Author's Note: Hi all! The last chapter didn't get much response, so hopefully this one will be more enjoyable! I'm still trying to get back into the flow of things. After much deliberation, I decided to set this chapter after the events in Committed (mostly because overall I love that episode and really don't have much to add to it)! Little bit of angst ahead, but I hope you enjoy :)

Lois flicked through the channels absentmindedly, bypassing the dramas and cheesy romantic comedies that were typical of Friday night television. She briefly wished she had something more exciting to do on a Friday night than channel surf, but her last date had been over a month ago, and with Chloe and Jimmy spending the night in Metropolis, she couldn't pass up the opportunity to enjoy the apartment to herself—something that had become a very rare occurrence.

She paused on a familiar looking movie with Tom Hanks, and quickly recognized it as The Green Mile. She made a face. As much as she enjoyed that particular movie, she'd had enough of electric chairs for one week.

The thought made her lower the slice of pizza she'd salvaged from the fridge. She had been actively trying not to think about what had happened yesterday without much luck. The more she tried to put it out of her mind, the more she thought about it, until it was practically the only thing she'd been able to focus on all day.

She had said she loved Clark Kent. In front of him. And it had been the truth.

She remembered the look of shock on his face when she'd said it and it had registered as the truth. In all honestly, she had been just as surprised; she had known for a while now that her feelings for Clark went beyond just platonic—their encounter in the copy room had proved that. But she had never dwelled on those thoughts for too long, never examined them too closely for fear of what she might discover. Despite their teasing and banter, Clark was the best friend she had. She didn't want to complicate things or ruin their friendship in any way. And when that shock-happy psychopath had asked her if she loved him, she had been forced to confront all the things she had been pushing away. The answer had surprised her too: she loved him. In the hours that followed, she had tried to reason her way through it. Of course she loved Clark, she'd thought. He was her best friend, practically family. There was nothing wrong with loving your friends—it was only natural.

Denial, however, only went so far. She had known what the jeweler meant when he said love. When she answered, a part of her knew she wasn't talking about the kind of familial love she had for Chloe or Mrs. Kent, or the affectionate, platonic love she felt for someone like Jimmy (not that she'd ever admit that last one). When she said she loved Clark Kent, she meant the sappy, frustrating, can't-stop-thinking-about-him-and-his -smile-and-how-much-she'd-love-to-kiss-it-off-his-stupid-handsome-face kind of love.

Not that he knew that. When Clark had finally cornered her this morning in the elevator and brought up the test, she had smoothly lied that she had slipped off the sensor before answering the question. He had bought it hook, line, and sinker.

Thank god.

Lois looked up at the sound of a knock at the door. Strange, she hadn't been expecting anyone. Frowning slightly, she made her way to the doorway and opened the door halfway.

Clark Kent stood on the other side of the door, a brown paper bag—that smelled suspiciously like her favourite Chinese takeout—in his hands.

"Smallville," she said in surprise, faithfully ignoring the way her heart suddenly seemed to stutter in her chest. "What are you doing here?"

Clark smiled and held up the bag. "I was in the neighborhood picking up supper and I thought you might be hungry. You didn't eat yet, did you?"

"Not unless you count a slice of leftover pizza that's been in the fridge so long I can't even remember when I ordered it," she shrugged, snatching the bag from his hands with a grin. "Besides, who am I to say no to Smallville's finest Chinese cuisine?"

She turned on her heel, making her way towards the kitchen and leaving him standing empty handed in the doorway. Shaking his head in amusement, he followed her inside, closing the door behind him.

"I didn't see you much at work today," he said, following her into the living room.

Lois grabbed a container full of chow mein and dug in. "Yeah, I got a tip about the bodies found down in the business district last week. Spent the whole day trying to confirm whether or not someone had actually seen anything. Sorry, did you want some of this?"

"I'm okay," he said, smiling at the already half eaten takeout box. "Did you find anything?"

"Nothing but rumors. Someone reported seeing a thin white male lurking around the area before the murders, but that's basically the description of every serial killer ever," she shrugged. "I'll keep looking, but so far I've got nothing substantial."

He nodded in agreement, and they fell into companionable silence for a few moments before he looked around and asked, "Where are Chloe and Jimmy tonight? Must be nice to have the apartment to yourself."

"Yeah, well they decided to give the engagement celebrations one last shot. Let's just hope this time it ends with a little less abduction and electrocution," Lois said dryly. Clark shot her a sharp look out of the corner of his eyes, and she froze momentarily. Damn. She had sort of hoped to avoid the topic of their own abduction and the ensuing awkward aftermath.

There was another moment of silence as they both watched the black and white movie playing on the TV. Lois was beginning to think that he was just going to let the reference pass before he suddenly spoke up.

"Lois, why did you say yes?" he asked abruptly.

Lois froze, her forkful of noodles still in her mouth. "Wha?"

"I was just wondering," he continued, watching her curiously. "Why did you say yes if you had slipped the sensor off your finger? The answer wouldn't have mattered."

She chewed slowly, buying herself time. The noodles felt like a lump in her throat, and she was very aware of Clark's gaze on her. Swallowing with some difficulty, she said with forced bravado, "Think about it Smallville—I had to tell him what he wanted to hear. He let Chloe and Jimmy go because he was convinced they loved each other. I was just buying us some time by playing the part."

Clark nodded absently before he said, "But you didn't know why he released Chloe and Jimmy until later."

"Look, what does it matter? I thought it would keep the psychotic guy from killing us both. I don't understand why you want to keep talking about it." Jumping to her feet, she grabbed her glass and made her way to the kitchen under the pretense of getting a refill.

Clark ran his hand through his hair in frustration and followed her into the kitchen. "Lois I'm not trying to upset you."

Lois sighed. "You aren't upsetting me, Smallville. I just don't know why you want to keep talking about what happened. What does it matter what I said? We got out alive."

Her question seemed to give him pause, and he cast his eyes downward. She relaxed at that. Wondering why he was so preoccupied with why she had said she loved him would undoubtedly make him uncomfortable enough to back off, and then she could—

He kissed her suddenly, catching her off guard. She froze in place, eyes wide as he continued to kiss her, his hands reaching up to cup her face.

Lois had experienced some pretty great kisses in her life. One of which, she had to admit, had occurred in a copy room not so long ago with the same man. But while that encounter had been particularly memorable itself, this was something altogether entirely—even better than their kiss in the Daily Planet. This wasn't frenzied, full of adrenaline and a myriad of emotions. This was slow and deliberate, focused, like he had nowhere to be and nothing else to do than stand in this kitchen, kissing her.

She might kick herself for it later, but she couldn't help it. She melted into the kiss, her hands reaching up to cover his. She sighed softly as he parted her lips with his own, her hands moving up to anchor in his hair. It felt incredible.

This is dangerous.

She broke the kiss, leaning her forehead against his in a brief moment of intimacy that made his stomach flutter. She pulled away a moment later to look him in the eyes.

"Clark," she said softly, her voice sounding shaky. "What are we doing?"

"I don't know," he said honestly. He felt a bit unsteady himself. He hadn't really planned on kissing her, it had just sort of...happened.

He watched as her eyes began to grow distant at his answer; he could practically see the walls building back up in her mind. He reached out to grab her shoulders. "Lois, I don't know. I can't explain it, I just... There's something going on here, right? I'm not imagining it."

Lois crossed her arms, looking to the side as she admitted, "No, you're not, but..."

"But what?"

The look she gave him was exasperated. "Smallville, this isn't us. We don't make-out or have weird tension. We bicker and disagree and—" she gestured wildly, searching for the words, "—and I'm not Lana."

Clark recoiled visibly, looking taken aback. His hands dropped from her shoulders. "I never said that you were."

"Smallville, I just need time to think, okay?" Her eyes locked onto his. "I think you do too."

Clark nodded, grabbing his coat and making his way to the door. He looked back briefly to see her standing in the middle of the kitchen, her arms around her middle and a distant expression on her face as she watched him go. Shutting the door behind him, he sped downstairs and out the door into the alley beside the coffee shop. He'd kissed her. Again. That wasn't the plan. He hadn't even come to her apartment with plans of discussing the incident with the jeweler. He had only come to check on her. Despite her claims to the contrary, hadn't missed how shaken up she had been the night before, and thought it was best to make sure she actually was doing as well as she was insisting she was after their abduction. He had only meant to be a good friend. Leaning up against the wall of the alley with a frustrated sigh, he ran his hands roughly through his hair, debating whether or not to turn around and go back inside, to try to talk it through.

No, he thought eventually. Lois was right. Whatever was going on between them, they needed to stop and think things through before anything else happened. They were treading into dangerous territory already. He would give her time; maybe he needed it too.

A familiar ringtone emanated from his pocket and he picked up immediately, half hoping it was Lois.

"Hello?"

"So are we going to talk about you proposing to my ex-girlfriend, or what?"

TBC

Angsty, but hopefully not too unbearable! Reviews are loved and appreciated! :)