Epiphany
Folc4evernaday
Part 4
***
Lois sighed, swaying in the ivory green dress she’d purchased that afternoon as she examined herself in the mirror. Clark had told her to wear something comfortable. She wasn’t sure what that meant. It was a date so she figured she needed to dress up somewhat. She examined the dress critically in the mirror. It was a sleeveless ivory green dress with lace detail on the bodice. It came down to her ankles. She had curled her hair and she had to admit she looked great.
She let out a quiet breath. This had to work. She couldn’t think about what would happen if it didn’t. A light knock at the door announced Clark’s arrival. She smiled glancing at the clock, “Seven o’clock on the dot,”
She opened the door and found Clark standing in front of her in a charcoal suit with a solid black tie. She smiled, eying him up and down. It wasn’t often that he wore solid ties. Normally he wore crazy outlandish ties to the office. She’d only seen him like this a handful of times. She had to admit, he looked incredible in his charcoal suit.
‘Or in a towel…’ Her mind reminded her of the memory of him standing in front of her in a towel during their first assignment together. That memory had fueled so many fantasies. Now, with him in front of her like this, knowing tonight could lead to her fulfilling those fantasies…it made her shudder involuntarily.
“Hi,” she managed to squeak out nervously.
“Hi,” He smiled at her, glancing up and down her once before meeting her eyes with a smile, “You look beautiful,”
She smiled. Another thing that separated Clark Kent from anyone else... He never leered at her. Not once had she noticed him leering at her body but rather catching her gaze and seeing her for who she was. “You look pretty handsome yourself,” She said, grabbing her purse and the green shawl that matched her dress before turning to leave, making sure to lock the door before they left.
***
Lois watched Clark through her eyelashes as she took a sip of her wine, savoring the taste that molded on her tongue with the flavors of the wine and the divine pasta. How he had gotten them into Foquet, one of the most exclusive restaurants in Metropolis in such short notice she’d never know. He seemed to be as nervous as she was. This was new territory. They already knew so much about one another but now…this was different.
This was so different from her dates with Lex. It had been a feeling of awe in a world she never really felt like she belonged in. Opening up to him wasn’t something that ever happened on their ‘dates.’ But with Clark…. He was still the only person she’d told about Claude even though the man made sure every man knew what a bad lay she was before he’d taken an assignment in Washington. She did her best to push thoughts about him out of her mind as she focused on Clark.
Somehow they’d gotten onto the subject of college. He’d told her about some of the travels he’d done after graduating and she shared some of what she’d grown up with in the Lane household. Things she’d never shared with anyone but her sister. There was something about Clark that made her want to divulge every thought and fear without thinking twice about it.
“…anyway, my senior year in high school I had a huge fight with my dad and I moved out,” Lois said quietly. She’d never told anyone but Lucy about her sordid past with her parents. Clark knew some parts, but never…
“You never told me that,” Clark took her hand from across the table gently.
“In vino veritas,” She whispered softly, opting to blame her openness on the wine. She caught his gaze as she took another sip of her wine, setting the glass down. “Anyway, he was always disappointed he never had any sons,” She sighed, trying to push that memory out of her mind. She didn’t want to think about her family right now. What she wanted to do was have a bite of that chocolate molten cake that was sitting in front of Clark with only two bites taken out of it.
“And you went out and became a world famous reporter to prove him wrong?” Clark asked, intertwining his fingers with hers from across the table.
“Maybe,” She admitted shyly. She glanced at the cake once more, “Are you going to finish that?”
Clark didn’t seem to notice the question, focused instead on finishing the conversation, “So, why don’t you quit? Now you can do what you want?”
Lois smiled broadly, thinking for a moment, “Maybe I found out I like it,” She wiggled her eyebrows at him, brushing her thumb against his wrist, “Did they give you an extra fork with that?”
Clark blushed, realizing he’d forgotten about the dessert. He took the fork and put a piece of cake on it, offering it to her. “Sorry, here, “
She opened her mouth for him to feed it to her. As the chocolate hit her taste buds she closed her eyes, savoring the taste as she felt the muscles in Clark’s hand flinch slightly. She smiled as she realized what she was doing to him…what she was doing to herself. She slowly opened her eyes and laughed, “I hate myself,”
He held up the fork with another bite, “Ready for another round?”
“No, I think I need a moment to recover,” Lois said softly. She turned to him with a smile, “So what about you?”
“I’m fine,” He pushed the plate toward her. “It’s all yours,”
Lois laughed, realizing he wasn’t understanding what she was referring to. “No, I mean you and your parents. Did you ever have any big fights with them?”
Clark was quiet a moment, “Little ones mostly. There was one thing ….big….” He trailed off for a moment, “but I guess you could say I was your basic goody two shoes,”
Lois smiled, “The perfect son,”
Clark smiled teasingly, “Now, it’s not easy being perfect,”
Lois laughed, holding his hand, “It never is,” She remembered the teasing fight they’d had when they’d argued about the invisible man and he’d told her it must be so hard to be right all the time.
He smiled at her, seeming to recall the same thing, “You know if you think about it, the only time people are really honestly expressing themselves is when they’re passionate….the polite veneer of society drops away…like when they’re fighting…”
“…or make love,” Lois nodded, fingering this hand once more. She slowly met his gaze and saw the heat of desire in his eyes she knew was reflected in her own. Was she seriously thinking of…?
‘Oh, God…’He cleared his throat and smiled nervously, “Uh, you feel like dancing?” He pointed to the large room where the band that had been providing the background music for the evening was playing. There were a few couples that had taken advantage of the space and begun to dance to the music.
“Sure,” She smiled, happy he hadn’t taken her slip of the tongue as an invitation. She didn’t know what she was so afraid of. He had told her when they first met he wasn’t like other men. She allowed him to lead her to the dance floor and enjoyed the feeling of his arms on her waist as she rested her hands on his shoulders as they began to sway to the music.
You’re the light, you’re the night
You’re the color of my blood
You’re the cure, you’re the pain
You’re the only thing I wanna touch
Never knew that it could mean so much, so much
You're the fear, I don't care
Cause I've never been so high
Follow me to the dark
Let me take you past our satellites
You can see the world you brought to life, to lifeShe could smell his cologne as she rested her head against his chest, inhaling his scent. How had this happened? How had she not seen the signs for so long? She had fallen for her partner, her best friend. It was obvious he cared about her…maybe even loved her. Was it enough?
So love me like you do, la-la-love me like you do
Love me like you do, la-la-love me like you do
Touch me like you do, ta-ta-touch me like you do
What are you waiting for?
Fading in, fading out
On the edge of paradise
Every inch of your skin is a holy grail I've got to find
Only you can set my heart on fire, on fire
Yeah, I'll let you set the pace
Cause I'm not thinking straight
My head spinning around I can't see clear no more
What are you waiting for? Clark sighed, holding Lois close as the chords to the song played. He couldn’t help but smile at the perfect timing of this song. It had taken him aback when Lois had mentioned making love during their conversation. The intimacy of the evening had grown easily and the sexual tension was thick. He needed to tell her, even if it made her hate him. He knew that. He just prayed she’d be able to forgive him.
Love me like you do, la-la-love me like you do (like you do)
Love me like you do, la-la-love me like you do
Touch me like you do, ta-ta-touch me like you do
What are you waiting for?
Love me like you do, la-la-love me like you do (like you do)
Love me like you do, la-la-love me like you do (yeah)
Touch me like you do, ta-ta-touch me like you do
What are you waiting for? (ahhh)Lois sighed, looking up at Clark as they danced together. How had she not realized what a good dancer he was before? She noticed a stray curl of his hair that had fallen on his face and reached up to brush it out of his face. She smiled when she noticed the nervous expression on his face. It somehow made her feel better to know he wasn’t as confident as he appeared to be. He was just as nervous as she was. Giving her heart to him wouldn’t be the end of the world, would it? Taking a chance…
I'll let you set the pace
Cause I'm not thinking straight
My head spinning around I can't see clear no more
What are you waiting for?He could feel himself trembling when she brushed her hand against his forehead, pushing the stray hair out of his face. He had to smile at that. It was a gesture he’d done to her countless times but never had she done that to him….not even as Superman.
Love me like you do, la-la-love me like you do (like you do)
Love me like you do, la-la-love me like you do (yeah)
Touch me like you do, ta-ta-touch me like you do
What are you waiting for? (ahhh)This would work. It had to. Clark was her best friend. He knew her better than anyone and he understood her better than anyone. He was….real…attainable. Unlike Superman who she had convinced herself, in the beginning, he was in love with her…After her talk with Lucy, she seemed to have faced some hard truths with that notion. He was unattainable. Safe. Unlike Clark who was right here, ready to give himself to her completely. Superman was a dream…a fantasy. Clark was real.
She glanced up at him through her eyelashes and noticed he seemed to be holding her as if it was the last time he was going to touch her. Trying to reassure him, she reached up and brushed her lips against his lips.
Love me like you do, la-la-love me like you do (like you do)
Love me like you do, la-la-love me like you do (ohh, ahh)
Touch me like you do, ta-ta-touch me like you do (ahh)
What are you waiting for? (ahh)
Clark groaned inwardly when he heard the soft moan coming from Lois as he deepened the kiss between them. He kissed her like his life depended on it, cupping her cheek as she slipped her tongue inside his mouth, teasing him with the soft taste of chocolate from earlier.
Remembering they were still in public he slowly broke off the kiss, tracing the outline of her jaw with his thumb and rested his head against hers. “You know this isn’t really dancing,” He whispered.
“It’s not?” She smiled.
“Let’s get out of here,” He whispered. She smiled back, walking with him back to their table as he pulled out his wallet to pay the check and they headed out.
***
Lois sighed against the soft cushion of Clark’s couch. She watched him curiously as he brought a cup of coffee in from the kitchen. He’d suggested getting some coffee after dinner. She’d expected to stop at a coffee shop, not to go back to his place, but she didn’t question it. He seemed really nervous.
He handed her a cup of coffee. She smiled when she noticed he’d already sweetened it to her liking and took a sip, “Perfect,” He smiled and took a seat across from her, on the edge of the coffee table, “So…” She began nervously. He looked really good. It would be so easy to lose herself in his eyes…in his arms…
“So,” He began nervously, “Lois, do you remember when you asked me about any big fights with my parents…”
She nodded, “Yeah,”
“Well, there was something we fought about that was pretty big….it has something to do with what my….biggest secret is,”
Lois smiled, recalling how she’d demanded to know his deepest darkest secret when she’d been stashing Eugene Latterman at her apartment. “You mean your big secret you never told me?”
Clark nodded. “What I’m about to tell you….you have to understand, I’ve never told anyone. I was taught not to share this with anyone for so long….I guess it just became second nature not to ever…” He shook his head nervously.
Lois placed a hand on his cheek, “Clark, whatever it is can’t be that bad.…”
He sighed in relief for a moment and continued, “I’m sorry. This is just really hard…I need to tell you this…I’m crazy about you, but before this goes any further I have to tell you this. I don’t want to screw this up,”
Lois smiled, cupping his cheek, “You’re not screwing anything up,”
Clark sighed nervously. He seemed to contemplate something for a moment then stood up and headed toward the stereo to turn it on, “Do you remember when we first started working together and you suggested I bring an extra suit to work?” He asked as he searched for the right album.
Lois nodded, “Yeah, you got filthy from that explosion….”
Clark hung his head as he found the album he was looking for. He opened the disk player and placed the cd in and pressed play, “Well when you said that it kind of planted a seed. I told you I was adopted?” Lois nodded and he continued, “I never told you how I was adopted…” He pressed play and the soft chords of Frank Sinatra’s ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ began to fill the air.
Lois smiled, “I love this song,”
“I know,” He said, extending his hand to hers, “Dance with me?”
She nodded, taking his hand as he pulled her to him. “So, you said we weren’t really dancing earlier…” She reminded him.
Fly me to the moon
Let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like on
A-Jupiter and Mars
In other words, hold my hand
In other words, baby, kiss me“I’m getting to that,” He whispered, “I was found in Shuster’s field. My parents found me there after what looked like a meteor landed there.”
“Oh, Clark,” Lois reached up to stroke his cheek and he closed his eyes, seeming to savor the feel of her hand against him.
Fill my heart with song and let me sing for ever more
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words, please be true
In other words, I love youHe continued, refusing to stop, “I didn’t know where I came from and neither did my parents. They’d thought maybe a Russian experiment or something but didn’t know …. I grew up normal, but felt like something was off. I didn’t find out I was adopted until I was older…they were forced to tell me…”
Lois looked at him quizzically, “Forced to tell you?”
Fill my heart with song
Let me sing for ever more
You are all I long for, all I worship and adore
In other words, please be true
In other words
In other words
I love youClark nodded, “I didn’t get sick as a kid. As I got older I found I couldn’t get hurt….” Lois’ face tensed up as she began to realize what he was saying, “I found out I could see things others couldn’t see, hear things others couldn’t, and eventually….I discovered I could…”
“…fly…” Lois gasped out in realization as he floated them above the ground, keeping a firm grasp on her waist.
***
Clark stared at Lois for what felt like an eternity. He’d just given Lois everything she needed to destroy him. Even though he didn’t think she would do something like that old fears from his childhood still haunted him…
Finally, Lois spoke, “So, you’re ….Superman….” Lois began slowly. She glanced down at the floor and noticed they were still floating a few inches off the floor.
He nodded, “Like I said that wasn’t really dancing….this is,” He smiled at her.
“Oh, God….” She let out a shaky breath, looking down at the floor and tightened her grip around his waist.
“I’ve got you,” He reassured her.
She hung her head, uncertain of how to form the questions that were probably forming in her mind. “Wha....Why are you …. I mean….?”
Clark noticed the shakiness in her voice and cupped her cheek. “I know it’s hard to wrap your head around…” He sighed, “It’s a lot.”
“Cl…I mean, what do I even call you?” She asked nervously.
“Same thing you’ve always called me….when I’m in the suit, ‘Superman’ and when I’m not, ‘Clark,’” He smiled at her. “It’s just a costume. Superman….it’s just a disguise I wear so I can help people.” He sighed, “I know you probably need time to digest this. I just hope you’ll understand why I did what I did….You’re being really quiet right now,”
“I think I’m still in shock,” She said softly.
Clark nodded, “I understand….”
“So, that’s why you’re always running off…” She mused.
He nodded, “Yes,” He smirked, “I’m not very good at the whole coming up with excuses to leave thing. I hate lying. Never was any good at it,”
“And why you had Superman’s globe,” She nodded in realization. “I thought it was odd that you’d steal something like that,”
He hung his head, “I wasn’t sure how to tell you….everything….then,”
“So, why now?” Lois asked.
He sighed, “There are things I need to tell you….that you wouldn’t understand unless you knew everything. It was actually mom’s idea to tell you…”
Lois sighed, “Your mom? Right, Martha….” He nodded and she let out a shallow breath, “What you have to tell me…I’m guessing it is big if Martha wanted you to tell me….from what you said they didn’t want you telling anyone…Is that why you kissed me yesterday?” She asked as she began to fall into babble mode.
He smiled at her, “No,” He cupped her cheek, outlining her jaw with his thumb. “I kissed you because I wanted to ….”
She seemed to relax slightly in his arms, “So obviously we have a lot to talk about….”
“Yes,” He nodded, resting his head against her forehead, “I’m sorry,”
“I’m trying to wrap my head around this….every conversation I’ve had about you…with you…” He smiled at her and she glared at him, “It’s not funny,”
“I didn’t say anything,” He said.
“You smirked,” She challenged, linking her arms around his neck, “So, where do we go from here?”
“I don’t know,” He said softly. “How mad are you?”
She seemed to think about it for a moment, “I don’t know,”
“You don’t know?” He asked in confusion.
“No, I don’t,” She sighed. “I guess a part of me is hurt you didn’t tell me before but at the same time I can’t really pinpoint when you’d have been able to tell me….I mean, I understand the why….and your reasoning behind it. I guess I’m still mulling it over. Everything I thought was one way is….”
“….different,” He nodded. “I know,” She reached up and took his glasses off, folding them in her palm. “What?” He asked. She reached up and mussed with his hair for a moment, “Just trying to see what I missed….for a year,”
“Well, I was trying to hide…” He said softly.
“So was I…” She said softly. She felt the tears in the corner of her eyes. She didn’t want to cry. Not now. He seemed to sense her withdrawal and floated them back to the floor.
“I’m sorry,” He whispered. “I never wanted to hurt you. I just….”
“I get it…” She smiled through her tears, “It’s just a lot….”
He nodded, “Do you….feel up for a flight?”
She smiled, “Why not?”
He cupped her cheek for a moment then stepped back, spinning into the Superman suit before her eyes. She blinked in surprise, stunned to see him change in front of her before her eyes. He scooped her up in his arms and whispered, “There’s something I want to show you,”
***
Lois gasped in surprise as they drifted above the clouds. She looked around, shivering at the sudden cold air that surrounded them. Clark wrapped his cape around her, making sure to cover her shoulders, “Better?”
She nodded, “It’s beautiful up here,”
He nodded, looking around, “I used to come here and just sort of drift…not really part of the stars…not knowing where I fit in…”
Lois looked up at him tenderly, uncertain of what to say. The emotions on his face spoke volumes. The loneliness she could relate to. So many nights of pushing everyone around her away … afraid to let anyone in. She understood now why Clark was able to understand her so well. He lived the same way. “Oh, Clark,”
“I finally found where I fit in when I came to Metropolis….when I met you…You gave me a way to fit in ... A way to help people….without being afraid of being exposed,” Clark continued as they floated across the moon.
She sensed his apprehension at his last statement and stroked his cheek, “Clark, I won’t tell anyone. I promise. This….is a lot and I do have….a lot of questions….mostly trying to figure out how I didn’t figure it out before now…but you can trust me,”
“I know that Lois,” He sighed, holding her close. “This…is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I never doubted I could trust you,”
Lois smiled when she felt him relax against her, “So, where do we go from here?”
“That’s up to you,” Clark said, resting his head against hers.
“Well, I think we’ve had enough revelations today,” Lois began. “I guess….this…whatever it is …. We take things slow…get to know one another without the disguises,”
He smiled broadly, “I’d like that.” He sighed in relief, “I was afraid you’d never want to talk to me again,”
Lois smiled, “I don’t think I’d be able to do that. I’ve kinda gotten used to having you around. I’m not going to walk away. I want this to work,”
“Good, then I won’t have to fly away,” He teased with a broad grin. He sobered slightly, “I want this to work more than anything I’ve ever wanted in this world,”
Lois intertwined her fingers with his, “Then we’re agreed. We’ll take this slow and figure out….us?” Clark nodded and she leaned up to kiss him. It wasn’t a demanding kiss like the one they’d shared on the dance floor before or the one in the conference room. Just a soft kiss filled with the promise of what was to come.
***
Lois smiled wistfully as they walked back to her apartment. Clark had changed back into his suit and glasses and here they were at the door to her apartment. She smiled at him, still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that the man standing in front of her was the same man that had bore his soul to her in the clouds a few hours ago. Things were definitely different.
“Well, uh,” Lois began softly. “Thank you for dinner ….and for…” She looked down the hall to make sure no one was around and mouthed, “the flight,”
He smiled at that remark. “Goodnight, Lois,” He whispered and leaned in to kiss her. It took everything in her not to pull him in for a deeper kiss but right now they were taking things slow…getting to know one another as more than friends.
He slowly broke off the kiss and she turned toward the door, trying to compose herself. He waited for her to pull out her key and unlock her door. “Goodnight, Clark,” She said softly before leaning in to kiss him once more this time allowing herself to pull him in for a deeper kiss, tugging him close to her by his tie. She sighed inwardly as she felt his hands cup both sides of her face, fingering her hair as he traced her lips with his tongue. She could feel him responding to her and smiled against his lips. She could easily lose herself in his arms tonight. She suspected he knew that too, but seemed to be holding back.
He slowly broke off the kiss, taking a step back. It was clear he was just as affected by the kiss as she was. She’d never thought of Superman becoming breathless yet here he was standing in front of her trying to catch his breath. “I better….” He motioned toward the hallway and she nodded taking a step into the apartment.
She slowly closed the door, watching as he turned to leave through the crack in the door. She began to slowly lock the several different locks on her door and sighed, leaning against the door frame. “Wow…”
***
TBC...
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