Thank you all for your patience and understanding. 
If you need a refresher, you can find the table of contents here .
Just a reminder... or, I guess I never really did give a rating... but this story is rated PG-13.
I also need to give special thanks here to Saskia and Wendy, who helped me draw the line between PG and nfic. 
~~~~Part 13~~~~
Lois fidgeted the entire cab ride over to Jackson Street in the center of Metropolis. What if someone saw her? What if...
Oh, hell. Why on Earth was she going to the very place they worked if she didn't want to get caught?! She opened her mouth to tell the cabbie to stop, turn around and take her to the motel. But no words came out.
Hiding in plain sight didn’t *really* work, did it?
She was sure her picture had been faxed to every corner of the globe - at least the corners in which they operated. Well... pretty sure.
They'd known who she was. A reporter for the Daily Planet. The *top* reporter for the Daily Planet. She was a huge liability. Even a whole year after she'd escaped, there was no doubt in her mind they would still be on the lookout for her. She knew too much. They wouldn't care that she didn't have any proof, that she'd never be able to convince the police. She'd be dead the moment they set eyes on her. Or worse, they'd lock her up again.
Lois tried to bite back the anxiety. She couldn't, no, *wouldn't* spend the rest of her life a victim. And if she didn't have Clark's help, she'd have to do this on her own.
Clark...
Her anger at him had faded, and she'd been left with... a feeling she couldn't describe. A deep pull in her gut. Empathy, maybe? Recognition?
"Twelve fifty."
Lois brought her mind back to the present at the cabbie's prompt. She dug three fives out of her pocket and handed it somewhat reluctantly to the driver. Pretty much the last of the money Clark had given her. Fifteen dollars seemed like a fortune to her. Maybe she shouldn't have taken a cab.
She sighed as she opened the door and hopped out of the taxi. Double-checking the address on the scrap of paper in her hand, she headed north. She'd told the cab driver to drop her off a few blocks away, knowing that arriving smack dab in front of the building would have been a bad idea.
Though... this wasn't such a good idea either. What was she going to do? Just walk right in the front door and ask them if they had any good diamonds for sale? Stupid, Lane. Stupid.
She needed a plan... Something she should have come up with before she'd left the library.
Changing her direction swiftly, she headed for the nearest alleyway and hid behind a dumpster.
Think, Lane!
She hated that she was so out of practice that she'd forgotten such a simple thing. Breaking and entering in the middle of the night was the far more sensible thing to do. She should have waited. She should have -
Out of nowhere, someone grabbed her. A man. Tall, brawny. He'd trapped her arms and was holding her head to his chest so she couldn't scream. Oh, God...
She tried to struggle for a half a second until she realized...
He was talking...
Breathlessly, almost gasping for words.
"Oh, God, Lois." A kiss on her hair. "Oh, Lois, I thought they'd killed you." A kiss on her temple. "Thank God you're alive."
Clark. It was Clark. She was safe.
She tried not to panic at the trapped feeling she had with her arms pinned to her sides.
"Clark?"
She tried to get his attention but he was still murmuring somewhere near her ear.
"Clark."
He pulled back a few inches to look at her. "I’m so sorry, Lois. I should have never left you alone. Are you okay?" He stepped back, releasing her, and looked her up and down. "Did they hurt you?"
Lois tried not to focus on the way his eyes seemed to be staring straight through to her soul... She cleared her throat. "Who?"
"The... the gunrunners. The bad guys."
His hands on her shoulders...
His intense stare...
He'd been worried about her, was *still* worried about her.
"I'm okay, Clark. I was just doing a little investigating..."
"What?!"
His hands tightened a bit on her shoulders.
"Lois, are you crazy? Were you just going to waltz right in and ask them?"
Suddenly, the anger at his leaving was back, combined with the unexpected feeling of indignation. She didn't need him to protect her. To tell her what to do. She didn't need him to point out the fact that she *hadn't* had a plan. She was doing that just fine on her own.
She stared, silently seething. She felt his hands fall from her shoulders and they moved to run through his hair, which didn't quite work so well... It was slicked back. Only then did she realize that he was wearing his Suit.
He started to pace a bit. Only a few steps in each direction, but it was clear how agitated he was. Why had he been wearing the Suit? Maybe he hadn't changed from when he'd left this morning. But that didn't matter. Whatever his reasons were didn't matter. She was busy being mad at him.
"And what exactly were *you* going to do, Clark? Swoop right in and stop me?"
He stopped pacing and stared at her incredulously. "No! I thought they'd taken you!"
"Oh." The flood of anger that had just started halted abruptly as if someone had erected a dam in its path. She hadn't expected that. Thought of that. At all. Sure, she was scared that they'd find her, but she hadn't expected Clark to share in that fear, to be so distressed at the thought. That he'd be worried about her. Let alone the fact that she had no idea what had led him to believe she'd been abducted in the first place.
"Clark, I think we should talk."
Some of the lines of worry disappeared from his face, but his posture remained tense. Alert.
She glanced around, suddenly nervous at how near they were to the enemy, not to mention how conspicuous they looked even in a darkened alley. "But not here. We can come back later tonight and break in to find what we need."
For some reason, that produced a huge grin on his face. The largest she'd ever seen from him. And, before she could say another word, he'd scooped her up into his arms and they were airborne.
In the space of a heartbeat, she was several thousand feet off the ground, surrounded by nothing but free air… and Clark’s arms. Skyscrapers were reduced to the size of Lego models as he lifted her further, and the people on the busy streets shrunk into ants. For a moment, her breath clogged in her throat and she loosed a muffled squeal of surprise, but when she dragged her gaze from the departing ground to his face, the world fell away, and the roar of the wind bled into silence.
Oh. Wow.
It... it felt... it felt wonderful.
She snaked her arms around Clark's neck for a little extra security, though she knew Clark wouldn't drop her.
This was... right. Just right. They were soaring through the clouds, the wind whipping at her face and tossing her hair about. She felt...
Free.
She was free.
After all those years of staring longingly out of airplane windows, wishing she could fly of her own free will and watch the city beneath her fall away, and here she was. Soaring above Metropolis, watching the buildings and the streets shrink before her eyes into a strangely beautiful mass of concrete and grids.
A feeling so powerful, so overwhelming, welled up inside of her. She couldn't help it; tears spilled from her eyes.
Nothing was crowding around her. No concrete walls. No dense trees. No fear closing in on her.
She was free.
***
Clark felt free.
In fact, he'd never felt more liberated in his life. Not even the day he'd learned he could fly had been as wonderful as this. Flying then had been a great escape from everything that was going wrong in his life, but even then he'd been too afraid of exposure. And after he'd become Superman and could fly around at will, the experience had always been tainted somehow. Like it was missing something.
Maybe it was because it separated him that much more from everyone else, reminded him of how different he was. Or maybe it was because he'd never donned the Suit for anything other than rescues, and certainly not in quite a while. Whatever it was that was making him feel so free, right now he didn't care.
He wasn't even sure where he was going. They were already flying over Virginia, so apparently he was headed south. He'd just picked Lois up on impulse and taken to the skies. They needed to talk, yeah, but he couldn't find a care in the world except for the woman in his arms with her arms around his neck.
The woman who'd just started trembling.
He looked down at her face quickly. She was crying. "Lois, are you okay? Are you scared? Do you want to go down?"
She smiled at him through her tears. "No, Clark, I'm fine. Just... great."
The smile reassured him a bit, but he couldn't help but worry...
"Then why are you crying? You know I won't drop you, right? I could never..."
She sniffled a bit. "I know, Clark. I trust you."
His heart welled up at that. She trusted him. He smiled broadly back at her.
"I am curious to know where we're going, though," she said, a hint of humor in her voice.
Oh. "Um... I'm not exactly sure." He blushed. This was all new to him. He'd never really flown for pure pleasure before... Not that this was for pleasure. It wasn't. They had to go somewhere. To talk. About what, he wasn't sure, and suddenly, he was worried. What *did* she want to talk about?
"Well, we need somewhere private... The motel would work, I guess," she suggested, interrupting his thoughts.
He frowned a bit. For some reason, he didn't really want to go back there. At least not now. Not when he was feeling so... good. "How about a secluded island off the Florida Keys?"
Damn. That sounded like he was trying to be romantic, didn't it?
"Sure." Her smile broadened. "That would be a nice change of scenery."
"Okay."
Clark altered his course a bit and headed southeast. He increased his speed just a little. As comfortable as it was holding Lois in his arms, it was getting a bit... uncomfortable. He had no idea what Lois wanted to talk about. The investigation, perhaps? Though... somehow he didn't think that was it.
He spotted a small island below that looked deserted, no signs of civilization as far as he could see, only the tropical vegetation. He took them down and set his feet on the white sand, then adjusted his grasp so Lois's legs could touch the ground.
They stood there for a long moment, her arms still around his neck, his around her waist. She was looking at him like... well, almost like she wanted to kiss him.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice screamed, Danger! Not safe. Not smart. But he couldn't tear his eyes away from the dark pools of emotion that were gazing at him.
To hell with being smart.
In a swift movement, Clark leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. She responded eagerly, running her fingers through his hair. He tested his tongue against her lips, and she accepted him willingly, opening her mouth so he could discover its depths.
Then, her lips moved over his and took his lower lip to suckle on it. He moaned deep in his throat. He felt lightheaded and on fire. The taste of her lips was sweet in his mouth, and it felt as if he'd never get enough. Lois stood, an oasis in his desert.
His hands moved up to cradle the back of her head, pressing her lips even closer. She sighed, and he swallowed it hungrily.
Moments later, she was pulling away, breathless. He panted. She rested her head in the hollow of his neck, and Clark reveled in just how right it felt.
He placed a feather-light kiss against her hair and hugged her tight. "Oh, God, Lois. I love you."
She stilled in his arms.
He felt her pull away and extract herself from his embrace.
Danger. Danger. This was why he couldn't trust himself. He couldn't think straight. Not around her. Not when she'd been looking at him like she had...
Her eyes were incredulous, and he could feel the heat of her stare.
Not exactly angry... but he could feel the panic coming off her in waves. He watched her swallow visibly.
"Excuse me?" Her voice was quiet. Shaky. Slightly high-pitched.
Clark stopped breathing. Not good. Not good. Not good.
Oh, God. What had he done?
"I..."
The silence between them was almost unbearable. Say something, Clark!
"I... Lois... I think I love you."
Her jaw dropped, and for a minute she didn't speak.
"W-why? How?"
Why? *Why*? He didn't know why. He wasn't even sure of the feeling. And how was even more unclear, but somewhere between the time he'd found her in his bedroom and now, he'd fallen in love with her. Or at least he thought he had.
"I-I don't know."
She let out something between a laugh and a sob.
Oh, God. Think, Clark! Say something.
***
Lois continued to stare at Clark. His shoulders sagged, and she watched as he scuffed his red boots in the sand, looking for all the world like a little lost child rather than the superhero he was.
Lost child...
Orphan.
All the stuff she'd read about him just hours ago came flooding back to her and hit her squarely in the chest, robbing her of breath.
And she started to wonder if there wasn't something to this closeness she felt towards him after all. The inexplicable feeling she'd had ever since she'd seen his picture in that old issue of the Daily Planet. The feeling she'd gotten when he'd offered so sincerely to help her. The feeling she'd gotten when she'd found him crying in the corner of her motel room. The feeling she'd gotten when he'd kissed her moments later. The feeling she'd gotten when she read about his childhood and found that he'd lost his parents, too. The feeling she'd gotten just now when he'd kissed her again...
And the feeling, deep in her gut, the full assault on her heart when he'd whispered "I love you."
It couldn't be. There was no rational explanation for it. Not one. It didn't make a lick of sense. There was no way that a city girl like her, who'd been declared dead and been living in the Congo for three years, could belong with a man from another planet who hopped universes and flew.
Love didn't just happen, and it certainly didn't happen like that!
Clark was doing his best not to stare at her; actually, to stare anywhere *but* at her. His boots, the palm trees, the ocean. But she caught his furtive glances in her direction. He thought he'd screwed up. He looked... tortured.
But a different kind of tortured than she'd seen before. It was as if...
As if he thought he'd just ruined his life.
Though surely she was imagining that. She couldn't read his mind any more than he could hers. And she didn't love him. How could she? They'd only just met. Not to mention... there was the other Lois to think of. What if all she proved to be was just a poor substitute for her counterpart in another universe?
But what if she wasn't? What if...
His eyes. She had to see his eyes. Then she'd know for sure. She'd be able to tell if he was looking at her or just a shadow of her. Right?
Her voice was thick. "Clark?"
He looked up, startled, worried. Terrified.
He looked completely and utterly lost, but what she found in his eyes stole her breath. Indescribable amounts of pain and uncertainty hung in their depths, dark windows to his soul. And suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to assure him of the very thing she couldn't say for sure existed.
The distance between them disappeared, and she threw herself at him, taking his head in her hands and crushing his lips against hers. He was still for half a second before he threaded his fingers through her hair and returned the kiss with equal fervor.
"Oh, Lois," he sighed against her lips.
She whimpered before he took her mouth again, then changed his course to trail wet kisses across her cheek and all the way to the hollow of her neck.
"Clark..." she whispered, more of a breath than a word.
***
Clark stilled for a moment, his heart welling up at her utterance.
She'd called him Clark while he was in the Suit. She had earlier in the alley, but somehow... now, in the heat of passion, it was just...
He didn't waste a second longer before he found her lips again, reassuring himself that she was here. That this *wasn't* a dream. That everything he'd ever wanted was right here in his arms.
He moved one hand to the small of her back and pressed her closer to him, wanting to *feel* that she was there. She sighed into his mouth, driving his desire even further. She seemed to melt into him, her body fitting perfectly against his -wholly different than the way the other Lois had felt in his arms. Better.
Oh, so much better.
He felt her lips move to a spot behind his ear, where she caressed it gently with her tongue. All the blood in his body stared to rush downward. It was an intoxicating feeling, having Lois so alive and willing in his arms.
She started tugging at his cape and the spandex that encased his chest, trying to figure out how to take it off. He stepped back hurriedly to remove the top part of his suit and let his cape fall to the sand behind him.
Her hands were on his chest immediately, exploring, caressing. He thought he'd been impervious to temperature, but everywhere her hands roamed there was fire. His head fell back, and he moaned as her lips and tongue did incredible things to his chest, his shoulders, his neck.
Clark brought his head back down to find her lips once again. He kissed her hungrily, desperate to taste her. His hands roamed over her shoulders and down to the waist of her jeans, where he tugged at her shirt until he had access to the soft, warm skin of her stomach.
He ran his fingers across her stomach, his touch feather-light, and he felt her muscles clench in response. Her sigh of pleasure was a warm stream of air on his ear. He moaned deep in his throat. Nothing. Ever. Had felt this... good.
His hands wandered higher underneath her shirt. Daring, testing. They edged higher still to undo the clasp of her bra. Then he resumed his exploration, although still a bit tentative and unsure.
She didn't seem to mind, in fact... Oh, God... she was busy sucking gently at his earlobe, and sighing in response to his movements. The spandex was starting to get uncomfortably tight. He'd never... this was... He withdrew his hands from her shirt to either side of her face, bringing her lips against his. Delving his tongue into her mouth, he tried to convey all the desire, the need she was stirring in him. He drew her shirt upwards, only tearing his lips away from hers long enough to pull her shirt and unfastened bra over her head, and then his mouth was back on hers with a passion he couldn't quite fathom.
He nearly died when he felt her hand snake between their bodies. He felt himself respond, and suddenly his knees were weak. Clumsily, he dropped to a kneel, bringing her with him.
Down. They should lie down. Her fingers were teasing lightly on his stomach where bare skin met spandex. He closed his eyes for a moment. He couldn't think. Blanket. He wished he had a blanket or something. Her fingers dipped below the waistline for a second, running along the material and against his skin. Hot. It was hot out here. Lie down. They still needed to... His cape! He could use that.
Then, in an instant, he was lying above her on the beach, his cape beneath them. He took a moment to drink in her beauty, getting lost in her eyes. Her hands came up to pull him down to her lips and he went willingly, devouring her mouth, tasting her soul.
He pulled away gently, wanting to look at her again, memorize her. Hands and mouths wandered, exploring new territory. The little moans and whimpers from Lois only served to fuel his desire, and he was resolutely ignoring the niggling whisper in the back of his mind. She moaned deeply, and threaded her fingers through his hair, holding to him tightly.
Clark's heart was pounding in his ears, sensations he'd only imagined assaulting him from every angle. He felt Lois's tug and brought his mouth back to hers, pressing his lips fiercely against hers. She whimpered again into his mouth as he ravaged her with his tongue, hands still exploring.
As he felt her hand snake between them once again, the voice got louder and cried in protest.
It was too much. Too soon.
He didn't want to listen. Trying his best to ignore it, he forced a stronger passion into his kiss, bringing both his hands up to hold her face to his.
He wanted this. *Needed* this. He needed to feel like he wasn't alone. Feel loved. Feel alive.
Tearing his lips away from hers, he looked at her, searching her eyes for the connection he so desperately needed to feel right at this moment. Her gaze was dark with desire, and he could feel her panting for breath below him. He felt as if he was being dangled over a precipice, wanting, *needing* to fall.
But he couldn't. *Shouldn't*.
"Clark?" Her eyes held the same hint of questioning as her voice.
He exhaled deeply and rested his forehead against hers, cursing the doubt and the raging desire within him.
"Is something wrong, Clark?"
He lifted his head enough to look her in the eyes. The question in her gaze turned to doubt. Worry. She averted her eyes, and he knew. They should stop. She wasn't ready. *He* wasn't ready, as much as his body was telling him otherwise. He wanted his first time to be... something more. Not that this wasn't special beyond his wildest dreams - he was with Lois, but they shouldn't now. Not like this.
"I... we should stop."
He could smell her. The arousal mingling with the scent of the salty breeze from the ocean. He'd never forget...
And as much as he wanted to finish what they'd started in reckless passion, he knew it wasn't right.
Clark watched the confusion and hurt cloud her darkened eyes. He'd screwed up. Said the wrong thing. Done the wrong thing. Let his raging emotions get the better of him just because he thought she might...
"Did I do something wrong, Clark?" Her voice was hesitant, tinged with hurt.
Oh, God. He shook his head. "No." He kissed her forehead lightly and brushed her cheek lightly with the back of his fingers, then pulled back to look at her again. "No, Lois. It's me, not you. I... can't."
He felt her flinch slightly at his words.
As much as he'd dreamed of this moment, he wasn't ready. And that killed him. Tore him apart to see the hurt in her eyes, and the rejection he knew she was feeling.
He was an idiot, and now he was panicked. What did he say? How could he reassure her that he still wanted her without... actually showing her?
"Lois, please..."
She turned her head away, biting her lower lip.
"I... I just..." Clark struggled for the right words to keep her from shutting him out. "I don't want to mess up the best thing that's ever happened to me."
TBC...
