone. "It is."
“Anyway." Clark raised an eyebrow. "You were saying something about fairytales."
It was what Lois had come over here to say, and she was grateful that he'd circled back to it before she lost her nerve.
"Right. Obviously, you're not my bad luck charm. We all have moments where we want to be saved, sometimes by a special someone. Not in a physical sense, but, I don't know, from loneliness or sadness. And few people can say that they have someone who fits the bill.”
Lois knew she was rambling, but if anyone understood, it would be Clark. There was a reason she'd believed he was The Blur, and she was determined to explain herself.
“Lois, I didn't save you,” Clark said. "I'm afraid you think too much of me."
“Maybe you didn't,” she said. “You were still there. I could have been alone, dangling off that building, but you were there. Thank you for that.”
“You don't have to thank me, Lois,” Clark said. “You wouldn't have been in that position if it weren't for me.”
“Newsflash, Smallville," Lois said, narrowing her eyes. "You're not The Blur, remember? Or is this some kind of fight club situation?"
"Fight club?"
"The first rule…" Lois raised a hand and waved her own remark away. "You know what, never mind."
“I still should have been there to make sure you were okay after the press conference," Clark said, his voice low and tinged with regret.
“Hey, if you want to take some blame, feel free. I think I'm embarrassed enough for the both of us. Like The Blur would leave me a crummy rose and such an obvious thank you note?”
Lois was back in 'tough as old boots' mode, which Clark acknowledged with a knowing look.
“No, you're right," he said, thankfully playing along. "He'd probably be more discreet. Maybe he'd pick a place the two of you have fond memories of.”
“Exactly!” Lois chuckled. “It was stupid to think he'd want to see me right after I made a fool of myself in his honour."
“No, it wasn't,” Clark said. “Don't sell yourself short. If The Blur knows you as well as I do, he sees how special you are.”
Lois ducked her chin; her chest tightened as she stepped back. The urge to flee was powerful. Yet, she forced herself to look back up at Clark. He was watching her, eyebrows drawn together as he met her eyes. For a second, time stopped, and Lois felt drawn to him in a way she'd never felt before.
There was an attraction between them for sure, and Lois had stopped pretending she didn't have feelings for him a long time ago. This connection, though, was something else. Something real. And after the day she'd had, Lois needed a breather.
“We're reaching dangerously mushy territory, so I'm going to go home and inhale some rocky road ice cream. Maybe I'll ugly cry my way through some Hallmark movies. You want in? I bet you we'll find a farm boy even cornier than Clark Kent on the box."
Lois was fully expecting Clark to make one of his trademark excuses and send her on her way. She was a big girl. She could handle being in the apartment alone if Chloe didn't return until late.
Instead, he said, “Sure."
"Clark, I was just kidding," Lois said. "I'm sure you have better things to do."
"I can't think of anything I'd rather do."
Lois's heart did a weird skip, and just like that, she knew she was hooked.
Clark says, glancing at his watch. “I have some errands to run, but I'll call you at, say, ten?”
“You're on.” Lois headed towards the exit before turning back one last time. Clark caught her gaze, and his lips twisted into a slow, crescent-shaped smile that was only for her.
"You know, I'm pretty sure we have Rocky Road ice cream here." Clark drew up his shoulders, giving her a sidelong glance. "We could just hang out here."
"Are you sure? I don't want to get in the way of your errands."
"The errands can wait." Clark marched forward and motioned towards the house in the near distance. "Race you to the house?"
Lois's mouth dropped open when he took off without waiting for an answer, and she moved to follow him, laughing at how ridiculous they were being.
When she caught up with him on the front porch, he extended his arm and helped her up the step. When he didn't let go, she looked up at him expectantly.
"I'm glad you're okay, Lois," he murmured, pulling her into a hug. Resting her head in the crook of his neck was easy, and she wrapped her arms around him.
"I'm glad too, Smallville."
~fin