From Part Six:
"Lois. Lois Lane," she said, butterflies welling up in her chest cavity. Clark's smile was electrifying. She extended her hand and Clark reached out and kissed it. "I'm a nursing student. So you're one of those smart farmboy types, I take it?"
"Well, I *did* grow up on a farm," Clark admitted. "I'm from Smallville, Kansas. In fact, I was heading out there for the weekend. Would you like to take a little trip with me, since you already know I can fly?" Clark asked. The thought of holding this special lady tight in his arms was such a turn-on.
"Well, I am waiting for a ride. Oh, what the hell," she said. "This opportunity doesn't come up every day. Let's go. My friends are late anyway; serves them right! Did you say you're from *Smallville*? For real?"
<There's that fire I saw in her eyes that very first time>, Clark thought to himself. <Quite the babbler. She'll have a great bedside manner some day!> "Yes, that's really the name of the town. Did you know that the famous scientist Lex Luthor graduated from Smallville High School? He's a good friend of mine."
"Really? That's right, I did hear he grew up in some hick town in the Midwest," she snarked. Looking at Clark's shocked expression, she continued. "I'm sorry, Clark. I was an orphan – my parents were killed in an auto accident when I was ten. I've always been a city girl. I'm sure some fresh air will do me some good."
"Let's go then. Sounds like you haven't had a good home-cooked meal in a long time – if ever," Clark remarked. "My folks will love you."
"Are you sure I'm not imposing?" Lois asked. "I mean you don't know me from Adam, and it's kind of crazy of me to go flying with a complete stranger."
"Lois, after this trip, we won't be strangers any more, I promise. Let's head toward the park, and then we can take off, away from prying eyes."
"I must be completely out of my mind," Lois muttered under her breath. Clark just smiled in response. <Wait until Lois finds out I have super-hearing!>
Clark wrapped Lois in his football jacket and within moments, they were airborne. "I never did ask you if you were afraid of heights," he commented. "Should I assume that you're not?"
Lois looked up at Clark as if he were a Greek God. "I actually am, a little, but I feel very safe with you. How can you do this? This is so amazing," she gushed.
"I'm not really sure, but when we get to Smallville, I'll tell you everything I know."
"I'm counting on it," Lois said, enjoying the view of the Metropolis harbor as they headed southeast towards Kansas.
~~~~~
Chapter Seven
Martha and Jonathan were sitting in the kitchen, enjoying the aroma of a baking apple pie, when they were stunned to see Clark enter the room with a beautiful, dark-haired woman who looked to be about his age.
First of all, the fact that he had flown home meant that this person knew about his abilities; secondly, she wasn't Lana! The shocked looked on their faces made Clark chuckle as he attempted to introduce Lois to his folks.
"Mom…Dad… this is Lois. Lois Lane. She's a nursing student at Met U. She has no real family, so I was hoping you wouldn't mind if she stayed the weekend and enjoyed a great home-cooked meal," Clark explained, with his arm affectionately placed around Lois' shoulders.
Lois, feeling suddenly flushed at meeting Clark's parents, stepped forward and offered her hand to the Kents. She smiled inwardly, reflecting that she had been carrying a picture of Clark and his Mom around in her wallet for six months! "I'm sorry to be an unexpected house guest; but I can honestly say that I've never been in a home that radiated such a warm feeling of family. And what is it that you're baking, Mrs. Kent? It smells wonderful!"
Martha stood up to squeeze Lois' outreached hand, and suddenly realized that in all the time she had seen Clark with Lana, he had never worn such a look of – rapture? – on his face before. He was so obviously smitten with this lovely girl, and she with him. Both of their eyes positively glowed – she could almost visualize dancing fairies bouncing off their eyelashes. "Lois, we're happy to have you. And that's an apple pie I'm baking – it's Clark's favorite."
Jonathan looked at Lois and felt like he was in love again himself. Such a beautiful girl; what a handsome pair they made. There was something about Lana he could never warm up to – but with this Lois, he immediately felt a warm and fuzzy feeling.
Kissing her hand, he said, "Lois – it's a pleasure to have you with us for the weekend. Have you been out to the country much? We can take the horses out for a ride and show you around the farm."
Lois giggled. "Mr. Kent, I'm such a city girl, I'm embarrassed to say that I've never ridden a horse, never milked a cow, and certainly never mowed a lawn."
"No problem, honey; we're great teachers here on the Kent farm," Jonathan said, his own eyes glowing with admiration. "Hope you packed some casual-type clothes."
"Clark, honey, show Lois the guest room; the pie's almost ready," Martha said.
Clark picked Lois up and floated her towards the stairs. Halfway up, he turned to look over his shoulder and winked at his Dad, who in return gave him the "thumbs-up" sign.
Alone in the guest bedroom, Clark placed Lois gently on the bed, but couldn't bring himself to take his arms off of her. It felt so good to be close to her!
"Clark, your parents are *wonderful*. Omigod – you are so lucky. Do you *know* how lucky you are? I went from one foster family to another – all in the city, living in one lousy tenement building after another. This is like heaven on earth here!"
Clark could hold off no longer and kissed her mouth passionately to stop her from continuing to babble. "I've wanted to do that since the first time I saw you," he admitted.
"When you met me just now – at Met U?"
"No, when I was flying away from Niagara Falls and I spotted you in the crowd. I wanted to turn around, but there were so many people gawking at us, I figured I better keep going. But I memorized your face, and I dreamed about you."
"Oh, Clark," Lois said, returning his kiss fiercely. "I didn't know you spotted me in the crowd, but somehow I knew I'd see you again. This sounds ridiculous, but it was love at first sight for me."
Clark found himself smiling so broadly that he couldn't contain his joy. "Lois Lane, I've been in love with you since then too. I guess now it's time for us to get to know each other, since we already love each other, huh?"
The comment hit them both in their funny bones, and they started laughing hysterically. How was it possible for them to be in love and hardly know anything about each other? They rolled around on the bed, kissing, hugging, and giggling.
"I never want to let go of you, Lois. I don't want to spend one more moment away from you. I feel like you're the missing piece of my life – that I'm complete now."
"Me too, Clark. Now tell me how you got all of these great powers. If I have to learn to ride a horse and milk a cow, you owe me an explanation!"
"All in good time, Lois. It's quite a story. I hope you're open-minded."
Lois looked Clark straight in the eyes. "Sure, I've been carrying a picture of a flying boy carrying his mother over the rapids at Niagara Falls for six months, not sharing it with anyone, and you're worried I'm not *open-minded*? Huh?"
"Good point," Clark said, kissing her playfully this time.
~~~~~
During dinner, Clark explained to his folks how he had spotted Lois in the crowd at Niagara Falls that time he was high on Red Kryptonite. Lois pulled out the photo she had taken of them flying off. Martha was visibly startled that she had held evidence of Clark's powers and yet hadn't tried to make a profit off of her picture.
"Honey, I don't need to know any more about you – if you are that wonderful not to have tried to make a fast buck off that photo, when there were so many people in the crowd that day trying to take our picture – you're all right in my book," Martha said to Lois.
"Mrs. Kent – I can't explain it – but part of me didn't want to share Clark with the world – and part of me knew that he had to be someone really special to take his mother flying over Niagara Falls. My woman's intuition told me to be patient, that I had seen you both for a reason, and that we would meet again. I didn't think it would be at Met U, of all places. It's so great we're both students there!" Lois exclaimed.
"Time for pie, isn't it Mom?" Clark said, trying to change the subject, feeling embarrassed by the entire discussion.
"Yes, honey. Would you kids like ice cream with the pie? The ice cream is home-made too, Lois."
"Mrs. Kent, my hips will regret it, but absolutely I would," Lois replied.
On a whim, Clark asked, "Lois, what's your all-time favorite dessert?"
Lois immediately replied, "Double fudge chocolate crunch bars. How about you? Oh, I already know. Your Mom's apple pie."
"See – half a day and we already know a lot about each other," Clark said, flashing a 1000-watt smile Lois' way.
The television that was on in the living room suddenly flashed breaking news: there was a water main break in Kansas City and since it was a holiday weekend, the rushing water was causing major traffic flow issues and there was a fear that I-70, the interstate highway that runs through both Kansas Cities (Missouri and Kansas) would be washed away, causing some serious accidents. Clark looked at his parents, then at Lois.
"This is something I can help with," Clark said. "I'm going to change into some dark clothes and see what I can do without being seen."
"Take me with you, Clark. I'm a nursing student. I can give CPR and help out with any of the victims' injuries," Lois pleaded, using her big brown eyes as bait. Clark was putty in her hands, and couldn't say no to her. Little did he know, this was a sign of things to come. "Just let me grab my first aid kit!" With that, Lois ran up the stairs to the guest room to retrieve it.
At once Clark realized that Lois Lane was a woman who took her college major dead seriously – she even packed her first aid kit when she was on vacation!
Jonathan and Martha looked at each other and grinned. "You two are obviously made for each other! Go! Go!"
Several hours later, a very wet Lois and Clark returned to the Kent farm looking both proud of their work and haggard at the same time.
"We saw what you did, Clark. Actually, no one but us knew that you sealed the water main break with your heat vision, but we were proud of you nonetheless! And Lois, one of the reporters on the scene interviewed you. Very impressive – a Met U nursing student volunteering her services. What a great team you are together. But Clark, one of these days, someone is going to spot you, recognize you. We'll have Jason Trask on our doorstep so fast if he figures out all that you can do."
"I know, Mom. I was thinking – what if you made me some kind of uniform – something that represents that I'm there to help. Can you do that?"
Lois chimed in, "That's a great idea, Clark. Something patriotic that says 'I'm from the U.S.A and proud of it!' Something red, white, and blue…"
Martha's eyes lit up. "Clark, I guess I never told you, but there was something like a family emblem in the space ship we found you in…"
Lois cut in. "Space ship? For real? Clark, you're from outer space?"
"From a planet called Krypton. It exploded many light-years ago. My father built a small space ship and sent me to earth, saving my life. Apparently earth's yellow sun and lighter gravity gives me my unique abilities."
"Wow, Clark. That is so cool. I'm sorry, Mrs. Kent, I didn’t mean to interrupt you…it's a bad habit I have. I talk too much."
"No… you *think*?" Clark joked.
"Lois, honey, I love your enthusiasm and your open-mindedness. Anyway, I saved your family logo or whatever it was, Clark. It's in my lingerie drawer for safe keeping."
"Mom… you really didn't need to share that part with us," Clark groaned, as his mother hastily ran up the stairs to her bedroom to retrieve it.
Lois grabbed Clark by the hand and pulled him into the living room so they could have a little cuddle on the couch and talk privately.
"Clark, you look so human. When they describe aliens, they're always those grayish small humanoids with the bug eyes. You're a hot-looking alien!" Lois gushed, giving him a kiss.
"Lois… I was raised here on earth. As far as I'm concerned, I *am* human, with some additional … benefits. And I want to use these abilities to help others; I don't want to be exploited and I don't expect to profit in any way." He kissed her back and gave her a gentle squeeze. His parents were pretty strait-laced about impropriety under their roof, after all.
"Wow… you are as close to near-perfect as a guy could get," Lois remarked. "I can't believe how lucky I was to be at Niagara Falls that day."
"It was fate," Clark agreed. "Do you know that my so-called childhood sweetheart to this day doesn't know about me? I never felt comfortable telling her," he said. "She's majoring in journalism at Met U also, and she's seeing my best friend, Pete, on the sly. Like I care."
Lois' eyes became as big as saucers. "Are you two still an item? I don't want to get in the middle of anything…"
Clark kissed Lois, silencing her questions. "I never really loved Lana. If I did, I would have been able to tell her the truth about me. My friend Pete has been in love with her since we were kids. Lana and I have grown apart. I told Pete, who's my roommate by the way, that it was fine for him to date Lana. Lana thinks I don't know. It's a stupid game we're all playing, really. When we get back to Met U, I'm going to tell her I'm seeing someone else…you."
"Lana, huh? Is she pretty?" Lois' insecurities were getting the best of her now.
"She *is* pretty, but very different from you. She has red hair… she's more cute than pretty. You, on the other hand," Clark said, kissing Lois again, "are *gorgeous*. There is no comparison. Ask my Dad. He's in love with you too, I can tell. Shhh…don't tell my Mom," he joked.
Just then Martha came bounding down the stairs with a pentagon-shaped insignia that looked like a stylized "S". "Here it is, you two. Now get out of that living room and come back into the kitchen. They'll be plenty of time for that later," she grinned.
Soon, the four of them, pen and paper in hand, were attempting to design a uniform for Clark.
"OK, son," Jonathan said, "You're going to be flying, so your uniform has to be kind of tight-fitting."
"And capes look beautiful when you're flying," Martha added. "You should definitely have a cape."
"Mom…I'll look like Dracula or something. That's just silly," Clark argued. "I want it to be some type of uniform; if I have a cape, I'll be a laughing stock."
"Clark…I have to agree with your mother. A bright red cape, with your family crest on the back…when you're flying, you'll look like the American flag, waving in the breeze. A symbol of all that is right in the United States," Lois stated with passion.
,
Clark rolled his eyes at Lois' remark. "I suppose a cape would be useful if I had to carry a victim to a hospital or something. I could wrap it around the hurt person…"
"And you need to be able to wear the uniform under your clothes so if you have to change from your street clothes, you're already wearing it. So it's going to need to be very tight and form-fitting… like spandex," Martha continued.
"*Mom*… now I'm going to look like a circus performer," Clark snarked.
"Well, there's a reason they wear tight-fitting clothes. They're flying around on trapezes, up in the air, and it cuts down on the wind resistance," Lois added.
"Whose side are you on, anyway?" Clark smiled at Lois. He somehow knew he was going to lose the battle of the uniform to the two women in his life.
"Since the emblem is red and yellow, the costume should be red, yellow, and blue. Almost the same colors as the American flag. The yellow can represent Krypton," Lois suggested. "The blue and the red is the American part of you."
~~~~~
After an hour of discussion, Martha and Lois planned to go to the fabric store the next day and pick out blue and red spandex for Clark's outfit.
"Lois, how about a ride around the farm? It's beautiful at night, with all the stars visible out here in the country. Bet you can't see half of them back in the city," Jonathan said.
"Do I have to sit *on* a horse?" Lois said, somewhat scared of the answer.
"Nah. We'll take you for a hayride; we'll hitch up a couple of horses and I'll steer while you two get cozy in the back, rolling around in the hay," Jonathan said with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Jonathan…don't you go corrupting these young kids!" Martha implored.
"Let's go, you two, before your mother ruins everything," Jonathan laughed. "Now Martha, you remember what we were like when we were their age. Let the kids have some fun."
Clark whispered to Lois, "Wow, they really like you. They never joked around like this when Lana was over. You've made quite an impression."
"For what it's worth, Clark, I simply adore them too," Lois replied. "I don't think I've ever had this sense of family and belonging before."
Lois and Clark lay down on the hay, staring at the stars, holding hands and sneaking a few kisses in here and there, Jonathan drove the two lovebirds all over the farm. During Halloween, the Kent farm sold Haunted Hayrides to kids and decorated the trees with lanterns and hanging ghouls. As a father, Jonathan was so much more at peace tonight. Finally Clark had met someone that he could be himself with. What a relief. As much as he and Martha loved Lana, they never quite saw their son and her together for any length of time. Lois was the woman Clark was going to marry; he was sure of it.
~~~~~
The next day, Lois and Martha returned from the fabric store with yards of shiny red and blue spandex. Lois admitted to Martha that even though she had taken Home Economics in junior high, she hadn't sewn anything since. Somehow, Martha wasn't surprised. Lois was a very serious girl. On the way home from the store, Lois had shared her childhood with Martha.
"Lois… I'm so sorry you grew up an orphan. Did you know your folks?"
"They died when I was ten, Mrs. Kent. We were returning from a night at the movies; I had begged my parents to take me to see a special showing of "ET". On the way home, a drunk driver crossed into our lane and hit our car head-on. Somehow, I survived the crash. The EMTs later told me that possibly if my parents had had immediate medical attention, they might have survived. I didn't know anything about CPR or anything back then. That's why I decided to go into nursing, so I can somehow make up for letting my parents die by helping others." Lois began sobbing at the memory.
Martha pulled the car over and gave Lois a hug. "You know it's not your fault, honey. You were ten! Please don't continue to blame yourself. I just met you, but I would be so proud to be able to call you my daughter-in-law some day. You can't possibly know how special I think you are. You're strong and good, and you really stand up for what you believe in. I'm so pleased my son cares for you."
Lois looked up at Martha, her eyes glistening. "Really? You are so sweet. I can't believe my good fortune in meeting the Kent family."
"It goes both ways, honey, trust me," Martha said, smiling. "Let's go home and make Clark a uniform."
Several hours later, Clark was trying on a skin-tight mostly blue stretchy leotard contraption with a red cape, yellow belt, red briefs, his family emblem centered on his chest, and bright red boots (they were Lois' idea – she dyed them herself). Looking at himself in the mirror, he felt completely ridiculous. He came out of the bathroom embarrassed to be showing so much of himself to his mother and a woman he had barely just met.
"You know, I appreciate all the hard work that went into this," Clark began, "but honestly –"
"Wow," said Lois. "What a hunk of man. Mmmm."
"Oh honey. It really works. *No one* will notice your face. When you're plain Clark Kent, they won't see any resemblance at all," Martha asserted.
Jonathan was actually speechless.
"Clark," said Lois, "let's take this outside. Let's see how you look when you're in action. Go fly away like you're going to rescue someone!"
Shaking his head, wishing he could truly understand the fairer sex, Clark walked out to the porch, first checking to make sure there were no approaching neighbors. Just then he heard the screeching of tires and metal crunching.
"I'll be right back – there's a big accident down on Route 8 – a five car pile-up!"
Before Lois could suggest she tag along again, Clark was soaring away, his cape billowing in the air just like the American flag.
Martha put her arm around Lois. "We did it – Clark now has an alter-ego! I wonder what they'll call him?"
"How about Super-Stud?" Lois joked.
"Ok, Lois… he *is* still my son," Martha said, smiling but serious. "Try to keep your mind out of the gutter!"
"Seriously, Mrs. Kent… have you *looked* at your son? He's hot!"
With that, both women started giggling and went back into the kitchen to await Clark's return.
~~~~~
TBC
