manorsuperman | Sickly Confessions with hero

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Sickly Confessions with hero_farmboy

Lana wanted out of her house and back to the office, like now. She hadn't spent this much time in her still very new home since her vacation, which was boring enough on its own. Now that she thought about it, she'd never even had a house warming for this place, just told the important people in her life where she could be found. She had been so focused on her work that she hadn't even thought about it.

God, she was turning into a workaholic.

But she enjoyed her work. Didn't that make it okay?

No. No, she knew it didn't. She needed to have time for other things, for a life.

For the times when Sam would show up unexpected and make love to her.

Sam wasn't here right now, though. She was alone, laying back on the couch, cuddling her bear and waiting on her guest to arrive. Where the hell was Clark?

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Fighting with wood. A hell of a lot of lumber is required to build a house and he doesn't even have enough to start with yet. But it's one more load down and with Eirene napping he finally makes his way to Lana's apartment.

Yes, coffee and pastries in hand.

On arrival, he knocks on her door and then waits. She's not Chloe and just walking in isn't an option.

As much as she's been expecting that knock, it makes her jump a little and hold the bear a bit tighter. She mentally kicks herself for it before making her way to let him in.

"Don't break the salt line." Not a hello or any sort of welcome, just a warning to be careful of the salt that lined the floor in a shape that allowed for easy door opening before turning back to head toward the couch again.

She's not trying to be rude, she's just sick. Though the salt thing is bound to raise an eyebrow.

The who what? Clark just stares after her for a moment before looking down to the salt lining the doorway. And yes, there's a raised eyebrow.

"Okay," he replies slowly, finally stepping inside without disturbing anything and closes the door behind him. "Decided the place needed some seasoning?"

She sits and gathers the bear into her arms once again, managing a grin, even though the truth in her weird behavior isn't anything to laugh at.

"Not me, actually...it was Sam." She holds a little tighter to her stuffed friend when she speaks his name. She doesn't know where he is or when he'll be back, and sometimes she wonders if he's hurt or worse. Not right now, though. Right now she just misses him and so keeps the bear he gave her close, and prepares to explain herself to someone who might understand just how complicated her life had gotten. Not that it hadn't been already.

"Sam. Okay." Right. The guy she's been dating. Or something. Clark sets the coffee and goodies on the table by the couch and gestures for her to take what she likes.

"How are you feeling?"

Lana opts for coffee, at least for now. The liquids seemed to be staying down better.

"Have you see that episode of Spongebob when he starts telling squirrel jokes, so Sandy pretends to be too stupid to remember he needs water? I think I feel like that."

He can't help but grin at her explanation, as he takes a seat at the other end of the couch. "I can't say that I have, but I think I get the idea. Guess I should've brought you some soup instead."

She takes a muffin. "Possibly, but that wouldn't taste as good going down. And maybe it'll stay down this time." She hoped so, anyway.

And it's at about this time that Clark will switch into full-on Mother Hen mode.

"You're taking stuff, right? Have you been to the doctor?" He frowns, giving her a scrutinizing look. "Maybe I should just let you be so you can rest."

Lana resists the eyeroll. Somehow.

"I'll be fine, Clark. Just give it time."

He doesn't appear to be convinced, but he'll force himself to take her word for it.

"All right. So, uh, as much as I wouldn't mind this being a social call. I'm kind of gathering it isn't."

"Well...in a way it is. I mean, you're one of the few people I know who won't catch whatever I've got, and these last couple of days haven't exactly been fun..." She's not stalling, really. She just doesn't...know how to start.

Clark may be on to this clever tactic, but he'll let her start in her own time.

"That's true, I guess. Been a little lonely, have you?"

She nods, free arm tightening a little around that bear while she takes a drink of her latte. She then reaches hesitantly for a muffin. "Happens sometimes when you live alone."

"Yeah, it does. And being sick can't help."

She nods as she takes a very small bite. Maybe that would help keep it down: small bites.

"This little guy helps, though," she says as she looks down at the stuffed animal in her lap, smiling in a way that is more genuine than he's seen from her in a while. Her fingers rub at it's head, slowly and gently, as if it's the most precious thing in the world.

"If you're falling for a bear, I think you're sicker than you realize." He's joking, he's joking.

"Sam gave you that, didn't he?"

She nods, beaming as much as her current state would allow. And also blushing a little. "It probably sounds ridiculous, but...just having it close to me makes me feel like he's here with me, even though he's not."

"I think you've forgotten who you're taking to," he points out, smiling back at her slightly. "It's not ridiculous."

He takes a sip of his own drink before continuing. "So, why isn't he here? I mean, I get the feeling he wouldn't mind risking the chance of getting sick."

This is the hard part: deciding how exactly to answer that.

"He, um...he has a very...complicated job...he's never in one place very long."

Clark nods slowly. "I don't think I actually know what he does." He props that door open for her. Hopefully, she'll be ready to walk through.

She knows what he's doing, and she's thankful he's trying to make it easier for her. "I didn't either, until recently. I get the feeling he doesn't give a lot of people the details." A weak grin. "It's kind of...weird, not to mention a little crazy."

"Yeah, I can't relate to that at all." Yes, still joking.

He reaches over to squeeze her hand gently, and briefly. "You know I understand about secrets. Sam doesn't know me, so I don't expect you to talk about anything he'd consider private. But whatever you do want to talk about, I'm here and I'll listen."

"I know," she says quietly. "It's why I chose you. I needed someone to talk to about everything, but...I'm still trying to sort through how much is too much." She pauses for just a second, eyes filled with conflict. "I worked so hard to gain his trust. I don't want to betray it."

Clark nods. "That's the tough part, yeah."

Maybe there's a way he can help with that. "You said it was weird and a little crazy. You mean like Smallville weird and crazy?"

She thinks it over, to find an example out of all the strange things that tend to happen in their small town.

"I'd say...closer to Isobel Thoreaux weird and crazy."

Isobel. Great.

"Well," he replies with a sigh. "It makes sense that other people would run into stuff like that now and then. We do, after all."

Another brief pause.

"Does he know how familiar with stuff like that you are?"

"He's read up on some things that have happened here, and I filled him in on my, uh...short time as a vampire, but...we haven't discussed Isobel just yet." She takes a sip of her coffee and sets both the cup and the muffin down. Considering the topic, she's lost her appetite for now.

"Not that I won't. I mean, it's going to come up, but..." She looks down, moving her eyes but not her head. "He was here a few weeks ago. Just...showed up at my door without a phone call or anything. His brother had just gotten out of the hospital and..." She pauses for a second and closes her eyes. A tear slides out, but when she speaks again her voice sounds the same. "And he just...broke down. At first I couldn't really understand, so I just listened and tried to piece everything together." Another tear, this one she wipes away as she laughs a little. "And for some reason I decided then was a good time to tell him how I really felt about him."

Now she looks back up at him. "You should have seen how scared he was, Clark. He kept begging me to take it back, saying, "they'll kill you if they know," how everyone he loves dies..." She lowers her head. As much as she just rambled on, she suddenly feels lost for words.

Edited 2009-04-15 20:30 (UTC)

Clark is starting to piece things together as well. Sam and his brother (Dave? Dan?) are pretty heavily involved in situations clearly weird and unusual. Lana's told him about the vampires, which obviously didn't freak Sam out that much, but not about Isobel, and she's hesitant about doing so. That means she thinks Sam won't take it as well as he did her being infected with alien rabies (although Clark doubts she explained it quite that way).

She loves him, and Sam's biggest concern is protecting her. If Clark could get headaches, he thinks he'd probably be getting one right about now. Calling this 'familiar' just isn't funny anymore.

Clark lowers his head and prepares to tell her something they've never really talked about. A long list, yes, but he thinks this is fairly relevent. "Lana, when we broke up a few weeks after my dad died, I did it because I thought I was protecting you. I couldn't put you at risk without you knowing about me, and ...I couldn't tell you. So I think I have a pretty good idea how scared Sam is about doing the same thing."

There's a hesitation as he hazards a glance over at her. "The difference here is he's starting to tell you about his life, whatever it is. I don't think he'd do that if he didn't care, or if he didn't want you around." His gaze returns to his hands in his lap. "You don't let people in if you think you're going to have to push them away."

She nods. She know Sam doesn't want to push her away, but she needs to hear it. Specifically, she needs to hear it from someone she knows understands where Sam is coming from, even if he doesn't have all the details.

"Sam and I...it's like...we were supposed to find each other...we're..."

She wants to say more, but she's afraid to. Soulmate is a big word to use for someone who might be dead tomorrow.

That's something else Clark can understand. He might be married, he might be expecting a daughter soon and he's most definitely in love, but he's not comfortable using that word, either.

"Terrifying, isn't it?"

But he does know exactly how she feels.

She laughs a little.

"More than Zod."

It shouldn't be that way, but it is.

That really shouldn't be funny, but it is, and he responds in kind.

"Well, thankfully, it does get easier."

"Good to know."

She breathes a soft sigh. She feels better now, at least emotionally.

"Thank you. I really appreciate you coming here and listening to me talk about someone you've never even met."

"Thank you for asking me. I'm happy we can do... this. I admit I was kind of afraid for a while that it would always be too awkward."

He reaches over to squeeze her hand again. "I hope the 'never net' part changes, though. Someone has to give him the 'don't hurt her or I'll hurt you' talk."

She giggles, because not only is that ridiculous, but it's exactly what she'd expect from Clark.

"You wouldn't really hurt him, though, would you? I mean, things happen."

Clark shrugs innocently. "Probably not, but he doesn't need to know that."

"You know, I really don't think he'll be intimidated," she says playfully. "The two of you are about the same size."

"Then I can smug in the knowledge that I could crush him with my pinky, even if he doesn't know it."

That really shouldn't be funny, but it doesn't stop her from laughing.

He joins her not long after. It feels good to laugh, really laugh, with her again.

"Well, I think I'm going to chalk this conversation up as a success, if you don't mind."

"As a matter of fact I don't, Mr. Kent." She grins back at him. It feels good to her, too, for things to be this way between them. She didn't think it ever would be.

"Then we'll just have to do it more often. I'm determined to fatten you up on muffins anyway."

"Not too fat, I hope. People might start thinking I'm pregnant."

"Don't joke about that," Clark warns, frowning.

She went for the muffin again, as much as it nauseated her to look at it. "I'm not joking. Not really. I mean, if I started gaining weight, it's the first thing Chloe would ask."

"I never thought I'd say this, but Chloe might just have too much time on her hands."

Beat.

"Would it help if I promised to just think you're getting fat?" There just might be a hint of a mischievous smile behind that.

She tries to give him a look, but with the grin, it pretty much fails. "I'd hit you if I didn't know I'd be the one who got hurt."

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Sickly Confessions with hero_farmboy

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