Spoilers: None. Just wanted to tackle what was on Lois’ mind after she learned the truth about Clark.
Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville and its related characters

Thank yous (this might be in a hurry):

First of many, I wanna say thanks to Linda-superlc529 for betareading this fic so fast despite of her busy schedule. You rock! I’m right in telling you that this fic will be in good hands. Thank you so much! Maraming salamat! KARMA!

Second to Chinalee Silvano – one of these days you’ll be one of the Clois fic writers here. And your debut will be coming out soon. Thanks for accepting the challenge. 

Lastly, to you... Thanks for reading this fic. Hoping I can give you a huge smile after reading this. Few more days to go before the Homecoming Episode. Everybody’s excited with the drop of the L-bomb... Am I right? 

Sssh, Josai you talk too much... And now the story....



SILENT SANCTUARY
Silence. One word – that was all it took to describe where I was at the moment. My laptop was in its offline mode, so I decided to shut it down. Flipping through different TV channels did not help my situation despite the fact that it was past midnight and I needed to sleep. I opted to turn the TV off too. Now the only source of light was the moon, illuminating my apartment. Sitting on the carpeted part of my solitary place, I contented myself breathing in the oxygen that could pass through my inner walls. It was more than enough after a hard day’s work. It was worth more than I could wish for. I brought my knees into my chest and let my chin rest on them. I always did this whenever I was deep in thought. One of my ways while reorganizing whatever was on my head. Easy? Nope. Maybe on some occasion when I wanted to clear my head, those were the times when I focused my attention in one thing, but it just surpassed the surface, seeing the nothingness. But for most of them, it was not.

This time, it was difficult because of a certain someone who owned dark locks. I had been too careful to think about him. It wasn’t a forbidden thought, but sometimes I felt like it was. This was an extraordinary feeling that when I would do it, this special thing would disappear and I would never gets the chance to see him again. Was it a funny feeling? Um… no, maybe it was ironic. Who would have thought that in one point I was Aphrodite Psyche and he was my Eros Cupid. Though diverse for most of the part, there was or were things that I felt could separate us. I was human, he was not. He was not the type of guy I dreamed of when I was thirteen. But the parallel universe allowed us to intersect on a place I never expected… a little town named Smallville, Kansas. I hate to stay in places where I couldn’t find my favorite Starbucks. The irritation of not having caffeine in my system doubled up into Goliath size whenever I could see those baby blues of his, hear his sarcastic remarks, and/or witness his devotion to a certain pink princess. He was not my kind of guy. Yes, he was. No he was not. He was. Was not. Of course, he was not before, but now… He was.

Falling for him was not that easy. I had to pretend that I did not feel anything special for him, but I woke up one day and I almost swallowed my pride. I already made my first step at the moment I could read something from his eyes. But I chose to back out because he was not yet ready to fall for me, his heart belonged to someone else – not me. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, he hurt me more than anyone else ever could. Living my life, fulfilling my dreams... they provided me enough time not to dwell much on my heartache. Life must go on. Still, how could I forget about my feelings for him, if every time I needed a friend he was there for me? In every step of the way, he was beside me.

Slowly and carefully, I brushed some strands of hair that covered his forehead; it gave him a matured appearance. But he still had this boyish look whenever he was smiling at me. I think it was safe to say he saved that smile for me. Was I conceited? Maybe. I didn’t know how, but he was really cute even when he was spending his time taking his forty winks. Clark. Yes that was his name. Was it charming like the person who had the name? It was, wasn’t it? Smallville was much cuter or Clarkie was the cutest. Unknowingly, my lips formed into a huge grin. I could not comprehend how he gave me such effect. It was contagious; I could say that I was addicted to his charms. But, there was a big B-U-T… No matter what, I would not give him the satisfaction of knowing that Lois Lane, the intrepid reporter, was using her idle time watching him while he was sleeping.

Time passed and I couldn’t understand how things had changed between us. One stormy night I met him naked in a cornfield without any memory – who hated me of talking too much, then years later he was wearing three-piece suits, working by my side at the Daily Planet – who never got tired of listening to my never ending talks. One moment I was angry at him and then the next, his lips crushed on mine. Who would have thought that two irritated teenagers would grow much closer through the years? His parents were right - “Opposites attract.” We were the perfect example.

I knew he was special since day one – who would survive getting struck by lightning except him. He was raised by The Kents – who I very much adored. They were the kind of parents I wished I had. They provided me food and shelter when I needed them. They nurtured him with much love, respect, and devotion, making him what he was today. Being with him, I saw different sides of him… the naive farm boy, the investigative journalist, the faceless hero. It didn’t matter when I discovered the truth about his dual identity because at the end of the day, for me, he was still Clark Kent.

I took out my iPod. I did not want to leave him yet; it was not yet the right time. The silence of the night temporarily invaded by the sound inside my own world, it was the news of his successful saves and a failure. My heart broke with his when I saw his pained expression when I opened my door for him hours ago. He did not say something; in silence he hugged me so tight. I never asked because I already knew the reason and I opted not to confront him. In my heart, I understood his reasons and I would not force him until he was ready. It was better for me to wait, though patience was not one of my virtues. Despite that, inside the Lane’s Book of Rules and Regulations, there were still exemptions. He was one of the few. I missed and worried about him every time he was out there doing his other job, so I returned the favor by embracing him back.

I set both my fists on my chin, where my elbows rested on my knees. From where I sat, I had a better view of my favorite farm boy. I extended my right hand to touch his face and in some way it eased his pain on his troubled face. A crooked smile painted on his lips. How many times did I see him hurting from a failed save and not know that was what was troubling him? All I wanted was to comfort him and tell him it was okay. He couldn’t be everywhere at once. Sometimes we had to fail because nobody was perfect. We learned something new every day. Life was a learning process. Every day we had to overcome fears, try new challenges, be ready for the consequences, humbly accept success and courageously face the failures. I could not directly tell him those things, not yet. He might have a clue that I already knew what I was not supposed to know. Many people were wondering about the personal lives of heroes, before I was one of them, but now I knew the answer. Powers came with responsibilities. Saving lives of strangers was equivalent to protecting the people they love. Walking in their footsteps was not easy.

For the meantime, I contented myself watching him while he was dozing off to the faraway place of dreamland. Kara was right. Heroes really needed a place where they could come home to. I smiled at the thought. Clark said “You’re home.” My heart was swelling, though most of the time I wondered if I deserved such title. Did I deserve to have this wonderful guy in front of me? He was almost perfect. Am I really his silent sanctuary, though loud-mouthed more often than not? If I was the one who would answer the question, he was my safe-haven. With the hustle-and-bustle world, he was the safest place where I could hide. He stirred which made me jump, but then he slightly shifted on his place. I chuckled. He was too big to be accommodated by my couch.

It was 2 in the morning and I was half-awake. I yawned and decided to get up. I would not be afraid of tomorrow because I knew he would always be there for me. Smallville, my own brand of superhero… My super-man… It wouldn’t matter if I only caught a few hours of sleep because I knew the sun would be rising with him; and it would give me another perfect day to spend with him.

I planted a chaste kiss on his lips and I whispered, “Love you, Smallville.” I stood up and started walking towards my room with my thoughts of the man on my couch.

“Love you too, Lo.” I heard behind me.

My eyes grew as big as saucers as I turned around to see him sitting on the couch, yawning, and that was quickly replaced with a huge grin on his face.

“Lois, what is that? Are you turning red?”

I sighed and muttered to myself, “Damn those super senses of his.”
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The End