In Part 1 Lois and Clark went to a conference and then had a birthday picnic on the beach in Pensacola. Lois's surprising present to Clark was a Superman t-shirt. When we left the story Clark was looking at the t-shirt sure that he was in trouble.
***---***---***---***---*** indicates flashbacks
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* indicates scene changes or character POV changes
Character thoughts are in 'single speech marks'
Disclaimer: Superman, Clark Kent, Lois Lane and all other character and place names are owned by DC and/or Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. I own nothing ... except my fantasies -- which frequently include Clark/Superman.
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Part 2"So, go ahead. Try it on." Her teasing, light-hearted voice clashed with his worry.
'I can't possibly put this on. Far too dangerous.' When he saw the innocent, expectant look on her face he swallowed his fear. Reaching for the bottom of his t-shirt he grasped and then pulled, sweeping it over his head. He heard her gasp and his heart skipped a beat. Glancing over at her while he reached for the new t-shirt he watched her carefully. Her mouth was parted from her gasp and her breathing was shallow. He listened in to her heart and discovered that it was racing. His heartbeat kicked up in sudden hope. Possibly she finally saw him as something more than just a partner and a friend.
He slipped the new t-shirt over his head, pulled it down and quickly adjusted his glasses. It stretched tightly over his chest. "Didn't exactly get my size right there, Lois," he teased looking down. Lifting his head, his gaze met hers.
"Yeah. I uh … I'm sorry," she replied by rote, staring straight at his chest. He got a sudden suspicion that she wasn't sorry at all.
'Ok, something is definitely going on here,' he thought to himself.
Lois' gaze finally left his chest and travelled up to his face where her eyes widened considerably. He saw her mouth drop open and the fear returned. She blinked and shook her head then smiled at him, forgetting that only a moment ago she'd agreed with him on the t-shirt being too tight. "Perfect," she stated in a light-hearted tone.
'Except for it being as tight as my suit which is probably not a good idea,' he thought.
"Thanks," he smiled at her, maintaining his calm as well as he could. "So," he paused and just let himself gaze at her for a second. "Sandwich?" he finally asked.
"Sure," she nodded.
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Lois finished off the sandwich, wiped the crumbs from her hand and laid herself back onto the blanket. Gazing up at the clear sky she idly wondered what it might be like to fly through that beautiful sky. Somehow her imagination had nothing in common with the actual memory of coming in to land a few days ago. She felt the breeze whipping through her hair as she soared over the Gulf of Mexico. Below her were the islands, the sandy beach far ahead.
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“… we will be landing shortly. Please remain seated and thank you for flying with us.” Lois looked up to see the seatbelt light flashing on. Glancing to Clark she saw that he was already strapped in. 'Typical of Clark and his boy scout ways,' she thought.
She turned to look out of the window. Tricking Clark into giving it to her had been a breeze. The plane banked and brought into view the Gulf of Mexico. Lois was treated to the sight of blue-green waters and just a glimpse of barrier islands. She continued to watch as the plane executed a 180 degree turn and headed back toward land. She continued to see mostly water and then suddenly directly below there was land and a lot of personal dwellings. In only two minutes they were on the ground and taxiing toward a small building.
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Strong arms held her. The sun warmed her, countering the cool air in the stratosphere. Looking down she saw the shore. White sand beckoning, if he would only just float them down to land.
"Help," the shout rose from the direction of the sea and Lois emerged from her fantasy. She sat up abruptly and sheltered her eyes against the sun. She glanced at Clark who was suddenly standing over her. He turned towards her, a look of horror on his face. The call came again. He turned away from her and began running in the direction of the surf. Lois slowly got to her feet, watching in fascination as Clark sprinted to the water's edge. Lois knew her heart was in her mouth as she finally spotted the person floundering out at sea. Looking around, Lois realised that there were no lifeguards on duty. Thank goodness Clark was a fast runner. She only hoped he was just as good at swimming.
When he dived into the surf Lois held her breath and took an involuntary step forward. When he surfaced next to the young girl in trouble, only a moment later, she let out the breath and began walking towards the shore line. She watched as he swam back slowly. In comparison to how quickly he got out there it seemed ridiculously slow. When he reached a reasonable depth he placed his feet to the ocean floor, hitched the girl into his arms, cradling her close, and began striding out of the water.
Lois was overwhelmed by a feeling she would almost name déjà vu when Clark's chest began to appear. The 'S' symbol, the rescue position, the red shorts. It was only when she returned her gaze to his face that she remembered it was Clark. Somehow he'd managed to keep his glasses on his face and his hair was plastered flat to his forehead, tangling over his glasses.
The girl's parents splashed into the surf when he got nearer and Clark handed her over to the man holding out his arms. Lois watched as Clark shook his head to the couple at whatever thanks they were giving, smiled shyly then turned away,
As he approached her, 'the handsome hero', her heart hammered wildly. He ran his hand through his wet hair and ruffled it even more. When he stopped in front of her he smiled. "Hi" he said.
"Uh, hi," she replied.
"You okay, Lois?" he asked and frowned in query.
"Me?" she retorted. "Are you okay, Clark? You ...you dived in there and disappeared under the waves for …" she stopped and thought then frowned in confusion. "Less than a second … how did you get to her so fast?"
"Oh, you know, Lois. Time always flows funny in a tense situation."
"Yes, but …" she trailed off but continued the thought in her head. 'It's usually the other way round. Things that only last a couple of seconds seem to last a minute.'
"Anyway, I think it's time for a birthday ice cream," Clark grinned in an attempt to distract her from his speedy swimming. He began to walk in the direction of their picnic. Lois turned around to follow but was immediately struck by a sight that she knew would enter her fantasies from now on. The well defined shape of Clark's body was on clear display with his soaking t-shirt and shorts. Lois was treated to a few moment of watching the most perfect backside in the world walk away from her. 'More perfect than Superman's,' she stated as fact. 'Although it's hard to tell: his cape usually being in the way'. Lois paused for a moment in her thoughts. Clark's behaviour, the rescue, the outfit … She shook her head and finally came to her senses then set off up the beach after Clark.
Once Clark's Superman t-shirt had dried Lois was again reminded of how tight it was. The water obviously made it cling but it continued to show every muscle and ripple even when dry. She lay herself down on the sand and closed her eyes. Yes, her fantasies were definitely getting lots of inspiration today. During one embarrassing private thought she finally admitted to herself what was really going on. 'I'm trying to turn the two most wonderful men in the world into one man. And rather than taking Superman and putting him in normal clothes - which I might have done up to a few months ago - I'm starting with Clark … the one that I really … well starting with Clark and turning him into the superhero.' She sighed. 'And he's fitting the role perfectly. As if he were born for it.'
"So." Clark's voice interrupted her reverie. "Are you ready to head back?"
"Sure … if you are." She kept her eyes closed, just wanting to linger on the beach for a couple more seconds.
"I could go for a nice leisurely stroll back to the hotel," Clark suggested obviously referring to the reasonably short distance between the conference centre and their hotel.
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“First thing we need to do is find the hotel and check-in.” Lois said.
Checking their itinerary, Clark said, “Travel booked us at a Holiday Inn on Ft. Pickens Road in Gulf Breeze.” He fumbled with the map a bit. “There it is. Okay, go straight out on Airport Road and make a left on 9th Avenue. You can’t miss it, there appears to be a large mall on the corner. We take that to Chase Street. That will take us over a bridge and into Gulf Breeze, but we have to go across another bridge to the barrier island. The motel is on Pensacola Beach.”
As Lois drove, Clark regaled her with some trivia. “Seeing that name reminded me of something. I was sure that Pensacola was famous for something. Fort Pickens ... It was used as a prison at one time, right after the Indian wars; Sitting Bull was imprisoned there. According to the map, the prison is just down the road from the motel. Maybe we will have time to go out there.”
“Why would I want to go see an old pile of stone? I see the insides of Metropolis prison enough when we send crooks there or have to visit someone for an interview.”
“Aw, come on Lois, it’s history!” Clark challenged.
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Lois opened her eyes to see the sun setting over the ocean. It had gotten late; early evening. She turned her head to the side to find Clark. His position on the blanket reflected hers perfectly but had the added extra of an irresistible smile. "Sounds nice," she smiled back at him. "As long as you don't walk us past the hotel and on to that prison you're desperate to visit."
"I promise," he grinned. "I'll pack up the picnic. You get your shoes and jacket." Clark levered himself up and collected together their plates, cups, boxes and rubbish. By the time Lois was standing with her thin cotton jacket around her waist, Clark was picking up the large red picnic blanket they had been lying on. When he held it out and shook it vigorously to dislodge all the sand Lois' mind fixated on it. One final thing was needed to perfect her 'Clark as Superman' fantasy. She knew she was having difficulty keeping the sly grin from her face immediately.
"I'll fold that Clark. You need to get your shoes yet." She reached out and took the blanket from him before he could protest.
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Clark recognised the inflection in Lois' voice as the 'I'm planning something' tone. He eyed her warily as she began folding the blanket. When nothing seemed to happen he turned to pick up his shoes then set off back towards the road. After they crossed the low grassy dunes and entered the large hotel parking lot he disposed of their empty wrappers and unfinished food in the waste receptacle. Brushing the sand off their feet they slipped on their shoes and Lois picked the blanket back up from the sidewalk. Hanging it over one arm she took Clark's and linked it with her other.
Leaving the beach behind Clark remembered the unexpected reaction from Lois at their first walk out onto the beach at their own hotel on the first morning.
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Leaving the hotel it was only a short walk to the end of the parking lot and to the beach access. They ascended some steps, crossed a dune and descended down the other side. At the bottom Lois stopped and placed her hands on her hips. “I thought we came down here to get away from the snow.”
Clark laughed. “It may be white as snow, but trust me, it’s sand.”
“This is the whitest sand I think I’ve ever seen,” she replied with a tone of wonder creeping into her voice.
“According to the brochure, Pensacola Beach is famous for its white, white sand.”
Walking a short distance, the early morning sun warming him softly, he had to resist the natural impulse to reach out and weave his fingers into Lois'. She was walking so close that he could feel as the soft hairs on her arm brushed against his.
"Oh look," she suddenly spoke. “What kind of creature made those?" She pointed to the small mounds of sand surrounding holes in the sand. "They aren’t anaconda holes, are they?” she said, stepping back when the thought hit her.
Clark chuckled. “The anaconda is native to South America, Lois.”
Lois hmphed. “You and your trivia,” she interrupted
He continued, ignoring her jest. “Those are probably sand crab holes.”
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Clark brought his picnic bag up to his shoulder and they crossed the parking lot, heading for the main road. As they strolled along, slowly heading in the direction of their hotel, Clark ran over the events of the afternoon in his mind.
Firstly, the t-shirt. He'd been afraid that she was about to lay into him dramatically, but when it turned out that it really was just a gift his relief had been immediate. That only lasted a second though, once he realised that it actually still may give away his secret.
Secondly, Clark had seen the way Lois had been looking at him. Half the time she seemed confused, the other half she was practically drooling. He was well aware of the unique physique he had and it's effect on the female population in general, but Lois was not one to be interested in a 'body' unless she was also interested in the 'person'. Even when she had a crush on Superman it was more hero-worship than lustful desire, at least until she *did* know the superhero as much as was actually possible for a make-believe character. Once a true friendship began between her and his alter ego the hero-worship had turned … extremely romantic.
Slowly … Clark began to reach the conclusion that possibly Lois was interested in *him* … Clark … romantically, or at least if the idea had never crossed her conscious mind before, then if it did now, she wouldn't immediately discount the possibility. That was all still hoping that the idea would actually ever occur to her.
As they strolled along Clark offered to carry the blanket and was rewarded with a horrified look.
"No!" she shouted back and held it tighter to her body.
"All right," he soothed. "You can keep the blanket if it means that much to you."
Walking along the Casino Beach Boardwark, side by side, Clark gave thanks for the unseasonably warm weather. February in Pensacola was expected to be reasonably warm, but this was wonderful. The opportunity to share an … almost … romantic picnic on the beach with Lois gave him the perfect birthday. With her arms still linked in his he could almost imagine that they were a couple. For a moment or two he let himself indulge in that fantasy.
Reaching the main road he felt an awkward pulling on his arm. He turned to see Lois climbing up onto a metal crash barrier at the edge of the road. About a foot high it followed the length of the road round the oncoming curve and Lois seemed to want to walk on it. Her girlish giggles put him in mind of a happy six year old returning from a day building sandcastles and splashing in the surf. As she tottered along the barrier he grinned and sighed in contentment, looking up into the dimming evening sky.
"Superman," came the call from behind him and he swivelled around in shock. "Help!" Lois called then leapt off the barrier. His instinctive reaction was to catch her. She slid her arms round his neck automatically. He looked down to her face and she must have seen the terror showing on his, but as before she misinterpreted it. "Oh, Clark, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shock you. I just couldn't resist." She giggled at him and he shifted his hold on her slightly, bringing her closer to his chest. Caught in her eyes he felt his heart racing. It seemed Lois was caught in the gaze too and her lips parted on a breath. Gradually a look of confusion stole over her face and she flicked her eyes round his face and then down to his chest. Clark suddenly felt in danger again and quickly put her down.
"So, how did I rate as a superhero?" he asked, attempting to lighten the mood.
"You were …" she paused and looked up at him. A smirk appeared and she continued. "Super." He grinned at the compliment. "But you were no Super*man*." She laughed and put her hand on his chest, patting him in jest.
"I guess not," he laughed back.
A little later they made it back to the hotel. Clark entered the room first, Lois following. "I'll just put this stuff away then make us a drink, all right Lois?" he asked as he put his bag down on the bed and unwrapped his coat from his waist. He headed for the small table and drinks area aiming to put on the coffee. "Just put the picnic blanket down on the table," he called out to Lois.
"Oh, I don't think so," came the sultry reply, but before he could turn he felt two hands dive over his shoulders and tuck something into his t-shirt. He twisted round in shock and then looked over his shoulder to see the red blanket hanging down his back like a … cape.
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