From part 14...
He paused again, but this time when she heard Clark's voice again, he sounded rushed. "Lois, I've got to go. I hear something--" He broke off, suddenly aware of his public surroundings. "I've got to go and...you know."
"I got it," Lois assured him, knowing he meant he had to go be Superman. She smiled. Why did she have the feeling that being with Clark was never going to be boring? "Go and do whatever it is you have to do. I just wanted to thank you again for the flowers. They made my whole day."
"You're welcome, Lois," his deep voice came again, leaving her insides tingling. "I'll hopefully see you this weekend."
"I'll look forward to it."
Clark said a hasty goodbye, but Lois didn't mind. She knew what he was off to do, and she knew it was important. But their phone call also told her one other thing: *she* was important to him. And that meant more to her than she could ever say.
She hung up the phone and turned back to her computer feeling like she could fly. Instead of looking forward to a weekend locked in her apartment wallowing in misery, she had something incredible to look forward to. *Somebody* incredible. And she could hardly wait.
**********
Now on to part 15...
**********
Clark lifted the last of the debris--a ten-foot long metal beam--from the road, then stepped aside as the firemen moved in to spray down the smoldering embers. The fire caused from a building's partial collapse during a Los Angeles earthquake had been only one of many he had helped with that day. There had also been a bridge collapse, and several multi-car pileups due to the quake that had happened during the morning hours. Though the earthquake had been strong enough to do quite a bit of damage, he had been relieved to hear that there had been very few casualties.
As soon as he'd heard about the earthquake on the radio that Saturday morning, he had flown to southern California to assist the fire and rescue crews already on the scene. They had been thrilled to see him and immediately put him to work, since some of the heavier work--like clearing the collapsed bridge from a busy roadway and assisting in clearing debris from the building collapse--would have taken their crews much longer then the few minutes it had taken him.
It felt good to be needed and appreciated, and to assist with efforts that didn't involve a lot of casualties. He just wished there were more hours in the day to do everything he needed to do.
Remembering the things he needed to do brought a smile to his face. More than anything, he wanted to see Lois. He told himself that if he could finish up in Los Angeles before too late, he would take a detour home and stop in to see her. The thought made his stomach dance with excitement, and it made the hard work less taxing.
It was almost seven o'clock before the city's damaged areas were cleaned up and cleared, and Superman was on his way. Clark flew high above the coast as he headed north, in an effort to keep his presence undetected. The last thing he wanted to do was alert others to his new interest in a certain woman in the Bay Area.
By the time he touched down in a quiet alley not far from Lois's apartment, it was dark, and his arrival went unnoticed. He did a quick spin change--a handy tactic he'd learned over the past week to get in and out of his Suit in a hurry--and emerged from the alley in his jeans and long-sleeved navy blue T-shirt.
Pushing his hands into his jeans pockets, he walked down the street, mentally following the path he'd mapped out last night to get to Lois's apartment. He found her street without trouble, and turned the corner, heading toward the tall tan building he suspected was hers a block away. He stopped in front of the multi-story building and found the large address numbers on the glass above the large, glass double doors leading into the foyer. This was it.
He studied the building as he went through the doors, impressed with what he saw. It was in a nice neighborhood, with tiled floors, a couple of couches, and a building assistant who apparently doubled as a security guard seated behind a long desk a few yards from the elevators. The man smiled at him as he stopped to announce he was there to see Lois Lane, then directed him to the elevators, which would take him to her third floor apartment.
Thanking the man, he stepped into the waiting elevator, his nerves tingling in anticipation. Was she even home? They hadn't set a time, so he hoped she was there. The elevator chimed as they reached the third floor, and the doors slid open quietly. He looked around at the nice, neutral carpeting, the warm tan colors on the wall, and the bright white chair rail that ran about chest height along the walls the entire length of the hall.
'Nice,' he thought as he started down the hall. He stopped short, however, when he saw that Lois's apartment was the second one of the left. Turning, he took the couple of steps needed to place himself in her doorway, then took a deep breath to calm his ragged nerves. With more courage than he felt, he lifted a trembling hand to knock.
Before he could, though, the door suddenly pulled open, and he jumped. His movement startled the exiting tenant, and Lois looked up from the keys in her hand and gasped. Clearly she hadn't been expecting somebody to be standing in her doorway. Then her eyes flickered with recognition and a broad smile crossed her face.
"Clark!"
Clark grinned at her pleased expression, suddenly wondering why it had taken him a week to do this. She was obviously happy to see him, and knowing that made his heart soar. "Hey," he responded with more casualness than he felt.
They stood in the doorway smiling at each other for a moment, and Clark took advantage of the pause to gaze upon the woman who'd been at the forefront of his mind all week. He took in her silky brown hair, her luscious brown eyes framed perfectly with long, thick lashes, and her trim figure clothed in curve-hugging jeans and a sea blue long-sleeved top that hung wide on her shoulders, revealing a large expanse of creamy skin along her throat, neck and collarbone. If possible, she looked even better in casual attire than she did in form-fitting sweaters and skirts with ripped seams. His heart started to pound out an erratic rhythm.
When he finally managed to pull himself together, he glanced down at the keys in her hand and felt a jerk of disappointment in his heartbeat. "I caught you on your way out," he observed sadly.
But Lois's eyes widened and she shook her head. "Oh, I wasn't heading out to do anything special. I was just thinking about grabbing a bite to eat. I can do that later, though. Come in, come in," she urged, stepping back and gesturing to her living room.
Clark hesitated. "Are you sure? I didn't mean to come at a bad time."
Lois rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm, hauling him into the apartment. "You're *not* coming at a bad time. I'm thrilled to see you!"
Clark allowed himself to be pulled into the apartment, and he watched as she shut the door behind him. Then she stood there for a moment, hovering in the entryway, suddenly seeming uncertain. She fingered the keys in her hand for a moment nervously, then seemed aware of her movements and tossed the keys as if they were a hot potato onto the credenza. Then she turned back to him and smiled.
Biting the inside of his lip to keep from smiling, he realized Lois was as nervous to see him as she was to see her. Hoping to put them both at ease, he looked around her apartment, taking in the high ceilings and comfortable furnishings. "Nice place," he said with a whistle, turning his gaze to the large six-by-six window with the accompanying arching eyebrow window above it at one end of the living room, and the large, sliding glass door leading to a small balcony at the other.
Lois moved toward him, appearing to relax at last. "Thanks. It's not as fancy as some of the other buildings in town, but it's affordable, and I love it." She stopped beside him, following his gaze to the large window overlooking the twinkling lights of the city. Then she turned her gaze back to him and smiled. "So how are you? I saw you on TV today, helping with the earthquake in L.A."
"You did?"
She nodded. "I had the TV on for a good part of today as I did some cleaning and laundry, so I got to see a lot of the coverage. It looks like they had quite a bit of damage."
"Not as much as there could have been, thankfully," Clark told her. "There has been a lot done with building codes these days to keep structures unaffected by earthquakes. I'm just glad there weren't a lot of people hurt."
"Me, too," Lois agreed.
She smiled at him, but then her expression became thoughtful. She seemed to be studying him, and Clark felt himself squirm beneath her stare.
"What?" he asked self-consciously.
"Nothing." She shook her head quickly. "It's just..." She paused, then seemed to go ahead and say what she'd been thinking. "It was kind of surreal, watching you on TV and knowing that it was really you doing all those things. I guess I still haven't managed to put you and your alter ego together in my mind yet."
A blush started to make its way across Clark's cheeks, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "You make it sound like something spectacular. It's really not."
"See, that's where you're wrong," Lois said with smile as she walked over to the couch and sat down, gesturing for Clark to do the same. "You don't see it as spectacular because it's what you've been doing for most of your life. Well, not the Suit and the tights and everything, but for everybody else, it *is* spectacular. Why do you the think media is in such a frenzy? You're the greatest thing since apple pie."
Clark's blush deepened as he made his way to where she sat, and sat down next to her. "No, I'm not. I'm just a man trying to do what he can to help."
"Which is pretty spectacular in and of itself," Lois continued. "There are a lot of men in this world who wouldn’t lift a hand to help anyone else. I think it's pretty great that you've decided to use your special powers this way." Then she chuckled and shook her head. "It's just going to take me a little time for my mind to wrap around the fact that you and your superhero self are the same man."
"Then how about I help you out a little," he suggested, standing up and drawing a look of confusion from Lois. "You said you were on your way out to grab a bite to eat. Well, I seem to remember owing you a dinner. What are you in the mood for?"
Lois lifted a dark eyebrow suspiciously. "Why? What do you have in mind?"
Clark grinned at her expression and shrugged. "Dinner from anywhere in the world. You name it."
Her mouth dropped open. "You're kidding, right?" She continued to stare at him strangely, as if she couldn't decide whether or not he was serious.
"No, I'm not kidding. What kind of food do you like?"
When he stood there silently, and Lois could see that he was waiting for an answer, she opened her mouth, then closed it. Finally she opened it again. "Umm, I don't know. I don't really want to impose on you to--"
Clark let out a growl of aggravation and rolled his eyes ceiling ward. "Lo-is. You are not imposing. Just tell me what sounds good."
"O-kay..." Lois responded hesitantly. "Umm...maybe some Indian food?"
Clark grinned, pleased she'd decided to cooperate. "Indian food it is." He stepped back, spun into the now-famous Suit in a blur of red and blue, then looked toward her sliding door. "Do you mind if I use your balcony?"
Lois looked toward her balcony in confusion, then realized he was needing an inconspicuous exit. A slow smile started at the corners of her mouth and spread from there. She waved her hand toward the sliding glass door. "Be my guest."
She stood up and followed Clark across the room. He slid open the sliding glass door, then stepped out onto the dark balcony. He took in the area, with stucco walls rising high on either side of it for privacy, the detailed wrought iron railing, and the steep drop off of the mountainside below, maintaining a secluded feel--perfect for Superman comings and goings--since there were no homes immediately below on the hilly incline. He also noted the lounge chair and large potted plants, which gave the area a nice, homey feeling. "Nice," he commented.
Lois laughed. "Did you just come out here to admire the architecture, or are you actually going to get us some food?"
Clark caught the mischievous twinkle in Lois's eyes and knew she was teasing him. "Okay, okay, I'm going. You're a slave driver, you know that?"
"Hey, you're the one who offered." She folded her arms across her chest and looked at him pointedly. "You clearly want to show off for me, so let's see it."
That made Clark laugh. "Fine. See you in a minute." And with that, he shot up into the night sky and disappeared amongst the stars.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Turning and going back into her apartment, Lois found herself shaking her head. She knew her comment was dead-on. He wanted to show off for her. And she had to admit, she was impressed. Having a boyfriend--okay, so maybe he wasn't a boyfriend just yet; maybe she should say 'a potential boyfriend'--that could do such incredible things as help with fires and clear literally tons of debris cause by earthquakes, *and* fly anywhere in the world was pretty impressive. And the fact that he wanted to do that for her made the warm glow in her heart that had started the second she'd opened her apartment door and saw him standing in the doorway, increase until she felt warm all over.
Since it was a balmy, Fall night, she decided to leave the sliding glass door open for him in case he decided to come back in that way. Sure enough, only a couple of minutes later, she heard a 'whoosh' and felt a gust of wind, and turned to see Clark, still clad in his costume, coming in through the open glass door with two bags in his hands.
She caught the delicious smell of exotic food wafting into the room and her stomach started to rumble. She chuckled at him as he walked over to set the bags down on her table. "I can't believe you really want all the way to India for our dinner."
He looked up at her and smiled. "Just one of the many advantages to having super powers." He glanced around the kitchen at her cupboards. "Where do you keep your plates?"
"Oh, I'll get them." She hurried across the kitchen and took two plates out of the cupboard, then took silverware out of a nearby drawer as he set the cartons of food onto the table.
Setting them each a place, Lois helped Clark dish out the food, and they sat down to eat. She looked at Clark sitting across from her at her small round table, still in his costume, and couldn't stop the grin from spreading across her face. She gestured at him with her fork. "Are you really going to eat in that? You're not going to change or anything first?"
Clark looked down at his Suit, then back up at her quizzically. "Why? Does it bother you?"
"No, it doesn't bother me," she quickly clarified. "It's just...don't you worry about spilling on yourself? Somehow I don't think you'd look as super with a curry stain on your 'S.'"
Her comment caught him in the middle of swallowing, and he started to cough and sputter with unexpected laughter. He took a drink from the glass of water Lois quickly offered him, then thumped himself on the chest a couple of times. "What, it might make me look too human? I guess I'd have to kiss my 'spectacular' status goodbye," he joked, referencing her adjective from earlier.
She grinned and put a forkful into her mouth. "I guess you would. Besides, your mom would probably kill you. Didn't you say she made it for you? Tell me how that came to be."
In spite of her instance that he didn't have to change, he took a moment to spin out of the Suit, then sat back down at the table in the jeans and long-sleeved T-shirt he'd arrived at her apartment in. They spent the rest of dinner eating and talking, and Lois felt the easy camaraderie they'd shared while in Metropolis returning to their relationship. She was glad the initial awkwardness in her doorway of seeing each other for the first time in a week had passed. The mood was relaxed and fun, and Lois found herself falling for his kind, gentle nature all over again.
When dinner was done, they cleaned up after their meal, then went to sit on the couch. They talked and laughed until the hour grew late, and Lois heard the grandfather clock she'd inherited from her parents chime eleven o'clock.
Clark heard and looked over at her sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I had no idea it was so late. I should probably let you get to bed."
But Lois shook her head, reluctant to let the evening end. "Believe it or not, I'm not even tired." She fell silent, and their eyes met and held for several long moments. On an impulse, she reached out for Clark's hand as it rested on the couch next to her, and gave it a squeeze. "Thanks for coming tonight. You have no idea how much I was looking forward to it, and hoping you'd find the time to drop in."
Clark's fingers tightened on hers as she started to pull her hand back, and he enclosed his hand around hers. "I've been wanting to all week, I just..." He hesitated. "I just didn't know if you'd changed your mind about...us."
This time Lois knew she'd heard the pause in his voice, and she squeezed his hand again. "No, I'd still really like to see if we can build what we have. That is, if you want to...?"
Clark picked up on the question in her voice and straightened up on the couch attentively. "Of course I do." He looked down at their joined hands and rubbed the side of her hand lightly with his thumb. "I've been worrying, though, about how I can possibly manage to make a relationship work," he admitted after several moments. "I've been really struggling with my time, trying to find a way to do everything I need to do at the Planet, plus keep up with all the Superman stuff." He finally pulled his eyes up to hers, and she could see the concern in his eyes. "I don't want you to think I'm ignoring you, or not giving our relationship the attention it deserves. I guess what I'm saying is...I hope you'll be patient with me while I try to fit together everything I want in my life."
Lois smiled softly and tightened her grip on his hand. "You don't have to do it alone, you know," she told him with a slightly sarcastic tone in her voice. "I'm not sure there's anything I can do to help, but I'm here if you do need me."
His heart touched, Clark slipped his hand out of hers and lifted it instead to stroke her face. "Thank you, Lois. You have no idea how much it means to me to know you're willing to give this a chance."
She reached up to cover his hand with her own, and their gazes met and held. For one heart-stopping moment, Lois thought he was going to kiss her, but then he slowly got to his feet instead, and pulled her up beside him.
"It's late," he murmured as they both became aware of their close proximity, and the air seemingly charged with electricity around them. "I should go."
Lois nodded wordlessly, trying to stem her sudden feeling of disappointment. She smiled as he reached for her hand, then walked with him to the balcony. "I wish you didn't have to go," she whispered, afraid anything but a whisper might spoil the mood as they stepped through the sliding glass door and into the darkness.
"Me too." Clark reached for her hand, entwining his fingers with hers. "What are you doing next week?"
"Working." She wrinkled up her nose. "I'm kind of in my editor's dog house, and he has me writing all these fluff pieces that I'm embarrassed to even have my name attached to. Anyway, I'm going to work really hard next week to come up with something to redeem myself."
Clark groaned. "I've been there. You should see some of the things Perry has us reporters do when he's mad at us. It's not pretty."
"You'd think there was some class they attended in editor school that taught them how to torture us," Lois joked.
Clark laughed. "I think you're right." His laughter faded and he stroked his thumb across her hand. "So what did you do to get in trouble? Or do I want to know?" he teased, remembering the conversation they'd had in his apartment about her often illegal means of obtaining evidence.
Lois grew quiet. As she tried to decide how to answer that, she lowered her gaze to her feet and toed the loose pebbles in a small crack in the cement. Clark picked up on her abrupt change in mood and moved in front of her, trying to draw her gaze.
"He wasn't mad at you for not coming back with an expose, was he?" When Lois didn't answer, Clark swore under his breath and took both her hands in his. "Lois, I'm *so* sorry. You have to believe that I didn't want you to get in trouble by covering for me. I never wanted to put you in a bad place with your editor."
"I know, Clark." She nodded and looked up, seeing the sympathy in his eyes. "It's not your fault. I'll just have to find a really great story this week to make up for it."
Clark thought for a minute. "What about the Mesopotamia, Inc. story? We'd talked about working on that. Have you done any digging yet on the connections?"
She shook her head. "I haven't had time, but I think it's a good idea. We should put our heads together and see what we can come up with. Working on that's got to be better than anything Jim has me doing."
"Great," Clark enthused. "Take a look at what you have on Monday and I'll do the same, and we can email or fax each other what we find."
"It's a deal." Lois felt excited at the prospect of working together with Clark, even if it was long distance.
The sound of an airplane rumbled overhead, drawing Lois's attention. She tipped her head back to regard the sky, sprinkled with stars that illuminated the black backdrop of night. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"
He looked up at the sky, noting the faint white trail from the airplane against the blackness. "It is. Even here in the city or back in Metropolis, the sky is beautiful, even if all the city lights make it harder to appreciate all those stars." He smiled and squeezed her hand without looking away from the stars above him. "You should see them in Smallville. The sky is just spectacular. I used to lie on my back on the grass at night and stare up at the stars for hours. It felt comforting somehow."
"I know what you mean. I've always loved nighttime. There's just something about the night sky that draws me in, makes me feel safe."
Impulsively, Clark squeezed her hand and turned to look at her. A mischievous grin twinkled in his eyes. "Would you like to see what it's like?"
"Like what's like?" She cocked an eyebrow in confusion.
"Up there." He nodded up at the night sky, a smile pulling up one corner of his mouth. "How would you like to take a ride?"
Suddenly she realized what he was suggesting and her eyes widened in surprise. "You mean...fly with you? Up there?"
He nodded. "Why not? Nobody will see us, and you'll be perfectly safe. I wouldn't dare drop you." He surprised her by leaning in and pressing a feather-light kiss to her lips. Then he took a step back toward her door, spun into his Suit, then walked back to her. His eyes sparkled as he took a step back toward the railing, pulling her along with him as he held tightly to her hand.
She hesitated at first, frightened at the thought of being high up in the sky without a fuselage surrounding her, but she allowed Clark to coax her to the edge of the balcony.
"Are you ready?" he asked, his eyes dancing in the moonlight.
Lois gulped. "No."
He laughed, then leaned over and lifted her into his arms. He held her close against his chest, and Lois could feel the thumping of his heart. He took two steps toward the balcony, then chuckled. "You don't have to strangle me, Lois. I promise I won't drop you."
Lois self-consciously loosened her arms from around his neck and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I guess I'm just a little nervous."
"There's nothing to be nervous about," he reassured her gently. "I do this all the time."
"Take women for rides at night? Gee, why doesn't that make me feel better?" she quipped dryly.
Clark tightened his arms around her and smiled. Sensing the need to reassure her, he said, "No, Lois, you're the first woman I've taken flying. What I meant was that I fly all the time. There's nothing to it."
Lois looked up at him and saw the sincerity in his eyes. In that moment, she knew she would be safe. Relaxing a little in Clark's arms, she turned and looked at the dark horizon eagerly. In the next instant, she felt the strange, unfamiliar sensation of floating up off the ground. A slight gasp escaped her lips, and she looked down at the ground, seeing it fall farther and farther away as they drifted up into the sky.
As they changed directions and started to move out over the mountainside's incline, the feeling of freedom that came from soaring through the sky took Lois's breath away. She looked down at the twinkling lights of the city below them as they flew, then gazed up at the twinkling stars in the dark sky above. She felt as if she existed somewhere in between the lights, in a place where she and Clark alone could dwell.
Still feeling breathless, she turned to look at Clark, his face only inches from hers. When their eyes met, his eyes crinkled into a smile, and Lois found herself grinning back, awed by the unexpected experience.
They continued to fly north until the lights beneath them became fewer and farther between. She felt Clark's arms move around her more securely as the wind picked up, and he held her closer to keep her warm. She looked around at the clouds scattered about the sky, sometimes close enough to touch, and felt an even stronger sense of connection to the man who held her protectively in his arms. For the first time she was seeing the world through Clark's eyes, and it gave her an even stronger sense of how very different his life must have been from anyone else's.
Lois felt like she could stay that way in Clark's arms forever, drifting through the night sky, her heartbeat strangely in tune with his. She could tell when they had finally returned to San Francisco by the millions lights of the city sparkling beneath them. She loosened her arms from his neck reluctantly as they touched back down on her balcony.
"You're shivering," Clark observed as he set her on her feet. "I'm sorry. I guess I didn't think of you getting cold, since I don't feel the temperature changes like you--"
Lois shook her head, quickly cutting him off, her cheeks rosy and her eyes sparkling. "Clark, you don't have to apologize. That was *amazing*. I think it's the most amazing thing I've ever done." She stopped him from fussing by grabbing his hand and threading her fingers through his. "Thank you."
Clark looked at her for a long moment, then smiled. He reached out with his free hand to tuck a wayward strand of her dark hair behind her ear, his hand lingering against her cheek. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, Lois."
Their eyes met and held, and Lois felt the swarm of butterflies start to flutter about crazily in her stomach as Clark seemed to move imperceptibly closer. She felt pulled to Clark by a mysterious force, her heart thumping loud enough that she was sure Clark could hear it, even without super hearing.
She held her breath as their faces neared, her skin tingling as she felt his warm breath on her face. In eager anticipation, she closed her eyes as his lips touched hers. Instantly her knees went weak, and she was glad for the steadying arm Clark slipped around her waist. The world disappeared in a haze around her, and all Lois could think about was Clark's kiss, tender, meaningful, and perfect. She hardly dared to breathe for fear it would disrupt the deliciousness of the moment.
When they finally drifted apart, Lois felt heady and breathless, and she could tell by Clark's expression he was feeling the same way. A grin worked its way across her face as she looked up into his eyes. She'd never been in love before, but she was sure this was exactly what it felt like.
Clark stepped back, letting his fingers slip from hers as distance finally necessitated, but his eyes never left hers. "Goodnight, Lois. I'll talk to you soon?"
His eyes were a dusky color in the moonlight, and Lois found herself hypnotized by the intensity of his stare. She managed to nod, then found her voice. "Thanks for coming over. Dinner and...well, everything...was great."
He smiled through the darkness. "I look forward to doing it again soon."
"Me too."
With one last look, Clark then turned and drifted up into the night sky. Lois watched him until she could no longer make out his form in the darkness. After standing on the balcony for several more minutes, she finally went back inside and shut the sliding door behind her.
She was sad to see him go, but she found herself looking forward to next week when they could compare notes on their bi-coastal investigation. Even hearing from Clark through email was better than nothing.
**********
to be continued in part 16...
