Author's Note : Set after "Bride". It covers the four weeks that Lois is missing. First fanfic. Tell me what you think!!

Six hundred and ninety six hours. That's how long it had been since she'd seen him. Her farm boy. Her Smallville. That added up to twenty nine long, grueling days that had fittingly been spent in one of the places she hated most; the hospital. What made it worse was the fact that she herself wasn't even injured and being forced to stay here. She was here of her own free will, for Jimmy.

Poor Jimmy. Lois let her eyes drift over to the man lying beaten and broken in the hospital bed. Her coworker – friend, she corrected herself. After all, Jimmy was part of the family now – was still in a coma, recovering from his extensive injuries and intense ten hour surgery. That was twenty eight days ago. Twenty nine days since Chloe and Jimmy's disaster of a wedding. Twenty nine days since her heart had been crushed in her chest.

Ah, the wedding. How was it that she had had her heart broken not once, not twice, but three times that day? Maybe she was being dramatic. It was more like her heart had been dented, crushed, and then ripped in half. Yeah, that seemed more like it.

Lois curled up on the cushy hospital chair where she'd spent the last four weeks. She closed her eyes and rested her head on her hands, thinking about the events that had taken place at the wedding. Things between her and Clark… the electricity… the feelings. What she had said to Oliver had been one hundred percent accurate: the feelings had just sort of snuck up on her.

Snuck up on me and smacked me in the face, Lois thought vaguely.

The whole night had just been… so trying. And when it came to the dance she and Clark had shared; the looks he had given her! No one else could do that to her. She had never come across anyone who could render her, Lois Lane, speechless with just one look. But Smallville could do that to her. And what made it worse is that recently, every time she looked at him she felt the confusing rush of feelings that now accompanied the mere mention of his name. Was she attracted to him? Certainly. Did she have feelings for him? Yes. Was she in love with him?

Maybe.

During the dance, she had felt it stronger than ever. Right from the moment he had grabbed onto her hand to the second she had been pushed into his chest. She had pulled back, looking up at him. He had stared back with an indescribable expression – warmth? Happiness? Attraction? Whatever it had been, it had caught her off guard. And that had been the point when she had completely lost control of her careful avoidance of her feelings. Feeling extremely vulnerable, she had leaned in slowly, barely daring to hope. To her surprise, Clark had let his eyes close slowly as he leaned in towards her. Her heart had been beating frantically. Was this possibly real? Was it possible he felt the same?

Enter Lana. Damn, that girl had bad timing. Nothing like shoving Clark's first love into his face to ruin a moment. Jeez. Lois's next instinct had been to flee as fast as she could and drown her sorrows in the first form of alcohol that had come along. And she had. Sort of. Oliver Queen had come to her emotional rescue and somehow gotten her to talk about how she felt. Much to her surprise, Ollie had guessed at the object of Lois's feelings and had made her feel a little bit better about it.

And then all hell had broken loose. She'd heard the screams and the crashing coming from the barn, and her heart had jumped up into her throat. No! Chloe was in there! And Clark!

Oliver had stopped her before she'd been able to make a break for the small barn.

"No," he had insisted. "Stay here, Lois. I'll be right back."

No sooner were the words out of his mouth when a large grey object exploded out of the barn and shot off into the darkness. Screams were still ringing out into the night…

Lois shifted in her chair, shivering at the memories. But more came flooding back. Seeing Clark with Lana in the hospital. Now that had been painful. The déjà-vu had struck her hard as she watched the two exes. It was too tough to deal with heartbreak when the world was falling apart. Chloe had just been snatched by something and Jimmy lay dying on a hospital gurney. Clark had rounded the corner then, spotting her immediately.

"How are you holding up?" he'd asked her.

How am I holding up? she had felt like screaming. I'm not holding up, Clark! Chloe's gone! Jimmy's half dead! And I've somehow managed to get my heart broken again, by you of all people! You, who I never thought would ever hurt me!

But out loud – keeping her feelings in check – she had just explained the seriousness of Jimmy's situation, and how she had decided to go with him to Star City where she wouldn't leave until she heard from her cousin again. Then, losing control for a second, she had demanded to know why all these things, these terrible, life-crushing things, kept happening to them.

He had cut off the rest of her train of thought by pulling her into his chest and enveloping her in a tight embrace. The gesture was meant to make her feel better, but instead it felt like pouring rubbing alcohol into an open wound. She'd stayed completely rigid as he had assured her that they would find Chloe, that they'd bring her back. But she had felt so hopeless, so alone, that all she could say was, "What if we can't?"

Then, doing one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do, she pulled away from him and walked away, ignoring his pained look. Stopping at the elevator, she had turned to look at him one last time. One last time before she disappeared from his life for God knows how long. He had stared back; his expression sad, her expression broken.

And here she sat, all alone in a hospital room after weeks on end with no one to talk to except a comatose Jimmy. She actually had been talking to him. Not because she thought he could hear her, but because it made her feel a little less alone. It also made her feel like there was some sort of hope. Like maybe one day soon her friend would wake up and start talking back, and Chloe would walk through the door with Clark in tow, who would smile at her like before and say 'Lana who?'

But for now she just sat in the dimly lit room, curled up and waiting. Trying not to scream out in pain just to break the silence, she filled it with her usual idle banter instead.

"I should have taken your advice, Jimmy," she said quietly, opening her eyes blearily. "You saw what I refused to. How you knew what I wanted before I did is beyond me, Olsen. I do love him. I've had four long weeks to think about it and now I know; I love him a lot. But I think it is pointless now. He's out there with Lana, and I –" She sucked in a shaky breath and tried again. "How am I supposed to compete with that? What they had. What am I supposed to do anyways? I keep hoping that someone out there will somehow find Chloe and magically make everything go back to the way it was before." With a small laugh she said, "You would probably start going on about 'heroes' at this point. Like your red and blue blur, or something. I wish I could say the same. I wish I could believe that some mysterious hero would come and make everything better. But right now I just don't have much faith in heroes, Jimmy. I wish I did, but I don't. Nothing I've seen lately has given me much reason to."

Lois rested her head back down onto her arms, and murmured, "I'm gonna sleep now, Olsen. You keep your fingers crossed for that hero."

*

Six hundred and ninety seven hours. That's how long it had been since he'd seen her. Lois Lane. His partner. His friend. The girl he was falling for. Scratch that; the girl he had fallen for. He was already in love with her. The twenty nine days away from her had shown him that.

Clark sat back against his couch, thinking of the last time he'd seen her. The wedding. The night he had realized just how much he felt for her. They had almost kissed too. That part he remembered vividly. But then Lana had showed up, effectively distracting him from that. Not that he was interested in Lana that way anymore; the last few weeks had proven that to him. She had been a helpful friend, but nothing more. Lana hadn't been able to fill the hole left over from Lois's absence.

Clark had never realized how much he needed her until she had left. He couldn't help but wonder when it was that Lois had stopped being his annoying, bossy, sarcastic friend. She was still those things, of course, but it was different now. Those qualities made him smile. They filled him up with warmth now, rather than annoyance. They made him want to wrap his arms around her and never let go. He missed her smile, the spark of intuition behind her eyes when she was onto something, and the mischievous look she got on her face when she was hatching a harebrained scheme. After all, the last expression he had seen on her face had been a look of hopeless devastation. One that he had ached to fix, but had had no means to do so. She had paused as she left, long enough to give him that look. And he had let her go. It wasn't what he had wanted to do, but someone needed to look after Jimmy, and he needed to find Chloe.

And he had. After four extremely long and painful weeks he had found his friend and brought her back. She was safe now. Cured. No more Brainiac. They had just since returned a few hours ago. Chloe had already left, driving to Star City to see Jimmy. He had warned her though that as far as he knew, Jimmy hadn't even woken up yet. Lois had left a few messages on his cell phone. She only ever talked about Jimmy's condition, and she only called at times when he wouldn't be able to answer his cell. Like at two or three in the morning, for example. She always sounded so lifeless in those messages. He'd tried contacting her almost every day, with no luck. He had even tried calling her an hour ago to let her know that he had kept his promise; he'd brought Chloe home.

But the call had gone straight to voicemail. He just hoped that Chloe would be able bring her back to life a little; bring back some of the vivaciousness that was Lois.

A large part of him wanted to go to Star City himself, this time to bring Lois home. But after what had happened in the last month, he wasn't sure she would even want to see him. Instead he stayed at the farm, attempting to get a few some sleep so he could figure out what to do about Lois before he lost her for good.

*

"Chloe."

Lois heard the quiet whisper cut through her light sleep. She stirred slightly, unsure whether or not the whispered name had been part of her dream. She pried her eyes open with some difficulty. Just as like always, she was alone – except for Jimmy of course – in the room. Jimmy stirred and whispered the name again.

Just Jimmy, Lois thought sleepily. The realization set in a few seconds later and she sat up abruptly. Jimmy!

Lois slid off the chair and stumbled over to his side, brushing away her hair impatiently as she leaned over him. "Jimmy? Jimmy, can you hear me?"

"Chloe?" Jimmy groaned. His eyes fluttered open and he looked confused. "Lois?"

"Jimmy," Lois laughed. The sound was strange, after so long. "Thank God."

"Lois," Jimmy said, looking around. "Where am I?"

"You're in Star City General," Lois replied. "You had us worried for a bit there, Olsen. Took a while to wake your lazy ass up."

Jimmy smiled at her teasing, but still looked disoriented. "Why am I here? Lois, what happened?"

Her smile faded. "Jimmy, you were attacked at the wedding reception. You were trying to protect Chloe from… this thing… when it side swiped you. Crushed a lot of bones in your chest and cut it open. You were removed from Smallville Medical Center and transferred here for major surgery. You've spent the last few weeks in a coma."

Jimmy blinked rather rapidly. "My God. Wait, Lois where's Chloe? Is Chloe okay? Is she here too?"

Lois felt ice flood her stomach. How would he react? Should she lie? "You want the truth?"

He nodded vigorously. "What happened to Chloe?"

Lois took a deep breath. "Jimmy, Chloe is –"

"Right here," said a voice from the doorway. Lois turned, her eyes widening.

Chloe Sullivan stood smiling in the doorway, her purse and coat clutched under her arms. She looked unscathed, completely fine, as though she hadn't spent the last month missing with a monster. Chloe made her way over to Jimmy.

"Chloe!" he said, throwing his arms around her. "Thank God you're okay. I was afraid for a minute there."

"I'm fine," she insisted with a smile. "It's you I'm worried about. How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Jimmy said. "Lois here was just telling me what had happened."

The newlyweds turned to look at Lois, who was hovering a few feet away, her expression shocked.

"Lois," Chloe said, sliding off the bed to her cousin. She hugged her tightly, whispering, "Thank you for staying with him. I know how hard all of this must have been for you."

"How?" Lois squeaked. "How did you come back? Where were you?"

Chloe smiled, speaking quietly so that Jimmy wouldn't hear. "It's a long story, cuz. I'll tell you about it soon, but not today. Today I just want to be with Jimmy. Besides, you look like you could use some sleep."

She eyed the dark circles under Lois' eyes. Lois almost grinned. Chloe thought this was bad? If only she had come the day before. At least today she had showered and gotten fresh clothes.

"But," Lois said imploringly, "how did you come back?"

"Clark found me," she explained. Lois froze.

"Smallville found you?" she asked hoarsely.

Chloe nodded. "Yeah, he did."

Lois nodded to herself and then grabbed her coat and purse. Chloe and Jimmy looked confused.

"Where are you going?" Chloe asked.

"There's somewhere I have to go," she replied, struggling into her coat.

"Are you jumping the lily pad, Lois?" Jimmy asked.

Chloe looked confused, but Lois gave him a weak smile and said, "I have no idea, Jimmy."

And with that, she ran off into the night. Chloe turned to Jimmy.

"What lily pad?" she asked. She poked him gently and said, "Are you sure your brains weren't scrambled?"

"Lois doesn't seem to think so," he grinned. "And I don't think CK will either."

*

Clark stirred slightly, lifting his head off the couch cushion. It was midnight exactly, according to the big grandfather clock. He sighed and rolled over, trying to fall back asleep. He sat up a minute later when he heard the distant rumble of a car engine. The car was coming down the driveway up to the farm. Clark shot off the couch and out the door, pausing in the driveway. The car stopped a few feet away, coming to an idling stop. It was too dark to see inside the car. The driver seemed to pause, before pushing the door open and climbing out.

Clark froze as she stood up and stared at him. She looked beautiful, all wrapped up in her coat and scarf. Her dark brown hair was waving loosely past her shoulder, and her face was paler than usual. Dark circles accentuated her hazel eyes, and he wondered how much she had slept in the time she'd been gone. Despite the obvious lack of sleep, she still looked gorgeous to him. His lips parted, and he stared.

"Lois?" he whispered, his tone surprised.

She stood where she was, unmoving. She had the air of someone who was staring at a ghost or a car wreck. Her wide eyes pierced his, but she didn't make a move towards him. Instead, her shoulders started to shake as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Lois." He half ran towards her, throwing his arms around her as he drew level with her. He pulled her into his chest as tightly as he could, resting his cheek against her soft hair. She trembled, crying silently. "Lois, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I wanted to come get you so many times."

Lois gulped and caught her breath long enough to say, "You brought her home."

Clark nodded. "Chloe's safe now. I brought her back. We brought her back, Lois. You kept Jimmy safe for her until she came home."

Lois just trembled in his arms, seemingly incapable of anymore words. She was shivering too. Clark leaned down a bit and brushed his arm against the back of her legs, knocking her lightly off her feet and into his arms. She didn't react, so he carried her inside, curling up on the couch with her. She was emotional beyond words; a product of the last few weeks finally catching up with her. She rested her head against his chest, tears still streaming down her face. He rubbed soothing circles on her back, waiting for her to stop.

He pressed his lips to her hair, her forehead, her cheek. A part of him knew he should be more careful; this was Lois Lane after all, and there was a good chance that she was very angry with him. But he couldn't help it; he wasn't meant to go without her for so long. It was like asking someone to go without food; it would almost kill and would most definitely cause a lot of pain. To him the kisses were reassuring; proof that she was really here in his arms. As he kissed her temple, he noticed the trembling was slowing.

"I missed you," he whispered.

She sniffled. "Did you?"

"Of course," he said, leaning down to kiss her nose. "Ask anyone; Oliver, Lana, Chloe. I drove them insane by talking about you, wondering how you were, what you were thinking…"

Her bottom lip quivered as she fought to regain her composure. She looked at him; her eyes conveyed the same deep sadness that she had given him that night at the hospital. Clark felt his heart squeeze painfully at the expression of hurt. She slid off of his lap, standing up and backing away. Clark half rose, feeling confused.

Lois stared at him. It was just too painful. She was sick of the emotional 180s; thinking that Clark may have feelings for her, and then thinking that there was no way that they'd ever be together. At the hospital she had thought that coming here would help clear up her uncertainties, but instead she just felt more confused. More afraid. More alone.

"I should go," she said quietly.

Clark was confused. "But… you just got here!"

"I – I just wanted to… say thanks. You know, for bringing my cousin back," she said. She turned on her heels to go.

"Lois, don't do this." Lois turned to see Clark on his feet, close behind her.

"Do what?" she demanded.

"Shut me out," he answered. He shook his head, looking exhausted. "I've spent the last month searching for Chloe, all the while with you in my head. All I could see was your face when you left, and all I wanted was to see you again – see you happy – so I could replace that look of devastation burned into my mind. Lois, all I wanted was to be back here with you."

She blinked her eyes, uncertain. Was it possible? She thought about Lana and said, "Don't say things you can't back up, Clark. I told you once; I can't face another heartbreak down the road."

Lois barely had time to contemplate the consequence of what she had just said. She had just put herself out there in a very big way; she had pretty much admitted her feelings for him right then and there. She turned once again to leave.

"What makes you think you'll have to?"

The question froze Lois in mid step. She turned, her eyes wide. She was struck when she found that Clark looked as vulnerable as she felt. He surprised her suddenly by striding forward to where she stood, placing one hand on the side of her face and the other on the small of her back. He pulled her to him, molding her body against his. He slowed as he leaned forward, testing her. His eyes were as wide and vulnerable looking as hers had been during their first attempted kiss. She didn't back away, or turn her gaze. She just waited, wanting.

Clark closed the distance between them, pressing his warm lips against hers.

And then she knew.

She loved him. Of course she loved him. How could she not? He was Smallville. Her Smallville. He was perfect in his own, bumbling farm boy way. This was it. This was right.

Clark's head spun as he kissed her. This was it; the time that mattered. The time that counted. This was the time where it was actually Clark Kent kissing Lois Lane; no mistaken identities or personality altering substances. And it was wonderful. Amazing. It was better than he could have ever expected. He loved her. He loved her more than anything or anyone else he had ever known.

Clark deepened the kiss, causing Lois to moan softly. A shiver crept up Clark's spine at the sound and the knowledge that he was the one causing her to make that noise. She pulled away after a moment, staring up at him with an unreadable expression. Clark tensed, waiting for her reaction. Good or bad, one would come.

Then she smiled. A full blown Lois grin. Clark's heart seemed to swell.

"You've been holding out on me, Smallville," she accused in a teasing tone. "How come we never did this before?"

Before he could answer, she pulled him back to her and planted another slow, intense kiss on him. This time it was Clark who groaned.

"So you don't hate me?" Clark asked when they broke away for breath.

"I never hated you Clark," Lois replied. "I was just upset. I was afraid you were going to move on with Lana and leave me behind. I thought you were going to break my heart."

"I would never do that," he promised as he leaned in and kissed her again. "Besides Lois, forget Lana. She's just a friend. She's my past."

"Am I your present?" Lois said hopefully as she softly pressed her lips to his neck.

"My present, and my future," Clark answered. He swept her up into his arms and smiled at her.

Lois tightened her arms around his neck and smiled in return. "I think I can live with that."

The End.

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