All Irish is translated at the end. Part 2The sun shone brightly through the windows and the room looked even better than it had the previous day, Lois thought as she slowly woke up early the next morning.
Her subconscious told her there was something lying on her left.
"Oh, God, Clark!" she whispered. As she opened her eyes, she indeed saw the form of her sleeping partner beside her. She figured he must have rolled over during the night. A more thorough look told her that Clark was still on his side. That could only mean one thing...
She had rolled over onto him!
Sweet Divine Mother Of All That Is Pure!!!
It must have been the attraction, she figured. But she'd never acted on it before!
On the other hand, she hadn't had to share a bed with him since she had figured out how much she loved him. She'd done her best to put her feelings away, but it was just impossible.
She'd tried to hide it from the people around her, especially Clark.
It looked like she'd done a poor job of it, though. Her subconscious had made her roll over and nestle in Clark's arms during her sleep. She could only hope he hadn't noticed what had happened.
He smelled good first thing in the morning, she suddenly noticed.
He looked good first thing in the morning as well.
For the first time in all the months that she had known her partner, she could study his face without having to look past his glasses. He was so handsome. And she was so in love with him.
And he wasn't with her, she reminded herself once again.
She had to try to roll away again so Clark wouldn't notice it when he woke up, if he hadn't already before. But she didn't want him to wake up like this. The situation would only be embarrassing for the both of them and she wasn't about to give him an explanation.
Lois had no idea how to get away from him without waking him up. Her right leg lay between his legs, her right arm lay on his chest and her head had nestled in the crook of his shoulder while Clark had put his right arm around her and his hand rested on her back.
Fifteen minutes later, Lois was back on her side and sighed in relief. She'd done it, and it looked as if Clark was still asleep.
She studied his face once more. The strong jaw line, his gorgeous chocolate brown eyes now covered by his eyelids, his hair slightly slicked backwards and a smile on his face.
He looked absolutely adorable.
It was the first time she had a chance to study his face that carefully without the glasses. It looked familiar somehow, as if she'd seen it before... But no matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn't remember. Maybe she'd figure it out after she had a shower and some coffee.
*****
Clark woke up slowly when he felt some movements. He quickly realised Lois had woken up and was now trying to do her best to untangle herself from him without waking him up. She hadn't succeeded with that, but what else was expected of Superman? He decided to play with her and let her move to her side of the bed without having her know she had woken him up after all. He'd have some fun with her anyhow later on the day.
Some time later, the warmth of Lois's body was gone and he heard her sigh. With slightly opened eyelids, Clark stared at her. Even now, early in the morning, with her hair uncombed and without make-up, she looked beautiful and perfect. Quickly, he turned around before he gave away that he was awake after all. He loved her, completely and irrevocably. If only she'd feel the same way... He knew she liked him, and sometimes he thought she might feel more, but those moments only lasted for a few seconds and he couldn't be sure she meant it that way. At least it was enough for him; there was still hope, and that was enough for now.
Maybe he'd find out more after the weekend. Or more precisely, after tonight.
In order to find that out, they'd better get started with the day. Slowly, he turned to lie on his back again and put his arms above his hand in a stretching motion while at the same time letting out a yawn.
*****
Later in the day, as they made their way towards the fields from the place they'd had lunch at, Lois had to admit the Irish country wasn't so bad after all. They'd spent all morning looking around at the Rock of Cashel, which, she'd learned, was a stone fort. Clark had told her about its history and he'd even pointed out some interesting landmarks. Having her own personal tour guide definitely had its advantages at times.
Right now, they were up for the more unpleasant part of the day. They had to find a gift for that Sara-person. And why they were going to do that on a field she still didn't know, but she trusted Clark. She did hope it wouldn't take so long; it was getting quite cold and it looked as if it would rain soon as well. She didn't mind spending time with Clark, in fact, she could easily get used to having him around her 24/7, but in a cosy, warm place. Like their hotel room.
The memory of how she'd woken up that morning still made her blush. It had made her feel good, warm, safe and just plain perfect. As if she was made to lie in his arms. She could easily repeat it tonight, if he let her.
That was just where the problem lay. What did Clark want? Because she had finally figured out what it was that she wanted from him. She was in love with her partner. She'd probably been in love with him for months already, but it was only in the last few weeks that she had actually dared to admit it. She was head over heels in love with him; she didn't know what do without him; his mere presence lightened up her day; her heart did flip-flops when he entered the room she was in.
She loved Clark.
But what about Clark? He had told her so many months ago that he loved her, that he'd do anything for her, including stopping her marriage to Lex. But then he'd taken back the declaration. It had left her so confused, and she still couldn't figure out when he'd been lying. Sometimes she thought he'd just taken back the declaration so he would have her back as a friend, back to what they both knew, what they both were comfortable with. She'd seen him stare at her, with a look that was hard to define. And then there were all the other small details that made her believe he was in love with her too. But he could act so distant as well, and there were all his excuses when he'd just run away, often in the middle of an important or intimate conversation. She just couldn't figure him out.
Most of all, she had no idea what to do. Should she confess? Risk her heart and possibly their friendship? Was she prepared to make that incredibly scary step? Clark was just too important to her, and she needed him in her life. If he didn't return her feelings, things would get awkward and surely their close friendship would suffer. And if he did return her feelings, what would happen if they later broke up?
See, it was better to not say anything to Clark. Maybe it would just grow naturally. Or better yet, she'd wait for him to make a move. That way, she would be sure about his feelings while at the same time not making a fool of herself.
Still, she couldn't help but think what could happen if they did get together. They were on vacation, after all. Even though they'd return home tomorrow, a lot could happen in a day.
She smiled as an image formed in her head. Them, lying on bed, in each other's arms, kissing. A shiver ran down her spine.
"Lois, are you all right?" Clark's voice cut through her thoughts.
"I'm fine, Clark," she assured him.
"Are you sure? You're not cold, are you? I mean... you just shivered."
Lois turned to him and put a hand on his arm. "I'm not cold, that shiver was caused by something different."
"Oh?" he asked, clearly interested in hearing more.
"Never mind. Are we nearly there yet?" she asked in order to change the subject.
He just raised his eyebrows and played along. "Yeah, I think so."
"You *think* so?" Lois asked sceptically. "I think it's time you tell me just what that gift is supposed to be, buster!"
"Okay."
"Well?" Lois demanded as she stood before him with her arms crossed.
"You know how I said the gift has to be authentically and typically Irish?"
"Yeah..."
"Well, that means there are two options," Clark obviously tried to stall again.
"And they are?" Lois prodded.
"Leprechauns or shamrocks," Clark replied as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
"What?" Lois stared at him in shock. She knew perfectly well what both were, and thus that it was practically impossible to obtain them.
"Leprechauns or shamrocks," he casually repeated.
"I heard you the first time, Clark," Lois sneered. "But you seriously think those are good presents?"
"Well, yeah."
"You do realise just what leprechauns are and where you can usually find them?"
A nod and stare were her only answer from him.
"So you expect us to find a gnome that is supposed to bring good luck once you're able to catch it? A dwarf that is hard to catch, only pulls pranks and is usually found on the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow?"
"Yup."
"So how on Earth did you expect us to find one?"
"Well... I still see the sun shining, and it's about to start raining so I figured there'd be a rainbow coming up soon..." Clark started.
"And you thought we'd just walk to the end of the rainbow? Come on, Clark, you know as well as I do that these tales are rubbish. There are no pots of gold at the ends of rainbows. And leprechauns? Don't make me laugh!"
"Lois, we're in *Ireland*."
"So?"
"Some people here do believe the stories."
"I don't, and that's the entire point of it."
"All right, how about shamrocks then?"
"And where did you expect to find those? This looks like a lot of grass to me..."
"We search?"
"Cla-ark!!"
"What?"
"I'm cold and you want us to search for a stupid flower?"
"Did you have any other suggestions then?"
"Go back to the hotel, skip the party and have some fun together sounds like a perfect deal to me."
"Lois, I can't do that!"
"Why not?"
"I promised Sara I'd go to her birthday party. I haven't seen her in a while, so at least *I* want to go there tonight."
"Fine, then you go."
"Without you?"
"Sure."
"I brought you here, so I won't leave you on your own. What would you do alone?"
"There is that bar in the hotel..."
"If you want to get drunk, than at least go to the party where you will have some fun as well."
"And that gift then?"
"Oh, yes, well... ehm... let's just have a look in that little shop back in town, I'm sure they sell *something* useful."
"Okay. But had you seriously wanted to go look for a leprechaun or shamrock, Clark?" she asked, still not believing the suggestion.
"Of course not! I thought we could just have a nice afternoon in the Irish country," he hastened to assure her.
"Oooh! I'm not ruining your plans now, am I?"
"Not at all, Lois, not at all! Come on, let's get back and warm up again."
"Fine with me!" she readily agreed.
"And Lois?" Clark asked tentatively.
"Yes?"
"Just what did you mean with we can have fun together in the hotel?"
"What?" What was he talking about now? She'd really lost him now.
"That's what you just said earlier," he clarified.
"I did?"
"Yup," he said as he eagerly nodded.
"Well, ehm... we still have to try that Jacuzzi..." she tried to cover up her embarrassment with that statement. In a way it was true, but that was not what she'd actually had in mind.
"True." He gave her a smile and suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her along. "Come on, all the more reason to hurry now. If we're fast, we can try it before we have to go that party."
*****
A few hours later, Lois sat in front of the mirror getting ready for the party. She was carefully applying a light layer of make up, Clark noticed as he walked out of the bathroom. With or without make up, she always looked gorgeous to him, but at the moment, she looked absolutely stunning, even though she wore nothing out of the ordinary. A pair of jeans, a simple black shirt and black boots with just a small heel. Just perfect for the occasion.
Next to Sara, she'd be the star of the party.
His little star, he hoped.
After last night, and the events of the day, Clark was almost certain that Lois's feelings for him had to be stronger than just friendship. As he knew she was the one for him, and that nothing would ever change that, he just had to find out what she felt. And tonight's party was the perfect opportunity.
They'd be in a room with mostly strangers, so they'd spent most of the evening together. He would lightly bring the topic up and see where it took them. If he just kept it casual, he figured that if he got yet another rejection, it wouldn't be so painful and clear and hopefully it wouldn't affect their friendship. Now, if she didn't reject him, it would be all the better and he thought all the signs... if he had interpreted them correctly... pointed into that direction.
There were plenty of hopeful signs.
Like how she had rolled over to him last night. Or the way she smiled at him all weekend. And the secret glances. He wasn't supposed to have seen or noticed them, but with his super senses, he had, and it had made his heart beat slightly faster.
They'd been walking close to each other all day, since it was cold. But Lois *had* sought the comfort of his body and his arm around her shoulder plenty of times. And they'd been talking and laughing all day long. Not once was there a sign of an argument; they just enjoyed each other's company.
But the biggest clue had been the events in the Jacuzzi. Clark smiled at the memory.
After they had returned from the field to the village, they'd bought some gifts in the local store. They'd also obtained some swimming gear so they could use the Jacuzzi. After a quick bite to eat in the hotel, they had taken two steaming mugs of tea up with them to drink in the bath.
It hadn't taken long for the water to get hot and bubbly, so they'd hopped right in. The first half hour they had just sipped their tea, enjoyed the bath and had hardly talked at all.
Clark had no idea what had suddenly changed. Maybe it was something with the tea... or just the environment... But all of a sudden, Lois had started to talk about romance and how wonderful that bath was. He'd played along with her, not knowing just what she was up to. A long talk had followed about the perfect date and the atmosphere of the room they were in. Slowly, they had moved closer to one another, until they were sitting side by side.
Her skin had felt smooth and soft under his touch. It had been on accident, so he'd removed his hand from her leg quickly again, but she hadn't even seem to have minded. Their eyes had locked, and what Clark had seen in her eyes was hard to describe. It had looked like desire, and maybe a touch of love... If only that could be true.
He knew he must have looked like an idiot who was totally in love with her. Lois hadn't said a word about it, though, and they'd just been staring at each other. Slowly, their heads had come closer and their lips had been about to touch...
Clark wasn't sure anymore who had been the first to react, but almost simultaneously they'd jumped up and moved away from the other. The awkward moment had only lasted until he'd suggested Lois was the first to take a shower and get dressed for the party.
The mention of the party had made them both feel more relaxed again, and they hadn't talked about what had nearly happened.
Clark had felt the spark between them, and he only hoped she'd felt it too... or better yet, that she might finally love him after all.
He just couldn't imagine his life without her in it. The perfect picture would be to have her as his wife, in their house, with the kids running around in the garden. If only it would happen...
"I'm ready to go," Lois said as she turned around to face him.
He smiled at her. "So am I. Let's go, I'm starving!"
"I could use some food as well before we start drinking," Lois admitted.
Clark helped her into her coat, and they headed towards the hotel's restaurant.
*****
After dinner, they stepped inside the pub where the party was held. The smell of smoke was immediately noticeable, and Lois saw a lot of people crowded together in the main room, all drinking beer. Clark led the way inside, presumably towards that Sara-person. She caught a few bits of conversation on the way, and to her surprise, none of it was in English!
A slight feeling of panic overtook her. She was in a pub, in a strange country, where she knew nobody and she didn't even understand the language. What had she been thinking? Why had she let Clark talk her into coming after all? She'd have been happy to spend a few more hours in that Jacuzzi...
The bath had been wonderfully relaxing and she'd enjoyed it very much. Even if she still didn't know what had come over her to ask Clark all those questions, which could have lead to a lot of embarrassment. But it hadn't. On the contrary, it had made things a lot clearer to her.
He hadn't said as much, but she was fairly certain his feelings for her ran deeper than mere friendship after all. She'd just lacked the courage to tell him right there and then.
And then there had been that kiss... okay, so it was a near-kiss, but they'd both *wanted* it. They'd stared mesmerized into each other's eyes and both their heads had moved and lips had been parted, eagerly awaiting what was about to happen.
But then her conscience had interrupted, saying that she should only kiss him if she was one hundred percent certain of his feelings. She didn't know what had happened to Clark, but they'd both moved away at the same time and at the same speed.
It had been Clark who'd rescued the awkward moment by suggesting she'd take a shower and mentioning the party. It had kept them both distracted and busy getting ready.
But how she wished they *had* kissed after all. Her entire body longed for him, for his kisses, for his touch. They'd kissed before, but always for different reasons, none of which were romantic. So she knew he was an excellent kisser. She wanted him to kiss her now, to make her feel special... wanted. Loved.
Maybe they could talk about that later.
Suddenly, they stopped walking, and Lois saw Clark was talking to a tall woman with curly bright red hair. She was smiling from ear to ear and she seemed really happy. The conversation went on in Irish, so Lois didn't understand a single word of it, but it sounded very odd, nothing like English at all.
*****
It took some time, but finally they'd made it to the back of the pub where Clark knew Sara would receive all her guests. From afar, he'd caught a few glimpses of her. Her hair was still as red as he remembered it, and now that they were close, he could see she looked as great as always. She hadn't changed one bit.
As they approached her, she recognised him as well and she walked towards them.
"Dia dhuit, Clark! Táim go sona sásta go bhfuil tú anseo in eineacht liom." "Dia's Mhuire duit, is Padraig, Sorcha," he greeted her back and gave her a hug.
"Breithlá sona duit!! Táim go sona sásta go bhfuil mé anseo in eineacht leatsa, freisin." "Conas atá tú?" "Bhuel, táim ar mhuin na muice! Agus ortsa?""An-mhaith," she replied before changing the subject.
"Cé hí in aice leat.""Sorcha, is í Lois, ach níor aithiníonn sí aon focail Gaeilge." He then turned to Lois. "Sorry, I know you can't follow it, but I'd like you to meet my friend Sara."
"Hey Sara, happy birthday."
"Thank you, Lois. It's nice to finally meet you."
"Oh, has he been talking about me?"
"Don't worry, I've only heard good stuff," Sara told her with a wink.
"Come on, Lois, give her our gift," Clark interrupted. Ladies and gossip... when did they learn not to do that in front of their object?
"Oh, right. We got this for you."
Sara took the gift and quickly unwrapped it. "Oh, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed delighted. "How did you know I wanted that? Thank you both so much!" And before they knew it, she gave them both a hug.
"It's busy, and there are still more guests coming, so I'll see you two later." She then turned her attention to Clark.
"Suigí sios. Céannaím na deochanna go leir, agus bhaineann sibh taitneamh as an lá! Beidh mé ag caint leatsa tár éis tamaill.""Come on, I see a free table over there," Clark said as he pointed to the place.
After some wrestling past other guests, they took a seat and ordered two pints of Guinness.
"So what do you think of Sara?" Clark asked anxiously.
"She seems nice, really open and friendly. I think I'd like her once I get to know her better," Lois told him.
"Yeah, I think you two would be great friends."
"I'm glad she also liked the gift."
"I told you she would. She loves shamrocks! No matter what way you give them. But she prefers the stone ones, since she likes to throw them at people. She gets pleasure out of hitting them and causing a bump on their heads..."
"She what?" Lois squeaked.
"I don't know why, but it's true. I'm sure you're safe, she's too busy tonight to think about such a thing."
"Is that another Irish tradition or something?"
"No, just something she loves to do. Compare it to you and... eating Double Fudge Crunch bars," he just couldn't help but tease her.
"Hey now!" She gave him a thwap on the arm. Hard.
"Ouch!" he faked. He couldn't let her know he hadn't even felt that!
"You deserved that, Kent! You don't make fun of my chocolate bars," she said and burst out laughing then. "Don't look so silly, Clark, you know how much I love those bars!"
Clark couldn't help but laugh as well. It was the entire atmosphere. Everyone around them laughed occasionally, and everyone was happy and cheerful.
Sara chose that moment to hit the stage, announcing that the dance floor was now open and the band would start to play. But first, she would sing a song to all her friends and guests. Clark quickly translated for Lois what she had said.
"She can actually sing?" Lois asked incredulous.
"Yeah, and very good at that too."
They listened for a while. Clark softly whispered the words along as he recognised the song.
"This is a nice song," Lois said. "What's it called?
"It's 'She Moved Thro' the Fair', Sara's favourite song. It's an old Irish song she loves to sing, and she has even won a few prizes with it," Clark responded.
"Wow! She must be really good then."
"Yeah, she is."
At that point, the song ended and the audience gave her a well-deserved round of applause.
"Thank you, thank you!" Sara literally beamed. "Now let's dance!" And the band started to play a fast tune.
"Do you mind if I go talk to Sara for a bit?" Clark suddenly asked.
"No, go ahead! I'll enjoy myself with the beer."
"Don't drink too much without me," he joked. "I'll be back soon!"
*****
Lois looked around the room. How different this pub was from what she had seen in Dublin years ago. This had to be how they lived on the countryside, and she had to admit she liked it. Everyone was so open and friendly. If this had been Metropolis, she'd have wondered what everyone was up to and what they were trying to hide from her, but here, she genuinely believed everyone meant it.
The people here could really drink as well, she concluded. She'd seen that some guys had had about three beers in fifteen minutes. They probably would have quite a hangover the next morning...
She took another sip from her beer. To her surprise, she liked the Irish beer. It was strong, but it tasted really good. Why hadn't Clark taken her here earlier? This was fantastic!
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw an older man approaching her. He looked a bit odd, and he surely already had too much to drink. Just her luck again!
"Dia dhuit, á mhíl. Cá raibh tú ag déanamh ar do t-aonar?" he brawled.
"I'm sorry, but I don't speak Irish, and..." she started to explain but he cut her off roughly.
"Ceanníonn mé deochanna fút. Cá raibh tú ag ól?" And with that, he disappeared again.
So they had weirdoes here as well. He'd been easy to get rid of, Lois thought to herself. Right then, she saw him returning with two pints of beer.
"Anseo, mó stór. Cad is ainm duit?""Excuse me, but I don't want your beer and I'm just waiting for Clark to return." Somehow, she had to get rid of him. He unnerved her. Where was Clark when she needed him?
"Is bhéan álainn tú! Tá mórmheas agam ort!"Lois wanted to yell for him to leave her alone. She didn't understand a single thing he was saying and they way he talked to her was creepy. She expected him to sit down next to her any minute now. If he did, she would leap up and run off. This was *not* her idea of fun!
"Stop ag caint uirthi!" a strong familiar voice suddenly warned.
"Clark!" she shrieked.
"Agus cé hé tú?" The man said dangerously. But it didn't matter, Clark was there for her and he'd rescue her.
"Tá sí in eineacht liom!" Clark replied. Couldn't he talk in English so she'd know what was going on?
"Ó, tá Daidí anseo!" Now the man sounded like he was making fun of someone, probably her.
"Is í mo leannání!" Clark said, making it sound like he was protecting her
"Tá eagla orm anois! Cruthaigh é!" The guy took a challenging posture. Just what was going on? Lois didn't understand a single thing about it. Couldn't the guy just leave?
"Céard?" There was some shock in Clark's voice.
"Cruthaigh é!""Fine, I'll show you," Clark finally said in English.
Show her what, though?
He moved to stand beside her. What was he doing? He lifted her chin with one and then he bent over her.
He was going to kiss her!
Oh, god! Clark was really going to kiss her!
But why... just a minute ago he was chasing that fellow away...
Just what was she doing? Clark was going to *kiss* her! Why did it matter what the reason was? She wanted him to kiss her and now he was going to...
She lifted her head a bit more and opened her lips in invitation. And then his lips were on hers and she lost all sense of thoughts. Her heart started to beat faster and faster, and she felt herself glow all over. She reached up with her hands and tugged his head closer to hers. His arms came around her back, and he pulled her up and hugged her close to him.
A soft moan escaped her as they deepened the kiss. She felt his hands gliding up and stroking her hair in gentle movements. She closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the kiss. All she wanted was for the moment to never end.
Suddenly, Clark let go of her lips, but he held her close to him. She smiled at him as she breathed heavily. That was too good to stop, so she pulled Clark down to her and kissed him again. He responded eagerly.
"Cáin. Bhuaigh tú, amadán," she heard the guy mumble, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw him walking away.
After a while, they broke of the kiss, but they never lost contact. "Just what was all that about?" Lois asked, still panting a bit from the breath-taking kiss.
*****
My, what a kiss that had been. He'd totally lost himself and had got out of control. But Lois hadn't seemed to mind. In fact, she'd eagerly responded and it had been her who had initiated the second kiss...
She felt so wonderful under his touch... She made him feel very special. As if he was on fire. There were the sparks... had she noticed it too?
He gazed down at her, trying to think of something to say, to answer her question.
"Well, you know... it's just... a kiss?" he stuttered.
She stared at him, searching his face. "Just a kiss?"
"Well ehm..." What was he supposed to say? Should he admit?
"Clark Kent! That was no ordinary kiss!"
"I know, that was pretty terrific." He let out a sigh. "I guess we should talk..."
"Yeah," she kept staring at him with that look of total adoration. He actually had to pull her down with him so they could sit. She obviously had no intention of letting him go yet, as she settled herself on his lap. Her head rested on his shoulder and he put two arms around her.
If she was willing, than who was he to argue with her? The last thing he'd ever expected was for something like this to happen, but it had... and it felt good to hold her and kiss her...
"So why did you kiss me?" Lois whispered.
He smiled down on her. "I told that guy you were my girlfriend so he'd leave you alone. But he didn't believe me and wanted me to prove it... so I kissed you."
"Hmmm," she purred. "I like it when you protect me like that."
"I like doing it, Lois."
A silence followed, and he could feel her hand circling over his chest.
"How about kissing me again, then?" she finally said.
"But shouldn't we..." Clark objected, thinking they should talk first. He quickly thought the better of it, and he captured her lips in another sweet kiss.
One kiss was followed by several others, as they couldn't get enough of each other and moans and whispered sweet nothings were exchanged.
Clark stared down at the woman he loved. She was absolutely amazing... and he guessed it was about time he took the risk of telling her...
Taking a deep breath, he looked her in the eyes and then whispered, "Lois, I love you."
She smiled at him before replying. "I love you too, Clark."
Had she...
Did she...
She loved him too!
Clark didn't waste any time and pulled her close for yet another kiss. He had no idea how long they sat like that, just kissing, but after a while, he started to notice the people around them again, and also the music. A soft tune was playing. It was an English song he really liked.
"Lois, do you want to dance?"
"Oh, yes, I love this song!" she responded.
*****
As they danced, Lois couldn't believe what had just happened.
Clark had kissed her.
They'd kissed.
Plenty of times.
And he'd said he loved her!
And she'd said it as well!
She had no idea what was going to happen now, or where they'd go from here, but at the moment, she didn't quite care. She was where she wanted to be. In Clark's arms. With him. Dancing. They could always talk about this later... or tomorrow. Why ruin a perfect moment?
Not that she expected a disaster. Far from it. Knowing Clark, this would lead to just what she wanted. A boyfriend. Clark as her boyfriend...
While dancing, she lifted her head to him and kissed him again. She just couldn't get enough of kissing him and the feeling it created inside her. Like she was floating on air. She’d never felt more free.
Hold on!
What the...
Were they?
Yes, they were. Lois looked down and saw her feet no longer touched the ground. Nor did Clark's...
How was that possible? She knew being in love felt like walking on air, but she didn't know it was actually possible... and there was no way that she could fly or even float!
So... that left Clark. He was leading... he was flying. Or hovering or whatever... but how?
Suddenly she remembered his face as she'd studied it in the morning. She knew it had looked familiar... and now she knew why.
Superman.
Clark was Superman.
Her possible boyfriend was the Man of Steel.
Well, that at least solved one problem... she wasn't in love with two men at the same time, she'd simply loved both guises of one person.
It also meant he'd lied to her for as long as they knew each other... he'd deceived her...
But on the other hand, she loved him, and he loved her.
She should be mad, really mad, but somehow... here in Clark's arms... she didn't want to be mad. She could always get mad later. In Metropolis once they were back.
"Clark?"
"Yes, Lois?"
"Do you mind keeping us on the ground?"
"What?"
"We're floating," she simply stated.
"Oh, God." His eyes stared at her in shock, searching for her reaction. "I guess you know?" he then asked.
"Yup."
"And..."
"And it's fine."
"It is?"
"Sure."
"You're not mad?"
"Not today. But we need to talk when we get home! And I promise you I'll get mad then."
A sheepish grin appeared on his face. "I can live with that."
"Good. Now kiss me again."
Clark didn't need a second invitation like that and he lowered his head again to capture her lips in a kiss that quickly deepened.
The End
After word: The town Tipperary actually exists (although it's officially called Tipperary Town, Tipperary is the county), and so do the Rock of Cashel and The Green Fool. And the shamrock is the national emblem of Ireland. Everything else has been made up for the sake of the story. I've never been there, but I know I'll see it with my own eyes one day and I'll probably be pleasantly surprised with how great it will be. All the stories about leprechauns are just that... stories. No one believes them, not even the Irish. As for the custom at birthday parties, it's actually the other way around. I've just really played with the rules here just so it would fit my idea. <g> I haven't meant to offend anyone, so my apologies if you do feel that way. This story is just for fun, and possibly to irritate Sara a bit (you know what I mean anyway, sis
).
Happy New Year, FoLCs!
Translation of the Irish, in order of appearance:
* How can I help you? [part 1]
* Hello Clark, I'm so happy that you're here with me!
* Hello, Sara! Happy Birthday! I'm very happy to be here with you!
* How are you?
* Great, thanks, and you?
* Excellent! Who's that beside you?
* Sara, this is Lois, but she doesn't understand a word of Irish
* Sit down. I'm buying all the drinks, and enjoy the day! I'll be talking
to you later.
* Hello, honey. What are you doing on your own?
* I'll buy you a drink. What are you drinking?
* Here you go, darling. What's your name?
* You're a beautiful woman. I fancy you.
* Stop talking to her!
* And who are you?
* She's with me!
* Oh, Daddy's here!
* She's my lover/girlfriend
* I'm scared now! Prove it!
* What?
* Prove it!
* All right, you win, idiot.
