Epiphany
Folc4evernaday
Part 8
***
Nigel glared at the screen as he watched the footage of Lois Lane opening her window for Superman and then within a few seconds each monitor’s feed went blank. He’d found the surveillance equipment. Now that Lex was no longer a fixture in Lois Lane’s life it would be harder to replant the equipment. He’d have to keep Superman occupied while he did…
***
Later that evening, they all sat around the dining table, enjoying the Chinese food Clark had brought from ‘a little place he knew’. Ellen and Lucy took the food and set everything up at the table and Lois helped set the research up in the living room. Once the table was set they all sat down to eat, “So, Lucy how’s it feel to be back in Metropolis?” Clark asked, handing her an eggroll.
“Great!” Lucy beamed. “California was fun for a bit but it’s good to be back and get back to school this Fall. I need to finish up my degree.”
“….and stop living paycheck to paycheck…” Ellen added.
Lucy sighed, “I’m doing what I can while going to school,”
Clark smiled, “Well I’m glad you’re back. I know Lois missed you,”
“Yes I missed her too,” Lucy sighed, “but thanks for taking such good care of her,”
“No problem,” He shared a look with Lois for a moment then turned away.
“Lois, isn’t easy to keep up with,” Ellen added with a smile.
Clark smiled, “She’s worth it,” That earned him a smile from Ellen. She seemed to be trying to make her mind up about him for a moment. He noticed the lull in the conversation and decided to try and find out more about Lois’ mother, hoping to steer away from any sensitive topics for the moment. “So, Ellen, Lois said you were a nurse?”
Ellen nodded, “Yes, I was a surgical nurse at Metropolis General. It’s where I met Sam.”
Clark nodded, “Yeah, I met him when we did the story on Menken’s gym. He seemed….”
Ellen raised her eyebrows at him, waiting for the response with amusement, “Colorful?” She offered.
“Uh, yeah,” He said uncertain if that was the right way to describe Sam Lane.
“He wasn’t always like that, but ambition kind of took over and….” She sighed, “Well, you know the rest,” She took a fortune cookie and opened it, “What in the world?”
“What is it?” Lucy asked, opening her own fortune cookie, “Hey!”
“What?” Lois asked.
“It’s in Chinese!” Ellen said in shock.
Lois laughed, handing the fortunes to Clark to translate, “Here…”
Clark laughed, taking the fortune and reading it for her. “Do not mistake temptation for opportunity,”
Lucy and Ellen stared at him in shock, “You can read Chinese??” They asked in unison.
“…and about three hundred other languages,” Lois added.
“Photographic memory,” Clark explained.
“Wow…” Lucy sighed, “Feel like helping me with Statistics this Fall?” Clark laughed.
Ellen sighed, stretching her arms. “This was nice. Delicious food.” She turned to Lois and Lucy, “I think I’m going to head out.” She gave Lucy a hug, “Don’t you dare leave town without telling me again,”
“Yes, Mother,” Lucy said, giving her a hug.
Ellen turned to Clark, “Clark, thank you for dinner. It was amazing. You will have to get me their caterer. We’re always looking for new places to try at the club,”
“Uh, I don’t know if they cater,” Clark began.
“Really?” Ellen asked, surprised. “They really should…Anyway, I’m out of here. You three have fun,” She then turned to Lois and gave her a hug, whispering just loud enough for Lois to hear, “Hold onto him. He’s good for you,” Before turning to leave.
“Did that just happen?” Lucy asked in shock.
“Dinner with mom and an enjoyable conversation…yeah, I wouldn’t have believed it either,” Lois laughed.
Lucy smiled, “I think she was on good behavior for Clark,”
“Probably,” Lois said, turning to look at him.
Lucy let out a yawn and sighed, “I think the jet lag is getting to me…I think that’s my cue to turn in. Do you need any help cleaning up?”
“No, that’s fine,” Lois reassured her, “Get some sleep. We’ve got this,”
Clark nodded, taking Lois’ hand in his. “Good night, Lucy,” Lucy waved goodnight and left. He turned to Lois as he grabbed the trash from the table and tossed it in the trash. “Your mom seems nice,”
She laughed, “She has her moments.” She began wiping the table down and smiled as she watched Clark bend over to sweep up the stray bits of food that had fallen on the floor. Lucy was still awake so he didn’t want to do anything super with her in the next room.
He noticed her eyes on him and turned back to smile at her, “All done,” He said, putting the contents of the dustpan in the trash.
He followed her into the living room and took a seat on the couch with her. “Thanks for bringing the files over,” She said. “…and dinner. My mom’s not the easiest to deal with…”
“She seems…guarded…” He observed sadly.
“She is,” Lois nodded. “After everything that happened with daddy…She put her walls up and turned to drinking…”
“That must have been rough on you and Lucy,” He said, intertwining her hand with his.
She smiled slowly, “It was. Lucy locked herself in her room while I dealt with the brunt of everything…she has her qualms about relationships…just like I do. She’s just less guarded. I don’t do too well with the touchy feely stuff if you haven’t noticed.”
Clark smiled, “I’ve noticed.”
“I mean, after what happened three years ago I …I promised myself I wouldn’t….” She sobered slightly, looking down at his hand that still held hers in his palm. “Then you kinda snuck up on me….I spent a year trying to deny it and then after the other night…there was no denying what I felt when you kissed me and then…” She squeezed his hand, “I love you,”
He cupped her cheek, “I love you too,” He said with a smile.
“I don’t think I’ll ever tire of hearing that…” Lois smiled at him.
“Then I’ll just have to keep saying it,” He grinned, leaning in to kiss her, tracing the outline of her lips with his tongue. She cupped his face with her hand, fingering the curls on the back of his head with her fingers. He moaned against her lips as she deepened the kiss, pressing her small frame against him.
“I guess you will,” She grinned back at him, pulling away from him slightly so she was leaning against him, “So, why the glasses?” Lois asked.
“I needed them to help me when I was younger ….” At her perplexed look, he continued, “I had to learn how to control my powers when I was younger….having fires start out of nowhere wasn’t the ideal situation.”
“Or seeing through someone’s clothes….” Lois teased. Clark blushed at that comment. “Have you…?”
“Not intentionally, but when I was in high school I accidentally x-rayed the girls’ locker room….Not my proudest moment…” He added as she laughed at the blush that was spreading to his neck.
“Ever been tempted?” She asked, leaning back against him again as she stroked her hand against where his hand rested below her rib cage.
“May…be,” He admitted shyly.
“Really?” She asked, turning to face him, “By me?” At his blush, she grinned impishly, “When?”
He looked away, avoiding her gaze, “Uh….”
“Superman doesn’t lie,” She added, arching her eyebrow, pressing her small frame against him as he struggled to form a response.
She ran her hand seductively down his thigh causing him to jump, “Lo-is…”
She giggled in response, “I believe you were trying to answer a question…” She said running her index finger and middle finger from his thigh to his knee in a walking motion.
“Please don’t do….that…” He whispered, taking her hand from his knee and holding it in his palm as he brought it to his hand to kiss.
“Why?” She teased. “Am I distracting you?”
“Without a doubt,” He whispered, brushing his lips against the nape of her neck.
“You never answered my….” She sighed happily as he nibbled in just the right spot against her neck, “Oh, Clark….”
He smiled against her neck, “Two can play that game….”
She laughed, leaning back against him as his arms tightened around her waist. “I was just testing this…..super….willpower….Oh, God….” She managed as his tongue grazed against just the right spot to make her melt in his arms. She could feel a hard bulge beginning to form against her backside and she smiled, realizing the effect she was having on him.
“It has its limits…” He whispered in her ear, pulling away from her.
She looked at him intrigued. “Really?” She was about to see just how far those limits were when he got that familiar expression on his face. “What is it?”
“Bank alarm,”
“Bank alarm?” She glanced at the clock, “All the banks are closed!”
“It could be nothing, but just in case….” He gave her a peck on the cheek before standing up, “I’ll try to be quick,”
“I was just about to find out all those juicy details…” She teased as the door closed behind him.
***
Nothing. No sign of anyone anywhere. Clark scanned the building as he landed outside the bank. A security guard walked up to him, shaking his head. “Damn kids….waking me up in the middle of the night…”
“Is there a problem, sir?” Clark asked.
“Obviously not,” He sighed. “I gotta drive all the way down here to reset the alarm because someone thinks its funny to mess with the system…”
“Any idea who or what could have tripped the alarm?” Clark asked.
“There’s no telling,” the guard shrugged. “The system is pretty sensitive,”
***
“I didn’t call for maintenance….” Lois began to argue.
“This’ll just take a minute,” The man reassured. “We have to check the plumbing in all the apartments. We just replaced a pipe and need to make sure there aren’t any leaks…”
“Okay,” Lois nodded, stepping aside for the man to enter the apartment. She watched him head to the bathroom and then turned back to the file on the table. Hopefully, Clark would be back soon. A few minutes later the man was leaving. Lois waved and got up to lock the door behind him. “Well that was quick,” She quipped.
***
“Bureau 39? Jason Trask’s Bureau 39?” Lex asked skeptically as she took a sip of the beer in front of him. They were after all in Germany.
Agent Carter nodded, “That’s right. He may have been off his rocker like they said and he may have gone about things the wrong way, but he was right about one thing…”
“What was that?” Lex asked.
Carter shook his head, “No way,” He pointed to the table, “I want the money up front first then I’ll tell you everything you need to know,”
“Very well,” Lex took out his checkbook and began to write, “How much?”
“Cash,” Carter corrected. “I need the money in my hand and then I’ll tell you everything,”
“How do I know you aren’t just trying to shake me down for cash?” Lex inquired.
Carter pulled out a small green glowing rock inside a Ziploc bag, “Because I’m the one that did the initial testing on this little piece of home for Trask,”
“Is that…?” Lex began to say.
“Kryptonite,” Carter nodded.
***
Clark shook his head as he knocked on Lois’ door. Since Lucy was staying with Lois again he couldn’t just fly in and out without raising suspicion. He needed to be careful. Someone had planted cameras in Lois’ apartment. How many conversations had they heard? He hadn’t examined the cameras enough to know if they were audio or not, but the idea of someone watching Lois…
The door opened and Lois smiled at him, “That didn’t take long…”
“False alarm,” He said with a smile as he stepped into her apartment. He rubbed her right arm and smiled, “I guess we need to be more careful….what we say….just in case…” He scanned the room to make sure he didn’t see any more cameras.
Lois nodded, “Yeah,” She shuddered slightly, wrapping her arms around herself as she took a seat on the couch.
“I checked the room. There are no more cameras…” He reassured her, taking a seat next to her.
“But there were…” Lois reminded him. “Just the other day we were…” She shook her head in disgust. “What if someone was listening?”
“We don’t know if those cameras had audio on them,” Clark reminded her.
“But we were talking about….you know what…What if someone finds out?” Lois said, opting to talk in code rather than say the actual name of ‘kryptonite.’
Clark sighed, “We’ll deal with it if it happens,” He reassured, cupping her cheek.
“Do you think Lucy’s right?” Lois asked shakily.
“I don’t know,” Clark sighed. “The problem is, I already removed the cameras. I didn’t wait for the police so it’s our word against his…knowing Luthor there’s probably zero paper trail and it’ll lead to some fall guy and nowhere near him.”
“This is getting kinda scary,” Lois said shakily. She cast a glance at the box of files next to the couch. “I’m starting to think we haven’t even scratched the surface of what he’s capable of…”
“I know,” He sighed, taking her hand in his. “He’s always a couple steps ahead…”
“Well, maybe if we keep taking steps backward we can find loose ends he forgot to trim,” Lois reasoned, squeezing his hand.
“Thank you,” He whispered.
“For what?” She asked.
“Everything,” He sighed, intertwining his fingers with hers. “You could have been mad at me and you weren’t. You didn’t have to believe me when I …”
She held a finger up to his mouth and whispered, “Enough of that. I told you I was a bit shell-shocked that night….You’re right I could have been mad, but as I said before I can’t think of a time when you could have told me. You trusted me so I trusted you. It’s that simple.”
“I love you,” He said softly, leaning in to kiss her. She turned to face him, cupping the side of his face as she deepened the kiss. She traced the length of his tie with her index finger, pulling him to her as she tugged on his tie, wrapping the silk tie around her hand as she moved up toward the knot of his tie to loosen it.
“I love you,” She murmured against his lips, pressing him back against the couch, as she slid her other leg to the other side of his leg so that she was hovering above his lap, supporting herself on her knees as she kissed him, tugging at the knot on his tie with her fingers.
“I love you,” He whispered, slipping his hands around her waist so they rested on the small of her back. His tie hung loosely around his neck, untied and she pulled it through the collar of his shirt. He could feel the heat from her body pressed against him, smell her perfume as it teased his nostrils. Her chest was pressed up against his chin, teasing him as she deepened the kiss. He could feel his body responding to her touch.
“Take this off…” She murmured, trying to get his jacket off him without breaking their embrace. He nodded, leaning back just far enough so he had enough room to shrug the jacket off and threw it over the back of the couch. She reached for his collar and pulled him toward her. He groaned as his face brushed against her blouse. He’d fantasized about what lay beneath those cotton blouses for months. He wasn’t sure if he should be the one to make the first move. He didn’t want to scare her off and he was really enjoying what she was doing to him right now. She seemed to sense his hesitation and she reached for his hand and guided it to her chest. He’d dreamed of this for so long…
“Lo-is…” She caught his gaze meeting his eyes he watched in anticipation as she unbuttoned her blouse, one button at a time. The idea of making love to Lois was enough to make him sweat. He knew she was just as turned on as him. He looked down at the fabric that was bunched up on both sides of her thighs, swallowing hard as he noticed how far up her legs her skirt had been hiked up to. So many fantasies…
He groaned as he saw her slowly reveal a simple lace bra beneath her blouse and bit his lower lip in anticipation, meeting her heated gaze with one of his own. He leaned forward, brushing his lips against her collarbone. She sighed happily and lowered herself down to his lap, pressing herself against him. “Oh, Cl…” She gasped as he buried his face in her chest. “Oh, God, yes…” She whimpered against him, moving to recapture his lips with her own.
“Lois….” He devoured her lips with his own and she whimpered against him. He drank in the sight of her with her blouse hanging open, straddling him and he smiled.
She cut him off and devoured his lips with her own. “You are…so….” She whimpered against his lips, “I love you,”
“Hey, Lois, I brought the rest of the stuff over here like the Chief wanted me to….” The sound of the door opening caught his attention and he quickly grabbed his jacket to cover Lois up as she pulled back to look at him in curiosity. “Whoah!”
“Jimmy, what are you doing here??” Lois whimpered from beneath his coat as she fumbled with her blouse.
“Oh, God…” Clark groaned between gritted teeth, trying to regain control of his body as he felt her body move against him.
“I am SO sorry. I had no idea….Oh, God…” Jimmy managed, struggling with the boxes in his arms. Unfortunately, Clark was in no position to move to help him.
Lois fumbled with the buttons to her blouse under the cover of his jacket as she growled, “Don’t you knock?”
“I did…no one answered and the door was unlocked…” Jimmy stammered, trying to avoid looking at either her or Clark.
Lois finished buttoning her blouse then turned on his lap, eliciting another groan as she brushed against him.” You have got to be the most inconsiderate….”
Jimmy was still struggling with the boxes he was holding and took a step back, “Hey, I had no idea you guys were…..I mean….”
Clark still struggling to regain control of his body decided to intervene, wrapping an arm around Lois’ waist, “Lois, honey, I’m sure it was just….bad timing….”
Lois glared at Jimmy for a moment then glanced back at Clark again then turned her attention back to Jimmy shooting him a look of death, “I better not hear about this in the Planet grapevine or I swear….”
“Lois, come on you know me better than that,” Jimmy said a bit offended.
“What is going on out here?” Lucy asked, stepping out of the spare bedroom. “I’m trying to sleep and….”
“Lucy?” Jimmy dropped the box where he was standing, surprised to see the younger Lane sister. “I…I didn’t know you were….”
Lucy nodded, “Just got in….What are you….?” She looked around the room and spotted her sister still sitting halfway on Clark’s lap with his tie thrown over the back of the couch and his coat still hanging on her shoulders and realization began to dawn on her.
Unfortunately, Jimmy was no longer paying attention to his friends that he’d intruded on, instead intent on reconnecting with Lucy. “So, how long are you in town for?” Jimmy asked.
“Um, why don’t we talk another time….” Lucy said eying Lois and Clark who were still sitting on the couch.
“What?” Jimmy asked confused for a moment then realization dawned on him, “Oh, right! Another time….I’ll just be….”
Clark let out a sigh of relief that their unexpected houseguest was finally leaving when his super-hearing picked up the police radio from down the street, “Hostage situation in progress….repeat gunman is armed and dangerous….” He silently cursed his luck, willing his body to calm down. “All units respond….repeat….All units respond….”
“I’ve got to go,” He whispered, grabbing his jacket off Lois’ shoulders to help hide the effect their very heated make-out session had had on him from Lucy and Jimmy who were still not paying any attention to them. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” He leaned down to kiss Lois goodbye before leaving.
“See, Jimmy, look what you did….” Lucy smacked him on the shoulder.
“I didn’t do anything. I was in the middle of leaving….” Jimmy argued.
***
Thankfully the hostage situation was a quick in and out situation where he didn’t need to wait around for long. He’d left before the media had shown up so he was able to get out of there without drawing attention to his current predicament. It wasn’t as bad as it had been earlier but it was still very noticeable. That was one downfall about the Superman suit….it was very revealing. He smiled to himself. He’d have to come up with a plan for how to deal with interruptions like this without embarrassing himself. It was painful but the memory of Lois’ body pressed up against him made it so worth it. He wouldn’t trade a single second for anything in the world….
Maybe a trip up to the arctic for a few minutes would help…. He recalled the look on Lois’ face when her body had been molded against him and shuddered. Make that a few hours….
***
Lois turned on the television to see the coverage on the hostage situation at a gas station down the street. She smiled as she watched the familiar red and blue streak fly in and rescue the hostages while depositing the gunmen to the police at super speed. He hadn’t even stopped long enough to talk to anyone.
‘Probably still having problems with that suit,’ She reasoned to herself.
She shuddered involuntarily recalling the feeling of his body pressed up against her when she’d been kissing him tonight.
<<“Two days of not being able to do anything when you were under the influence of those pheromones….I guess I just kinda lost my willpower…”
“Really?”
“Two…days….”
“So, is that the limit to Superman’s willpower…..Two…days…?”
“It…depends…”
“On …what…exactly?”
“How long you’re torturing….him…for…” >> She recalled their conversation about how his willpower had been tested to the max when she’d been under the influence of the pheromones a few months ago. She’d been so mortified when she realized she’d been throwing herself at Clark like that….even more mortified when she saw what she’d shown up at his apartment in.
<<“I wasn’t even trying…”
She cut him off and devoured his lips with her own. “You are…so….” She whimpered against his lips, “I love you,”>>
<<“I’ve been wanting to do that since this morning
“Why didn’t you?”
“I didn’t know if I was allowed….We’re still in the….getting to know you….phase…”>>Clark was such a boy scout. He had been afraid to touch her….afraid to push…allowing her to set the pace of their relationship. It was empowering to know he had given her so much power…
<<“I want this to work more than anything I’ve ever wanted in this world,”>>“Oh, Clark…” She sighed, leaning back against the couch. Lucy and Jimmy were at the dining table catching up over chocolate ice cream and cream soda. She smiled at her sister. She wasn’t sure what had happened between the two of them but it seemed to be in the past now because they didn’t seem to be able to take their eyes off of each other.
<<“Lois, it’s very late…”
“Not too late I hope….for us….for happiness?”
“Oh, no! Lois, please no don’t!”
“Oh, Clark, I love you! I want to spend the rest of my life with you!”
“Lois, please go home….”
“You’re here….this is my home….”
“Lois, you don’t know how many times I’ve thought about this….dreamt about this….well something like this….but it’s not real. What you’re feeling is not real. I don’t know exactly how but there was something in the perfume that made everyone drunk on….love….Lois, I cannot take advantage of you like this….”>>The memory of that night she’d tried to seduce him under the influence of the pheromones had been seared into her mind for months. She’d tried to brush it off as just the pheromones but her heart and her head knew better. She’d fought her feelings for months and now she’d faced her feelings, but still felt that fear in the pit of her stomach.
<<“Lois, I can’t take it anymore. If you really want me I’m yours….”>>Her feelings for Clark were intense…and that scared her. After everything that had happened with Claude…moving too quickly scared her. So why hadn’t she been scared when she’d been the one to make the first move? In the heat of the moment, it had been so easy to forget…
<<“Lois, I can’t take it anymore. If you really want me I’m yours….”>>She knew she had been the one to push the boundaries tonight. She had been the one to lose control…If Jimmy hadn’t shown up when he did…Would they have…? She loved Clark. Admitting that had been the first hurdle but taking that step….a step that had ended in a disaster last time…terrified her.
<<“I mean, you’re …YOU, but I just don’t want you to be…”
“Lois, I’m not…I’m not that experienced either…”
“You’re not?”
“No, actually not…at all…” >>A week ago they had been just friends, partners….and she was infatuated with his alter-ego, oblivious to the fact that they were one and the same. Now, so much had changed and everything seemed to be moving so fast. What she felt….she could easily lose herself in his arms without thinking twice, but that was where she’d messed up the last time…Getting lost in the heat of the moment without checking the water level first. They’d known each other so long yet didn’t know each other at the same time.
<<“Lois, I’m not from here…I’m different…so I made the decision not to….cross that threshold until I could find someone I could share everything with…”>>
<< “So, you’re waiting for…”
“Just the right person,...You,”
“Oh, Clark, you are just so….I love you,”
“I love you too, Lois,” >>He was Superman yet he seemed just as scared about crossing that threshold as she did. His plea to take things slow had been met with skepticism on her part…partly because she’d never taken things slow with anyone or anything.
<<“Lois, I can’t take it anymore. If you really want me I’m yours….”>>She’d dreamed of hearing those words from Superman for so long, but now everything was different. It was Clark. Clark was Superman. The same man that had told her so long ago that all she had to do was say the word…Why did that thought scare her so much?
<<“Lois, I can’t take it anymore. If you really want me I’m yours….”>>***
After a long dip in the Arctic ocean, Clark landed outside his balcony and stepped inside, changing back into his dress slacks and dress shirt from earlier. He sighed as he closed the window behind him. Tonight had been incredible and if Jimmy hadn’t shown up when he did he knew they would have ended up moving their very heated make out session to the bedroom…but he had. Jimmy had shown up and interrupted them…again. That boy had the worst timing…He’d wanted to go right back to her apartment and finish what they’d started, but something was stopping him. He just wasn’t sure what.
Maybe it was the fact that everything seemed to be moving so fast. Not fast in a bad way, but a very very good way. He was afraid of scaring her off. He was afraid of blowing it and possibly losing what was blossoming into a wonderful relationship. He loved being able to be himself with her, but he still sensed she was holding back…scared. He didn’t want to lose himself in a moment and have her regret it the next day. He wanted it all. He wanted forever. If that meant dips in the Arctic ocean became a nightly ritual; so be it.
***
Back at Lois’ apartment Lucy and Jimmy were still catching up. “So, how long are you in town for?” Jimmy asked, taking a sip of coffee.
“I haven’t decided…” Lucy said shyly. “Lois is letting me crash here until I get my bearings again and then get started back with school.”
Jimmy nodded, “So, you….uh, seeing anyone….I mean when you were….out in California….”
Lucy laughed at Jimmy’s nervousness. They had gone on a few dates before she’d decided to move out to California. Rather than try to keep a long-distance relationship they’d decided to just take a break. Now that she was back it seemed he wanted to pick up where they left off. “No, I mean no one special…” She said with a smile. “You?” She took a sip of her coffee and looked at him expectantly.
“Uh, no….” He said rather hurriedly. “No one special,”
***
The next morning Lois woke up to find Lucy and Jimmy had fallen asleep on the couch watching an old movie. She smiled, looking at her sister curled up in a ball on one side and Jimmy on the other with a bowl of popcorn just a few inches from his sleeping arm. It seemed the two of them were trying to pick things up where they left off a few months ago. She headed to the bedroom to finish getting dressed, throwing on a blouse and jeans. Thankfully it was Saturday and she had the weekend off. It had been a long week. She smiled recalling all the changes that had taken place over the last week. “What a difference a week makes,” She mused as she headed to the kitchen to begin brewing some coffee.
A knock at the door caught her attention and she tip-toed to the door, careful not to wake Jimmy or Lucy. She smiled when she saw Clark on the other side in a green button-down shirt and jeans. She eyed him appreciatively, “Morning,”
“Morning,” He whispered, leaning in to kiss her.
She smiled against his lips, smoothing her hand over the imaginary wrinkles on his shirt. “Everything go okay?”
“Yeah,” He smiled, stepping into the apartment and closing the door behind him. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Lucy and Jimmy on the couch.
Lois smiled, “I think they were…catching up…last night,” She winked at him.
“Ah,” He nodded, “Well, I just, uh…” He noticed Lucy starting to stir and quickly covered, “I mean, uh, Superman took Jack to visit Denny for the weekend and he, uh, offered to fly ….us out to Smallville…if you’d be interested…just for the day,”
She arched an eyebrow at him, “There’s not some weird Wheat Festival going on that I should know about?”
Clark laughed, “That was the Corn Festival and you had fun…”
She smirked back at him, “Okay you got me there, but it’s still weird…”
“I promise there are no crop festivals for you to accidentally have fun with,” He teased, holding up three fingers to give a ‘scout’s honor.’
Lois laughed, leaning in to kiss him, “Okay, sure. Just let me change my top.”
A groan from the other side of the room caught both of their attention and they turned to see Jimmy looking at them amused with a half-smile, “CK don’t you have a home?”
“I could ask you the same question,” Lois teased, mussing his hair as she walked by him to change.
***
<“Thank you,”
“For what?”
“Everything, You could have been mad at me and you weren’t. You didn’t have to believe me when I …”
“Enough of that. I told you I was a bit shell-shocked that night….You’re right I could have been mad, but as I said before I can’t think of a time when you could have told me. You trusted me so I trusted you. It’s that simple.”
“I love you,”
“I love you,”>Nigel stopped the tape, seeing enough. He rolled his eyes in disgust, reaching for the phone, “Start pulling everything you can on Clark Kent,”
After giving his orders he hung up the phone. It had been too easy. Masquerade as a repairman and add an audio feed to the electrical system so everything in the apartment worked as a transmitter. Thankfully the electrical circuit box was encased in lead so Superman wouldn’t be able to see it.
***
The sound of the familiar sonic boom could be heard behind the barn. Martha looked at Jonathan, “Did Clark call?” He shrugged his shoulders and she shook her head as he stood up to follow her out on the porch, “He better have told her or…”
“I don’t think you have to worry about that…” Jonathan pointed at Clark and Lois walking hand in hand toward them.
***
Carter flipped through the envelope of cash happily, “Pleasure doing business with you, Boss,” He smirked at Luthor who just stared at him impatiently.
“You have your money…”
“How much do you want to know about Bureau 39?” Carter asked.
“Everything. Everything that has to do with Superman…” Lex said, pointing downward at the table as if the information was something Carter could make magically appear on the table.
Carter smiled, “We’ll have to start at the beginning…”
***
“Can I get you some coffee?” Martha asked, heading into the kitchen.
Lois looked around the dining room nervously. It was strange being back here. “Uh, sure,” She nodded.
“They shouldn’t be too long. Clark likes to try and help where he can with the heavy stuff on the farm ever since Jonathan’s back surgery a few years ago,” Martha brought her a cup of coffee and took a seat at the dining table, “So, Clark told you?” She prompted.
Lois nodded, “Yeah,” She smiled taking a seat across Martha as she took a sip of her coffee. Surprisingly it was already sweetened to her liking.
“Black, two sugars. Just like Jonathan.” Martha said with a smile, “I remembered from the last time you were here,”
“Thanks,” Lois said, setting the cup down.
“Kinda weird, huh?” Martha asked.
“Yes!” Lois nodded, “Very. It’s just so….” She was trying to find the right word but couldn’t.
“Surprising?” Martha guessed.
“Shocking…” Lois nodded. “I was shell-shocked when he first told me…very…VERY shell-shocked.”
“In a good way or a bad way?”
“I guess….a good?” Lois shrugged. “We’re still trying to figure everything out…take things slow,” Lois said.
“And he told you about everything with Lex Luthor?” Martha asked uneasily.
Lois nodded, “Yeah, and some of it I had to find out on my own…I still can’t believe I was so ….blind,”
“I didn’t want you getting caught in the cross-fire with everything…especially considering everything he did when he was testing Clark a few months ago. There’s no telling what he would do…”
“Testing Clark?” Lois asked, confused.
Martha sighed, “So he didn’t tell you everything?”
“The stuff with Prometheus mainly…we’ve been researching a lot of the old stories and he’s been slowly telling me everything…like with the Kryptonite…” Lois explained. “What test?”
“When he first started out ‘being Superman’ Lex Luthor started testing him. He had two people jump at the same time across town from one another to test his speed…” Martha began. Lois blushed slightly recalling the incident where she’d ‘stolen’ Clark’s story. It wasn’t her proudest moment. Did she know? He seemed to be pretty open with his parents… “Then he set off a bomb to test his vulnerability…”
“The Carlin building…” Lois nodded. “I remember.”
“When he put the pieces together and confronted Luthor …”
“He confronted him?” Lois asked, aghast.
“Yes, sometimes he just jumps in without thinking…especially when people he cares about are in danger. Anyway, when he confronted him Luthor told him the tests wouldn’t stop unless Superman left Metropolis,”
“That’s why he went missing for three days,” Lois sighed, recalling how worried she’d been when Superman hadn’t shown up to help during that week they were all trying to land the ‘Superman exclusive.’
“I tried talking him out of it…We just couldn’t get through to him. I’m actually not sure what it was that changed his mind,” Martha sighed, “but I’m glad he did. Superman gives him a way to use his powers…to help like he’s wanted to for so long…and not risk being exposed…”
<<“It’s the idea of Superman. Someone to believe in. Someone to bring a few hopes around. Whatever he can do; that’s enough,”>>Lois recalled the words she’d said to Clark so long ago and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Had she changed his mind? “So, do you guys all talk about him in the third person?”
Martha laughed, “Sometimes it’s the only way to keep everything straight,” She smiled at Lois, giving her a pained expression, “This is nice,”
“What?” Lois asked, unsure of what the change in Martha’s tone was.
“I’m sorry,” She sniffed, taking Lois’ hand. “It’s just….well, it's been almost thirty years and you’re the first woman I’ve been able to talk to about my boy,” Lois smiled, uncertain of what to say. Martha squeezed her hand before dabbing at her eyes, “Sorry, I just get…” She waved her arms trying to indicate something but never finished her statement, seeming to brush herself off she smiled, “Did he ever tell you about all the different suits we went through before deciding on THE suit?”
“No,” Lois said cautiously.
Martha had a gleam in her eye as her grin widened, “Wait right here…”
***
“It emits a pretty strong radiation. No one we tested it on seemed to be affected. Trask had a theory that it would kill Superman because it came to Earth at the same time as his ship,” Carter said nonchalantly.
“Do you have this ship?” Lex asked in anticipation.
“No, but I know where to get it…” Carter grinned.
***
That afternoon Lois walked with Clark toward the lake, still mulling over her conversation with Martha earlier. “So, no crop festivals…” She looked around with a smile. “No crazy Bureau 39 agents…”
“Nope, just a normal Saturday,” He grinned at her, wrapping his arms around her waist as they walked toward the pier.
“Why did I let you talk me into this?” Lois asked nervously.
“You said you’ve never been fishing before and here in Smallville that’s a cardinal sin…” He joked, walking her toward the end of the pier.
“I’m not much of a fish eater….If I catch one then I’m gonna have to clean it and …” She shuddered.
Clark laughed, “You can always throw it back,”
“Throw it back?” Lois asked, incredulously. “What is the point in fishing if you’re just going to…”
Clark laughed, “It's just a fun way to pass time. My dad used to take me fishing all the time when I was a kid.”
“I didn’t get to do too much of the whole playing outdoors thing growing up,” Lois admitted softly.
“Seriously?” He asked. Lois nodded and he handed her a fishing pole, “How do you NOT play outside as a kid? My folks had to drag me back inside ….”
Lois gave him a sad smile, “Your parents are really wonderful,”
He nodded, smiling, “He’s just an ordinary guy you know…who loves doing this ordinary thing…fishing. I guess I love it because he does…”
“I can understand that,” She said softly, “Lucy and I used to try and do everything we could to get our dad’s attention when we were younger because he worked so much…Lucy used to pretend to be injured so he’d have to ‘help’ her,” Lois rolled her eyes, “Silly, huh?”
“No,” He smiled at her. “I think kids just want to share something with their parents….Fishing, sports, writing…whatever…”
“Yeah, until you grow up and realize sharing something with them is the last thing you’d want,” Lois said sadly.
He looked back at her in concern and she sighed, “Last night was the first time I’ve been able to have a decent conversation with my mother since I was ten. Even then it ended with yelling….”
“I’m sorry,” Clark said, placing a supportive arm around her. “I know you said your childhood was …complicated…with your dad,”
Lois nodded, “That’s putting it lightly. Growing up, having a home…a childhood…wasn’t the same in the Lane household. I know it wasn’t any picnic for you either…what with flying and all, but at least you had a great home…growing up with this…” She gestured to the lake behind them as the tears began to fall. She knelt down, tapping the fishing pole against her knee as she buried her face in her hands.
Clark knelt down next to her in concern, wrapping an arm around her, “Hey, what’s wrong?”
She shook her head, “I left as soon as I could and never looked back. My mother was depressed. My father only related to cyborgs and my sister wouldn’t come out of her room. I didn’t want to be there…”
“I’m sorry,” He wrapped her arms around her as she rested her head against his shoulder, “I never thought…” He shook his head, leaning in to kiss her.
“Sorry for melting down on you,” She sniffed. “I just…”
“No need to apologize,” He whispered, holding her close. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories for you,”
“It’s not your fault,” She smiled up at him. “You were sharing a memory and I can’t seem to share one happy one without thinking about the bad ones…” She looked around the pier, “It’s so quiet out here,”
“Picks up more at night,” Clark said.
“Really?” She teased, running her hand up his back, “How would you know?”
He laughed turning to look at the speedboat that just drove by, “See? Already starting to pick up…”
“I think you’re avoiding the question…” She teased, looking at him accusingly as they stood up.
“Never,” He smiled at her, still not answering the question. “I always enjoyed coming out here when no one was out…more peaceful than a bunch of teenagers daring one another to dive off that cliff over there…” He pointed across the lake where a rocky cliff stood with an old tire swing that looked like it had been there for ages.
Lois laughed, shaking her head, “Really? So did you fly down or crash?”
“Floated…just enough to look realistic,” He smiled, scooping her into his arms, “Here, I’ll show you…” Within the blink of an eye, they were up on the cliff that from what Lois could see below was a lot higher up than she thought.
“What are you doing?” Lois asked nervously as he walked determinedly toward the end of the cliff. Realization began to dawn on her and she squirmed in his arms, “No, no, no, Clark, don’t….” Before she could finish her plea he had already stepped off the cliff and floated them into the lake. He set her down in the water and she shrieked, “Ah, that’s cold!”
“It’ll warm up. Here,” A minute later the water warmed up and he gave her a grin, “Better?”
She splashed him lightly, “My clothes are soaked…”
“So are mine,” He gestured to his waist that was below the water level. “Don’t worry. I’ll dry you off. As I was saying before, the trick is to float just enough so it looks realistic…”
“So, why float? I mean, you could easily have flown down…” Lois pointed up to the cliff they’d just come from.
Clark shook his head, “I didn’t start flying till after high school,”
“Really?” Lois gave him a half-smile.
“Really,” He nodded, lowering himself to the bottom of the lake so he was eye level with her, “I didn’t start developing any of my powers until Junior High,”
“I guess that makes sense,” Lois reasoned as she shook her head, laughing to herself.
“What?”
“Nothing,” She said, “I’m just realizing how blind I was. Little things I never thought of…or thought to ask…”
“Well, I told you before…Superman is just a disguise,” He smiled at her.
“A disguise you almost gave up?” At Clark’s surprised look she continued, “Your mom mentioned the tests from a few months ago…”
He hung his head, nodding, “Yeah, I thought if I stopped being Superman I could protect everyone…but then this really pushy reporter I know ….”
“Pushy?” She countered, flicking him with some more water.
“…made me realize what a dumb idea that was.” He turned to face her, cupping her cheek. “You saved me from myself so many times.”
She smiled, linking her arms around his neck, “Well you’ve saved me a time or two so I guess we should call it even,”
“A time or two?” He echoed with a grin. “You get into trouble more than anyone I’ve ever met…”
“I don’t go LOOKING for trouble,” She shrugged as he raised an eyebrow at her and she relented slightly, “It just finds me…”
“I’ve noticed,” He teased.
“I do have to say, I think you made a good choice…the leopard print isn’t nearly as good on your complexion…”
“Leopard print?” He asked, before realizing what she was referring to. “Oh, nooo…” He groaned as he hung his head, “Mom showed you the reject pile, huh?”
She laughed, “Oh, yeah,” She wiggled her eyebrows at him. “Did you seriously try on every one of them?”
He winced, hanging his head in shame, “Uh, yeah, unfortunately…Remind me to burn that box when we get back…”
Lois laughed, leaning up to kiss him, “Not a chance,” The look of embarrassment on his face made her laugh.
“I should probably just assume that you know every embarrassing moment from here on out, huh?” He asked, wrapping his arms around her waist as he pulled her to him. She could feel her heart rate pick up the closer he got. Did he know what he was doing to her?
“That’s for me to know and you to sweat about…” She teased, linking her arms around his neck, leaning up to kiss him.
He deepened the kiss, cupping her cheek as she shivered against him. He looked at her in concern, “You cold?”
“A little,” She admitted. He scooped her into his arms and carried her toward the pier they’d been on earlier. “Where are we going?”
“To dry off,” He said, leaning in to kiss her before floating them up to the edge of the pier.
***
“Nothing,” Nigel read the reports in front of him, “Not even a parking ticket.”
“He seems to be clean,” Fuentes said, tapping his fingers against the folder in his hand.
“No one is that clean,” Nigel argued. “Keep digging. He’s hiding something…”
***
After drying off from the lake they had found a spot on the grass to sit and enjoy one another’s company. Clark laid on the grass, staring up at the sun while Lois laid next to him, resting her head against his chest. “I still can’t believe he blew up a building like that to ….test you…”
“I know,” Clark sighed, resting his arm around her waist as he spoke. “So many people were injured…almost killed,”
“Does it scare you?” She asked.
“Does what scare me?” He asked, turning to look at her.
“Knowing there’s something out there that could kill you….not knowing where…” She shuddered slightly and he tightened his arm around her.
“A little,” He admitted, “but not nearly as much as it scared me to know what he was capable of and not being able to …. convince anyone. Henderson put a protective unit on Jack, but I don’t think he believes Jack about Luthor. No one does. He’s the ‘golden child’ but he’s capable of….and getting away with it…hurting so many people without a second thought.”
“What I don’t get is ‘why,’” Lois began slowly. “I mean, he’s done a lot of good with all the charities and employs thousands of people in Metropolis. Why bother? It’s not like he’s hurting for money…”
“I don’t know,” Clark shook his head in disgust. “I think it’s like a game to him. Kinda like those clay pigeons…He puts on this cover and plays the part and gets some kind of sick thrill out of getting away with everything…pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes…”
“Including mine,” Lois admitted sheepishly. “I can’t believe I was so….BLIND,”
“You wanted to see the good,” Clark reasoned slowly. “Nobody can fault you for that,”
Lois gave him a weak smile, “I’m sorry,”
“For what?” He asked.
“Not believing you,” She sighed, running her palm up his chest, “You tried to warn me …so many times…and I just didn’t listen. I’m sorry. Maybe if I hadn’t been so quick to dismiss…”
He leaned in to kiss her, “Enough of that,” He whispered. “It’s in the past. What’s important is …right here, right now.”
“I love you,” She whispered softly, turning to look at him. “I hate that it took me so long to realize…so much wasted time…I’m sorry,”
He leaned in to kiss her once more, “I have no regrets, Lois, I’m here with the woman I love enjoying a beautiful day at the lake. I don’t care about what could have been or what should have been. All I care about is right here, right now.” To prove his point, he leaned in to kiss her. She smiled against his lips, rolling with him as he rolled them so that he was hovering above her as she deepened the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck as she linked her arms around his back, holding him close.
How was it so easy to just lose herself in his arms? What was so wrong with that? They loved one another and she didn’t envision him to turn into the love ‘em and leave ‘em type considering he had waited this long. She could feel her body temperature rising and the familiar flutter in her abdomen as she enjoyed the feeling of his lips pressed against hers. She tightened her arms around him, pulling him to her as she ran her fingers through his hair, reveling in the feeling of his body molded against hers.
He slowly broke off the kiss, resting his head against hers, “We need to stop,” He murmured, “or I won’t be able to,”
She smiled back at him, nodding as she removed her arms from around his neck and watched as he pulled away. She couldn’t help but smile as she watched him struggle to regain control as he tried to calm his breathing. His face was flushed and she noticed he was sitting at an angle to where half of his body was pointed away from her. It was mind boggling to realize she could have this type of effect on him. He wanted her as bad as she wanted him but seemed intent on taking things slow.
He hadn’t brought up what had happened last night. She’d been grateful for that. He seemed to sense her hesitancy this morning and instead of bringing up the uncomfortable conversation she didn’t want to have he’d done a very good job of distracting her with an afternoon in the country. That was just Clark. He was her friend. Her best friend. Her partner. He was also the man she was in love with and learning to trust more and more.
***
“We’ll need to put together a team to find the files on Bureau 39,” Lex instructed as he took his seat on the private jet. “I’m sure the Kryptonite is with everything else they have on Superman. I want it. I want it all,”
“Should we include Nigel in this?” Mrs. Cox asked, taking her seat next to him as she pulled out her phone to begin taking notes.
“No, Nigel is handling the surveillance. In case he’s come across anything important I don’t want him distracted. Work with someone familiar with the government enough to know where they’d hide something they don’t want to be made public knowledge…”
“I’ll put some inquiries out when we land and we’ll go from there,” Mrs. Cox reassured him.
***
TBC...
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