unmitigated praise is always welcome

“Oh.” Well, that was an intelligent response. She didn’t know what else to say, though. She didn’t think she could handle this right now.
<snip>
“Oh.” Yet another brilliant display of wit on her part. It must be in Tahiti. Along with her sanity.
<snip>
Couldn’t they just forget about the whole stupid Superman thing, and the Lex thing, and kiss and make-up? No? She didn’t think so. She forced herself to pay attention to Clark’s explanation.

Super powers. Chronic do-gooder. Protect parents. Have a life. Equals secret identity. Oh, well, now it was crystal clear.

Sort of.

Geez, didn’t he ever give up? No, probably not. “No, Lex. N-O. No. Two letters. One word. No.”

Lovers? Where had that thought come from?

Yet at the same time, it fit. She loved Clark. It had taken her way too long to realize it, but now that she had, she knew. This was a forever kind of love. She knew that this was the person with whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life. No questions. No doubts.

Part of her was shocked at this unequivocal certainty. Shouldn’t she be more careful? She had just almost said yes to marry a monster! And the rest of her relationships had been, without a doubt, disasters. Not to mention the fact that she’d been working with Clark for almost a year only knowing half the person.

Shouldn’t she take some more time to get used to this idea?

The rational side of her brain said yes. Be careful. Take it slow. Make absolutely sure that this wasn’t a mistake.

The stronger part of her brain, the part that gave her hunches which turned into headline stories, the part that had allowed her to believe Clark’s accusations against Lex once she finally listened to Clark – that part said no. Go for it. Make a life with him. Be happy.

And she knew that hot headed, Mad Dog, Lois Lane, who always jumped into danger for a story without worrying about the consequences, was finally ready to take a similar risk for love. And she knew that this time, it would work out. She had a hunch. That was enough.

As it was, she did something equally as stupid. She taunted him. “Go ahead, Lex. Shoot me.”