LAST TIME...
“Come to bed, Clark,” she murmured, her eyes already closed. Clark changed fast and slipped under the covers beside her. She reached out instinctively and held his hand loosely in hers--such a sweet and endearing gesture that it very nearly brought tears to his eyes.
“Goodnight, Lois. I love you,” he whispered.
She smiled softly, mumbling against his chest just before she drifted off, “Love you, too.”
* * * * * NOW READ ON...
Lois and Clark wrote up the story from home the next day, and by noon when they arrived at the Planet, word had already gotten out. At first sight of them, folks in the newsroom started to clap. By the time they had made it down the ramp and to their desks, they were receiving an all-out standing ovation from their co-workers.
Lois handed a print-out of the article to Perry, an I-told-you-so smile on her face. “Lois,” Perry began, his expression stern, “that was stupid and crazy of you to go down there. You could have been in a serious situation.” He gathered her into a tight bear hug. “But I’m proud as hell of you, honey. Good work.”
“Thanks, Chief,” Lois said, beaming brightly. Slyly, she added, “Do you think we could talk for a moment? In your office...?”
* * * * *
A week later, things had just about returned to normal. Lois continued attending her counseling sessions, especially enjoying her group meetings with Tina, Esperanza, and Robyn. The women were ecstatic and called an emergency meeting to talk and celebrate Lois’ victory over the Hyde and SEEC rapist.
Lois denied it was ‘her’ victory. “It was all of ours,” she attested. “I couldn’t have done it myself.”
During their next meeting, the four women visited Amanda Byers’ grave, each bearing a single flower. Tina knelt on the cold ground, the first to lay her white rose down. “I’m sorry you didn’t live to see justice served,” Tina said softly to the cold headstone. The others nodded in agreement, laying their roses down and huddling together arm-in-arm in the cold, a small symbol of solidarity in what seemed like chaos otherwise.
* * * * *
And now, at the end of the day, Lois Lane wrapped up another story. She had been back to work on a regular basis, and was happy to have her routine back. Straightening up, she pushed her chair a few inches from her desk and stretched. When she looked out the window, she saw tiny white snowflakes just beginning to fall.
“What are your plans for Christmas?” Clark inquired, coming up from behind her. He had his coat on, and was ready to walk out with her.
“Plans? I haven’t got any plans...” Lois answered honestly. “You’re going to see your folks, right?” She hit ‘send,’ mailing her story to Perry for a final once-over.
Clark nodded. “Yep. And I have news for you. So are you.”
“What?” Lois looked a little surprised. “Christmas is a family holiday. I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
“Lois, if you think I’m going to leave you alone on another holiday, you’ve got another thing coming...” He lifted her jacket off the coat rack, holding it open as she slipped her arms into the sleeves.
Lois smiled. “I’ll think about it, okay?”
“Is that a yes?” he asked hopefully, leading her towards the exit.
She laughed. “Okay, okay. Yes.”
As they approached the revolving doors, Lois smiled and nodded to the Daily Planet’s newest security guard, a distinguished looking gentleman. He had dark skin and bright eyes, and stood tall and proud in his new uniform and shiny black shoes.
“Goodnight, Ian,” Lois said, waving.
Ian Johnson smiled ear-to-ear. “Goodnight, Miss Lois. Thanks again for telling Mr. White about me...”
Lois smiled warmly. “Don’t mention it, Ian.”
* * * * *
On Christmas Eve, Clark flew Lois to Smallville. Martha and Jonathan Kent were thrilled to see Lois again, and they were both secretly impressed with her incredible spirit after hearing about what had happened, and how she had initially reacted. She was herself again, which was more than anyone could want from her.
The Kents had a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, and Martha served up a delicious dinner of roast ham. Lois was amazed that she didn’t feel out of place at all; on the contrary, she felt more welcome than she ever had. She felt an immediate sense of belonging--a sense she didn’t even feel with her own family.
That night, Lois slept in Clark’s room while Clark took the couch. When it was a little after midnight, he awakened and crept into the room where she was sleeping. Cool, blue moonlight pooled through the window and highlighted Lois’ peaceful face. She hadn’t had a single nightmare since the Hyde and SEEC rapist had been caught, and had spent several nights alone in her apartment with no trouble. Still, Lois and Clark found any excuse to spend the night together at one apartment or the other. They had grown accustomed to sleeping in one another’s arms.
So, in the wee hours of Christmas morning, as much as Clark hated to disturb Lois’ sleep, he woke her up. He had a surprise waiting for her. “Lois? Honey, wake up,” he said softly, rubbing her shoulder.
She stirred, then looked up at him, squinting, her brow furrowed in confusion. “Clark? What’s going on?” she whispered groggily, sitting up and wiping the sleep from her eyes.
“Come with me.” Clark smiled and took her hand, starting towards the door.
“Wait, where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
* * * * *
“The *hayloft?!*”
Clark nodded and smiled. He held the ladder steady as Lois climbed to the top in just her red flannel pajamas and slippers. He joined her on the loft and grinned. “I used to hide up here all the time when I was a kid,” he mused.
“I thought the hayloft was like the country version of the back lot of the Dairy Freeze...” Lois said, shooting him a suggestive look.
Clark blushed. “Well, it is...”
A smile spread slowly across her face. She tossed a handful of hay in his general direction and laughed. “You have ulterior motives, Kent?”
“I do... Merry Christmas,” Clark announced, uncovering a small, square, wrapped gift from beneath the hay. “Open it,” he urged.
Lois turned the box over in her hand. Oh God. It felt like a ring! What would she say? She was glad it was dark in the loft, because Clark might notice the panicked look on her face. Marriage--the thought hadn’t even crossed her mind! At the same time, would it really be so bad? He was *the one,* wasn’t he? He was the one and only man she’d ever love. She knew it now. Why did the prospect of marriage scare her so much? Everything was happening so fast... Maybe she could convince him to wait...
Her heart was racing; Clark could hear it. “Open it,” he urged gently, as if to ease her suspicions.
Lois’ shaky fingers managed to peel the paper off of the small velvet box. “Clark--” Hesitantly, she opened it. It was--
--a necklace! Oh, thank God!
It was so beautiful. A heart shaped pendant set in platinum hung purposefully crooked on a delicate chain. “Oh, Clark,” was all she could manage to say. Her smile said the rest.
“You like it?” Clark gently took the necklace from the box and fastened it around Lois’ neck. “There. It looks even better *now,*” he observed with a smile.
“Thank you. I love it!” She leaned forward and kissed his lips ever so softly. “So,” she added, “where do we go from here?”
“Well, there’s something I wanted to ask you,” Clark said shyly.
“Oh yeah?” Lois began getting worried again when Clark got down on bended knee.
“Lois Lane,” he said, his voice passionate and his eyes staring deep into her soul, “will you go out with me?”
“What?” She almost laughed.
He held both of her hands, kissed them. “Be my girlfriend.”
Lois smirked. “Aren’t I already?”
“It dawned on me that I never asked you.”
Lois looked thoughtful for a moment. “Well...” she chided, smiling, “since you asked so nicely...”
“It would be my honor to be your boyfriend,” Clark added, grinning gallantly. “We can take it as slow as you want to.”
“I think I’d like that...” Lois replied. Clark gathered her in his arms, holding her close and reclining with her on the soft hay. She smiled as she lay comfortably on top of him, face to face. “In fact, I’d definitely like that. Very much.”
Clark touched the heart pendant gently. “Good. Because this isn’t just any necklace. This is my promise to you that I will love and respect and cherish you for the rest of my life.”
Lois looked at Clark, her brown eyes wide with surprise. “The rest of your life?”
He nodded. “If you’ll have me. Will you?”
“You have to ask...?” With that, she threaded her fingers through his tousled hair and captured his lips in a kiss that made his glasses fog up, made his heart pound furiously in his chest, made him moan for more. It was a kiss that left no doubt in his mind as to where she stood on the subject. It was a kiss that spoke of love, of fresh, new beginnings--of a life that was theirs *together,* from now on.
The End.
