Clark gave it an hour after the impromptu press conference, when the world at large had been introduced to Superman. Then he rushed over to Lois' apartment, a bottle of her favorite wine and five pounds of Swiss chocolates with him. The wine he'd picked up at the liquor store three blocks from his apartment. The chocolates were something he'd flown to Switzerland for. After all, he reasoned, if he was going to give her chocolates, he might as well get the real deal, directly from the source. In hindsight, five pounds had been a bit much to buy, but he was hyper aware of how close she'd come to dying that day.
He'd almost lost her forever.
It made cold sweat roll down his back in fear.
She's okay, he had to remind himself. She's safe.
But even that didn't make him feel better. All he wanted was to actually be with her, to talk to her - not as Superman, but as himself.
He reached her door and knocked.
"Who's there?" he heard her cautiously call out from behind the door.
"Lois? It's me," he offered. "Clark."
"Clark?" He heard the locks being opened in succession. Then the door flew open to reveal Lois in pink sweats and her hair up in a messy bun. "Clark!" She threw herself into his arms.
He hadn't been expecting that, but his used his lightning fast reflexes to catch her and hug her close. To his surprise, he felt her quaking as he held her.
"I heard about the bomb,” he murmured as he hugged her. “I came over as soon as I could, to make sure you were okay.” The lies burned his tongue like flaming acid. Was this what it was going to be like, now that he was Superman? Never being able to tell Lois the truth? He held her at arm's length and looked her over. "Are you okay?"
Lois stepped away from him and shrugged. "I'm fine. A little shaken and completely livid that someone would plant bombs in the Planet, but I'm not hurt."
"Thank goodness for that," Clark replied.
"It was actually pretty incredible," Lois went on. "You should have seen him, Clark."
"Him?"
"Superman." The way she said the name implied that he should have expected that answer. “Have you been living under a rock all afternoon? He’s all the news is talking about.”
"Oh...right," he acknowledged, frowning. Was it his imagination or had Lois said 'Superman' with a heavy dose of infatuation?
"You should have seen it. The way he dived right into the building. The way he just threw himself on top of that bomb. The way he...flew...through the air, like a speeding bullet."
"Gee, Lois, you sound a bit...smitten," he forced himself to say, swallowing down his hurt. Never once had Lois spoken about Clark that way.
"Oh...no, I'm not," she said, waving off his words, but her tone and posture belied her casual indifference. "It's just...you don't see something like that every day. This is the biggest news story of our lifetimes! He's already promised me the exclusive and everything. I can almost smell that Kerth award!"
"Glad to see you have everything in perspective," Clark lightly quipped though his heart was quietly breaking. She was already eyeing Superman over Clark - choosing the costume over the man - and thinking ahead to how to use Superman to her own advantage.
At this rate, I can never let her know it’s me in the suit, his mind whispered sadly. But if we’re ever to be more than friends, she’ll need to know. I already hate the position I’ve put myself in.
"So, what's in the bag?" Lois asked, oblivious to the struggle in his heart.
"Huh? Oh!" He chuckled. He'd nearly forgotten the bag he held. "I thought you might need a pick-me-up after what happened this afternoon. So..." He shrugged and handed over the bag. "Your favorite wine and some authentic Swiss chocolates," he said as she pulled out the contents.
Lois hefted the boxes of chocolates in her hands. "Clark! This must have cost you a fortune!"
He shrugged again. "Don't worry about it, Lois. I know how much chocolate comforts you and I figured, if ever you might need it, today would be it."
"Thanks," she said, giving him a bright smile.
She placed his gifts down on the coffee table and grabbed him into a hug. She placed a kiss on his cheek. Clark felt himself go weak in the knees. If he hadn't already been madly in love with Lois, this would have sealed the deal for him.
"You really are a thoughtful guy," Lois continued.
"It's no big deal. I just...I wanted you to know that I care...and that I'm here for you," Clark said, fighting down a blush and stammering just a little.
"That's just it, isn't it?" Lois mused, still not letting go of him. "You'll always do something for me and then say it was 'no big deal' or 'not a problem' or whatever. But it is a big deal...at least to me. No one - and I mean absolutely no one - has ever treated me the way that you do."
"I...uh..." Clark stammered as she squeezed him one last time, then stepped away again. "The thing is, Lois, the things that I do...I like doing them. Getting you coffee from the break area when you're absorbed in a story. Buying you a Double Fudge Crunch Bar when I'm in the lobby and I know you're having a rough day. Things like that. They make you happy and I'm more than happy to do them for you."
"But that's exactly what I mean!" Lois explained, gesturing wildly. "You say it makes you happy but...my own family wouldn't do that for me! Dad would be too absorbed in his own work to even know I was upset about something. And Mom would warn me against eating the chocolate bar. 'A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips, Lois! Men want fit, petite girls, not pudgy candy addicts!' As if she has a right to talk, what with her being a recovering alcoholic and all. And Lucy..." she sighed. "Lucy might actually do the things you do, if only she was ever around."
"Lois...I'm sorry," Clark offered. "I didn't realize things were so bad with your family."
"Never mind," she said, waving away the topic as she started to pace. "I'd rather not talk about them."
"Sure. But, Lois? Not to uh, harp on the subject or anything, but…do they even know what happened today?"
Lois nodded. "Mom does. She saw the news coverage and called earlier. It was all I could do to convince her that she doesn't need to come to Metropolis to check on me. Dad's at a medical conference in Australia until next week. Chances are good he has no idea that the Planet was bombed. I tried Lucy but she didn't pick up her cell. The way she is, it could be tonight that I hear from her or in a week." She flopped down unto the couch, defeated.
Clark sat next to her. "I'm sorry, Lois," he repeated. He reached over and rubbed soothing circles on her back. “Really, I am.”
She shrugged but scowled slightly. "It been this way since...since forever, really. I've gotten used to it."
"If it makes you feel any better, I'll never be like them," he vowed.
She turned and cupped his cheek in one warm hand. Studying his features for a moment, she nodded.
"I know," she whispered. Then, thoughtfully, "Bruce was right, wasn't he?"
"Huh? About what?" he asked, thrown by the sudden change in the conversation.
"You," she said, pointedly.
"Me?" Unbidden his hand came up to rest against his own chest, as though he was identifying himself.
"You," she repeated, nodding. "You don't just care for me as a friend, do you?"
"Lois..." he said, struggling.
He wanted to say yes, that Bruce had - embarrassingly - told the truth about his deep, abiding love for her. But, he just couldn't bring himself to admit it. It was still too early into their friendship, wasn't it? He sighed, torn.
"I hate that Bruce said anything," he settled on saying, after a painful fifteen seconds of trying to make any kind of response to her. "I'm sorry he kind of put you...put both of us, really...on the spot like that."
Lois shook her head. "Don't be. It wasn't your fault."
"Still," Clark said with a shrug. "I know he meant well and that he was trying to have a little fun with us. Even, in a weird way, I think, to put you at ease. But...we've only just become true best friends. I would never, ever do anything to jeopardize that. Even if we were in the mindset to trying dating…I would never, ever force you to move at a pace that didn’t feel right to you."
"And I appreciate that," Lois said.
A small lull in the conversation took place as Clark tried to figure out what to say next. Finally, a thought occurred to him. "Would you like me to open the wine?" he offered.
Lois brightened as she was dragged out of whatever thoughts she'd been ensnared in. "That would be great, yeah. I think we could both use a little drink to relax."
Clark took the bottle into the kitchen. He'd been to Lois' apartment almost as often as she'd been at his. They'd eaten many a meal together, so he knew his way around her kitchen as well as he did his own. He found the corkscrew without incident and had the bottle opened up in less than a minute. Then he extracted two delicate wine glasses from an upper cabinet and poured them each a glass of the dark, rich liquid. He took them both into the living room, as well as the open bottle.
"Here," he said, handing Lois her glass.
"Thanks."
“To us,” he toasted, clinking his glass against hers.
“To us,” she echoed. “And to better days ahead.”
“Hear, hear,” Clark replied, lifting his glass in a salute. “I think we can both appreciate the idea of easier times ahead. Who knows what will happen to the Planet. From what I heard, the damage was minimal, but who knows how long it’ll be before we’ll be able to get back in there to work.”
“If I know one thing about Perry White,” Lois said with a determined smile on her lips, “it’s that he will move Heaven and Earth to find a way to keep the paper operating, even if he has to run it out of his own basement.”
“Good,” Clark responded with a solemn nod. “The world needs The Daily Planet. Perhaps now more than ever.”
“Agreed,” Lois said, once more clinking her wine glass with his.
They both took a sip. Clark savored the rich wine on his tongue a moment before swallowing it down. It wasn’t as rare and exquisite as some of the wines he’d sampled at Wayne Manor, but he found it more palatable than any of the others. Perhaps, he reasoned, it was because it was exactly the type of wine that an average, middle class person would buy. He took another sip. Noticing the open box of chocolates on the coffee table and he gestured to them.
"How are they?"
Lois shook her head and grinned. "I haven't tried them yet. I was waiting for you."
"Well, I'm here now. Dig in," he told her, smiling widely.
"I will, in a second," Lois said, her voice becoming serious. "I just...I need to say this first." She took a long drink from her wine glass, as though her courage lurked within its deep red contents.
Clark nodded to encourage her. "Sure, Lois. You can tell me anything, you know that."
"I know. And the truth is...I've been thinking about what Bruce said. Especially this afternoon. When I was in that elevator and the bomb went off, a million thoughts could have gone through my mind. But all I could think was 'I wish Clark was here.' I mean, that sounds horrible, I know. I didn't want you to be there and potentially die with Jimmy and me. But...there was a selfish part of me that wanted to be with you if I was going to die. I didn't want to lose my life without seeing you one last time. I didn't want to die knowing that I'd never gotten a chance to...to explore the feelings I've been having...toward you lately."
"[iiFeelings?[/i]" Clark managed to squeak out in his shock. Then, mastering himself once again, he continued, after clearing his throat, "Ah, I mean? Feelings? For me?" He said it lightly, playfully, praying that he hadn't heard her incorrectly.
Lois smirked but it melted into a shy smile. She tucked a strand of stray hair behind her left ear. "I'm not even quite sure what they mean yet," she said, a bit too hastily. "But...when I was in that elevator, I made a decision. If I got out of there alive, I'd be willing to find out what those feelings mean."
"Why, Lois Lane!" Clark said in mock surprise, complete with a dramatic hand over his heart. "Are you asking me out on a date?"
Her smirk returned. "I'm saying that...I would not be opposed to going out with you." She beamed him a huge grin, making him laugh.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. You're asking me out," he joked, grinning right back. "Well, I accept. How about this Saturday night since we're off..." He paused in mid-sentence as the realization hit. "Uh...I mean...we would have been if the Planet hadn't..." He couldn't finish the statement.
Lois sighed. "Yeah, I know what you mean."
"You’re right though. Perry will figure something out," he said with a nod that was more confident that he felt.
"Yeah," Lois agreed.
"So...Saturday?" Clark couldn't help but to confirm with her. "Say...six o'clock. Dinner at The Lobster Claw? And after dinner...whatever strikes our fancy? A movie, some bowling, dancing, whatever."
Her shy smile returned. "I'd like that, yeah."
"I can't wait," Clark said, already feeling like he was living in a dream.
***
Clark hovered in midair, just beyond the windows of Lois' apartment. He took a deep, steadying breath, trying to prepare himself for what was to come. He wasn't worried about the interview. Now that he didn't need to give her a name for his costumed avatar, he felt confident about his ability to answer whatever questions she might throw his way. No, the interview would be the easy part of the night. The difficult part would be to maintain the polite, but aloof personality he'd decided that Superman should have. He could not let on that Superman was nothing more than Clark Kent in a silly looking outfit.
How am I supposed to do that? he wondered.
How was he supposed to pretend to not be affected by her brains, her beauty, and the fact that she'd agreed to date him? He wanted to sing and dance and fly up into the heavens and yell out his joy to the entire world. And all because he'd been caring enough to check on her this afternoon, to make sure she was okay after being caught in the Planet's bombing.
That, and maybe a little bit because of Bruce's comment last night at the White Orchid Ball, he had to admit to himself.
Last night.
Had it really been less than twenty-four hours since he and Lois had been at the White Orchid together?
Had it been less than a full day since he'd first tried on the Superman suit?
He blinked in disbelief.
Too much had happened in such a short span of time. He and Lois had spent a dreamlike evening together at the White Orchid Ball. He'd accepted the Superman suit. He'd unveiled the alien hero to the world and - if the snippets of news coverage he'd managed to hear so far could be believed – he’d been accepted by the world. The Planet hadn't been completely destroyed, but the building had suffered heavy damage in the bombing. And, most importantly, Lois had admitted that she had feelings for him. Admitted it and let him know she was ready to date him to see where those feelings might lead them.
Life was good.
He wished only that his parents could have seen what had been going on in his life. They would have been proud of the decisions he'd made - he felt quite certain about that. They would have been afraid of him using his powers in public, but they would have understood why he felt the need to do so. They would have understood that he felt, in a way, obligated to use such incredible gifts to help people and to better the world - a world that hadn't given birth to him, but which had given him his family and a home that he was fiercely proud of.
Clark took another breath, then, before he could change his mind, he knocked on the window.
Lois looked up from her laptop, surprised and even a little afraid, until she realized that it was Superman and not some villain or intruder. She stood from the couch and hurried over to the window, unlocking it and opening it up to allow him entrance. A fleeting look of nervousness flashed across her face before she banished it and once more was the 'cool under pressure, Mad Dog Lane' that their coworkers both admired and hated in equal measure.
"Hi," she said breathlessly.
"Hi. Is this a good time?" Clark asked. "For your exclusive, I mean."
He pretended to look around her apartment in interest, a stranger in that place. Because, as Superman, he was a newcomer. Only Clark had been in her apartment before.
"Huh? Yes, of course," Lois said, sounding a little star-struck.
Clark suppressed a groan. This was exactly why he couldn't yet tell Lois that he, Clark, was actually Superman. In the future, he knew he would have to tell her, but not now. Not while the blue and red clad alien was so new and made her starry-eyed. And, he cautioned himself, he still had to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that his secret would remain safe with her.
“You have a beautiful home,” he commented politely.
She blushed. “Thank you. But…uh…how?" she asked. She cleared her throat and tried again. "How did you know where I live?"
"How? Oh!" He chuckled nervously. "I, uh, heard your voice...earlier in the day. I was out...patrolling." Here, he made a little waving gesture with his hand to indicate flying. It came as second nature to him. He'd been using the hand signal for years with Bruce. He tapped his ear, pleased with the story he was concocting. "I have pretty good hearing, as I mentioned earlier, at the impromptu press conference in front of The Daily Planet. I heard you talking to someone and took note of where your voice was coming from. It made it easy to find you just now, when I was ready to give you your private interview."
Lois nodded thoughtfully, taking his story at face value. "I see."
"I would have stopped by then, to give you the interview, but you sounded like you had company. I thought it would be better for me to come back later. I didn't want to interrupt." He didn't know why he was still spinning his story, but there it was, pouring out of his mouth without a conscious effort to do so, while loathing built up in his heart that he needed to lie in the first place.
Lois nodded. "Clark was here."
He returned the nod. "I see." He threw some confusion into his voice. "Uh...Clark?"
Lois blushed. "Oh. He's my partner at The Daily Planet. I’m sure you’ll meet him at some point, especially if you continue to make a point of throwing yourself on top of bombs,” she joked weakly.
He chuckled lightly. “Hopefully nothing as dramatic as that, but we’ll see.” He thought for a moment and feigned remembrance. "Kent…Kent. Oh, right. I've seen your shared byline in the paper."
"You....you read my work?" Lois asked, incredulous, immediately seeming to forget about Clark.
Clark mentally chuckled to himself over how awed she sounded. He didn't even mind that she'd said 'my work' instead of 'our work.'
He inclined his head in respect. "Every day," he said truthfully.
"I...wow," she breathed. Then she cleared her throat. "So, um...would you like a drink? Something to eat?"
"Oh...no," he politely declined. "But thank you."
She nodded again. "Well then, take a seat. Please."
Clark did as he was bid. He took up the center of the couch when Lois took the armchair. He clasped his hands together, mostly because he wasn't sure what else to do with them. Lois picked up a tape recorder and held it up for him to see.
"Do you mind if I record this, for my notes?" she asked.
"Not at all. Go right ahead." He gestured at the recorder, then folded his hands back together, like a schoolboy awaiting the day's lesson. "So...what do you want to know?"
"Everything,” was her immediate answer. “Who are you, really? Where did you come from? Why do you have such incredible powers? When did you get here? Are you here for good? What's your real name? I mean, obviously, it isn't Superman." She bit off her questions there, blushing once more. "Sorry, I have a tendency to babble quickly when I get excited."
Clark smiled softly, letting her know he was just fine with her babbling. "Okay, I get it. Let's take it from the beginning, shall we? No, my name isn't really Superman, although, I am flattered by the name you gave me this afternoon. My birth name is Kal-El and, no, I wasn’t born here on Earth. I was born on another planet. One far from Earth and which, unfortunately, no longer exists. Its name was Krypton and I am the only living survivor of the explosion that tore it to pieces. As for my powers, I believe, as my father did, that the difference between the two suns - the yellow sun of Earth rather than the red one Krypton once had - is the reason why I can do the things I can do."
"This is amazing," Lois wondered in a whisper. Somehow, each word sounded like a complete sentence on its own, the way that she said it. "I mean, the world got a small glimpse of your powers this afternoon, when you saved The Daily Planet and all of those people out there on the street. We all saw you dive on top of a bomb, and...walk away from the blast without a scratch. How did you do that? How many powers do you have?"
He chuckled, relaxing a bit further. And then, as he began to describe the things he could do, the interview began in earnest.
To Be Continued…
