From part 26:
Clark glanced up at Lois and his parents. "I wasn't abandoned by my parents. I was saved. They knew Krypton was in trouble and they did everything they could to get me away safely."
Martha had tears in her eyes as she spoke. "But why couldn't they save themselves?"
"I don't know." Clark's voice shook with emotion. "Maybe this globe does. Maybe it will tell me someday."
Martha put her hand on Clark's arm sympathetically just as Jonathan reached across the table to do the same. When Clark turned to look at Lois, he saw tears streaming down her cheeks. The images of his parents'--and his world's--demise had affected her just as deeply as it had him.
She gave him a watery smile and leaned over to rest her cheek against his shoulder, comforting them both with their closeness. "Maybe it will," she agreed in a teary whisper. "Maybe it will."
~*~*~*~*~
Now, on to part 27...
~*~*~*~*~
The first signs of dawn were appearing on the horizon when Lois and Clark walked out of the farmhouse, shutting the door firmly behind them. His parents had finally gone back to bed for what little time they had left, and the house was quiet.
Clark took her hand as they crossed the graveled drive quietly and slipped into the barn, where Clark hid the wrapped globe back in the root cellar with his capsule. He returned to her side a minute later.
"Will it be safe there?" Lois asked, crossing her arms in an effort to ward off the early morning chill.
Clark nodded. "I think so. I can't think of anywhere safer to hide it." He glanced through the open barn door and noticed the beginnings of dawn hovering along the horizon. Turning back to her, he asked, "Should we go?"
She nodded, and soon she was in his arms, flying above the landscape as they headed west. It was a solemn, quiet ride, each of them lost in their own thoughts as the night's events were replayed in their minds.
When they finally touched down on Lois's darkened balcony, Lois was relieved. She was tired, chilled, and her head was starting to ache from the amount of information she was trying to process. Clark followed her into her apartment, grateful that, because of the time zone change, it was still the middle of the night here, and they were able to arrive unnoticed.
He noticed Lois shiver as he shut the sliding glass door behind them, and a look of concern crossed his face. "Are you cold?"
When she nodded, he walked over and wrapped his arms around her. She snuggled up against him and pressed her face into the base of his throat. With a sigh, he rested his chin on the top of her head. "Thank you for being here with me tonight. It meant more to me than you could ever know."
She hugged him tightly. "Thank you for wanting me to be here." After a minute, she pulled back just enough to look up at him. "So, how are you doing? This has been a pretty emotional night."
Clark smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm okay."
Lois cocked an eyebrow at him, and with that knowing gesture, his brave facade wavered. "Alright, I'm pretty shaken," he finally admitted, the muscle tensing in his jaw. He stepped back out of her arms and pushed a hand raggedly through his hair. "I've wanted to know who I was and where I came from all my life, but now that I know... After all the images we've seen tonight..."
His voice broke, and Lois could tell he was struggling to hold back his tears. She reached out to place her hands on his crossed arms. "And now you know your parents' fate, and it's too painful to comprehend."
He nodded, a single tear escaping and trailing down his cheek. He reached up to wipe it away hastily. "My parents saved me, Lois. When their world was crumbling down around them, all they could think about was saving me. They lost their lives..."
A sob caught in his throat. Lois took a step toward him and reached for him once again. A moment later he was clinging to her desperately, his breathing ragged in an attempt to fight off his tears.
"Yes, they did," she murmured. "They obviously loved you very much."
"But why, Lois?" he whispered thickly as the tears he'd tried so desperately to hold back started to stream down his cheeks. "Why couldn't they save themselves?"
"Maybe that wasn't as important to them as saving you." Lois tightened her arms around him. After a minute, she pulled back and looked up at his tear-streaked face. "Every time you go out as Superman, you save people's lives. Do you ever stop to think about what's at stake for you? Every time you go out there as Superman, you're risking your anonymity and exposing yourself to the criminal element. Does that ever cross your mind as your rushing off to help somebody?"
Clark's breath caught as he understood the point she was making. "No," he whispered. "All I think about is saving that person."
"And that's exactly what your parents did, but they had the added emotion of saving their child. Think how much stronger that desire to protect their own flesh and blood must have been than the desire you have to protect a perfect stranger. I've never been a mom before, but I can see how protective your mom here is of you. Wouldn't you think Jonathan and Martha Kent would do anything--*anything*--to protect their only son...a son who they found in a space capsule in their neighbor's field?"
Clark reached up to wipe the tears from his cheeks and nodded. "They would."
"Just like your birth parents did. Your safety was obviously the most important thing in their life. And they succeeded. Because of their selfless act of love, you're here, Clark. You're here on Earth making an amazing contribution to the people of this world. I know they would be so proud of what you've become."
Another sob escaped Clark's throat, and he stepped back into her arms, holding her so tightly it took her breath away. "Thank you," he murmured thickly. "Thank you."
Lois felt tears on her own cheeks when he finally released her and she drew in a lungful of air. She smiled at Clark's sheepish look. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. And so will you," she emphasized, reaching out to put a hand on his arm. Her expression became sympathetic once again. "The best thing you can do right now, Clark, is to let yourself grieve. You've wondered about your parents all your life, and now you know a little about them and their fate. It's only natural to want to grieve. Let yourself go through that process. It will give you closure."
Clark's teary gaze met Lois's solemn one. "Is that what you did? Did you let yourself grieve for your parents?"
Lois stiffened. "I--I'd rather not make this about what happened with me, Clark, okay? The point I was trying to make is, you need to let yourself grieve. Can you do that? So you can have that closure and move on with your life, knowing that your life is the one they wanted to save?"
After a long minute, Clark finally nodded. "I think I can."
Lois smiled gently. "Good." After a pause, Lois looked around the room and spotted the clock. She sighed. "There's still a chance we can catch a few hours of sleep before work tomorrow. I guess I should turn in, and you should, too."
"I guess we should," Clark said, sounding as reluctant as she felt.
Neither of them moved, and an awkwardness settled in around them. Finally, Lois took a step toward Clark, closing the distance between them. Standing on tiptoe, she touched her lips lightly to his. He hesitated at first, but then slid his arms around her waist and kissed her back deeply, his lips moving over hers in a desperation she'd never felt from him before. She sensed a longing in him that had never been there before, and it puzzled her.
When they finally pulled apart, he averted his gaze. "Well, um...I guess I should be going."
"Yeah, I guess you should," she replied, a myriad of emotions surging through her. She reached out to put a hand lightly on his arm, concern for him evident on her face. "Goodnight, Clark. Get a good night's sleep, okay? It looks like you really need it, and I promise...everything will feel better in the morning."
He nodded, but his eyes never left the ground. "You get some sleep, too. I'll call you tomorrow."
"That sounds great."
There was another awkward moment when neither of them moved. At last Clark turned and walked to the sliding glass door. When he reached it, he lifted his hand to the handle, then paused.
With his back still to her, he spoke, his voice hesitant. "Lois?"
"Yeah?" she answered quietly, her expression puzzled.
After a long minute, he turned back to face her, his gaze finally flickering up to hers. She caught the pain and anguish clearly written there, and her heart lurched.
"Maybe this is too forward of me to ask, but do you think...?" He faltered, then drew a deep breath to steady himself and tried again. "I mean, after the night we've just had, and all the emotions I'm struggling with, I hate the idea of going back to my apartment and being alone. Would it be okay if...?"
"You slept here tonight?" Lois smiled and nodded. She walked over and took Clark's hand, giving it a sympathetic squeeze. "I would love it if you would."
A look of relief washed over Clark's face. But then uncertainty took its place and he started to stammer. "Lois, if you don't think that's a good idea, I'd understand. I wouldn't want to do anything to make you feel uncomfortable, or put you in a position that's awkward--"
"Clark." She silenced him with a gentle kiss. "Stay. I want you to."
He studied her for a long moment. Then his tense muscles finally relaxed. Clark closed his eyes with relief and drew her to him, pressing a kiss into her hair. "Thank you," he murmured.
Lois tightened her arms around him and felt him relax against her, his exhaustion evident in his response. They stood there for a long minute before Lois finally stepped back. "Come on," she told him gently, taking his hand and leading him across the kitchen. "Let's get some sleep."
He let her lead him across the kitchen, but when they turned toward the bedroom instead of the living room, Clark hesitated. "Lois, I'm not kicking you out of your bed. I can sleep on the couch."
"Clark, I'm not leaving you alone tonight." She glanced back at the darkened living room, then up at him. "Sleep with me. After everything you've just been through and discovered about your past, about your parents, about your arrival here, you need somebody to hold you. I'd love nothing more than to do that."
"But Lois..." He paused. "Sleeping together.... Are we...ready for that?"
Lois smiled and gave his hand a squeeze. "Clark, we'll be *sleeping* together. Nothing more. Besides, I don't think either one of us could even manage the physical activity you're implying. We're both dead on our feet. It's been a long, emotional night, and more than anything, we could both really use the comfort of being in each others' arms."
Their gazes met and held, and finally Clark nodded. "I'd like that."
"Good." Lois smiled gently. With that settled, she relaxed her grip on his hand and led him the rest of the way down the hall and into her bedroom.
As Clark stood, looking awkwardly around her room, Lois went to her dresser and pulled the large T-shirt and boxer shorts he'd worn once before out of her bottom drawer. She handed them to him.
"Feel free to shower if you'd like," she said, gesturing to the master bathroom behind her. "Maybe the hot water would help you relax."
He hesitated, but she could see him wavering. Finally, he looked back at her. "Are you sure you wouldn't mind?"
Lois smiled and rolled her eyes, moving back to the dresser to pull her own sleep clothes from her drawer. "Clark. If you want one, take one. I'll change out here while you do."
He nodded. "Okay, then maybe I will." He took a couple of steps toward the bathroom, then turned back. His eyes lingered on hers. Suddenly he changed directions and came back to her with large, determined strides. When he reached her, he pulled her into his arms and pressed a long, loving kiss to her lips.
Lois was breathless when they finally pulled apart. "Wow," she murmured, her eyelids flickering open to see his eyes smiling down into hers. "What was that for?"
"For loving me so much." He reached up to trail his fingertips along her cheek. "For loving me as much as I love you."
Her heart melted. "Oh, Clark." She stood on tiptoes to give him one more kiss. "I do love you, and I feel so lucky to have you in my life. You are an amazing man."
Their gazes held for a long moment. Then Lois smiled and gave him a shove. "Now go shower and change. And no super speed, or else you'll come back in here too soon and I won't be done changing."
"Got it." He grinned and nodded.
After he went into the bathroom and shut the door, Lois changed out of her clothes and into conservative sleepwear--a pair of printed flannel lounge pants and a form fitting white tank top. She found herself listening to the sound of the shower running as she cross the room to her closet. Just knowing there was a man in her shower-- not just any man; the man she loved--made her feel giddy inside. She smiled as she pulled down an extra pillow down from her closet shelf, then walked over to set it on the bed.
Just then she heard the shower turn off. She felt a flutter in her stomach at the prospect of Clark finishing, and she tried to distract herself by moving the various throw pillows on her bed and turning down the blankets. Only moments later, she heard the doorknob turn. The door opened a mere crack, and she heard Clark's voice.
"Lois? Are you decent?"
She grinned. Always the gentleman. "Yeah, Clark, come on in."
The door opened the rest of the way, and he appeared in the doorway. When he spotted her trying to turn down the blankets, he hurried over to the other side of the bed. "Here, let me help."
He followed her lead and tossed the remaining decorative pillows on the floor, then helped her with the blankets. When the task was done, he looked up at her. A slow smile played across his lips, and he looked her up and down.
"What?" Lois asked self consciously, glancing down at her sleepwear. She'd thought she was dressed conservatively enough, but maybe she was missing something.
"Nothing," Clark quickly amended, that same smile still tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You just look..."
She put her hands on her hips and shot him a look, daring him to criticize. "What?" she demanded.
"...Incredible," he finished huskily.
Lois relaxed. The appreciative look in his eyes sent any doubts to his words' truthfulness fleeing. This time when she glanced back down at her apparel, she blushed. "Thanks," she murmured, suddenly feel nervous.
Avoiding his gaze, she made an awkward gesture at the bed. "Um...how do you want to work this? Do you have a side preference?" Her sudden attack of nerves kept her mouth moving, and without realizing what she was doing, she started to babble. "I mean, I don't really prefer one side over the other, though I do usually sleep on this side, but only because I have my alarm clock on this nightstand. But if you prefer to sleep on this side, the other side's okay with me. I just wanted to make sure--"
"Lois." Before she even realized it, Clark was beside her, taking her hands in his. His voice halted her nervous babbling, and she looked up to meet his anxious gaze. When their eyes met, he continued gently. "If this makes you nervous, I'd be just fine out on the couch. When I asked to stay here, I didn't expect you to...you know...share your bed with me."
The tense muscles in her face relaxed and her gaze softened. "No, Clark, I want you to. I'm sorry. Just ignore me. You know how I am; I just babble incessantly until I embarrass myself. Like now." She cringed as she turned away, blushing, then climbed into bed, quickly pulling the covers up over herself.
Clark smiled. She may have been embarrassed at her babbling, but he secretly loved it. It was just one of the many little quirks about her he'd grown to love. Watching her settle her head onto her pillow, he moved over to the bedroom door and switched off the light. The bedroom was suddenly drenched in darkness, illuminated only by a stream of moonlight filtering in through the filmy curtains covering the windows.
He padded across the carpeted floor to the other side of the bed, then hesitated only a moment before pulling back the covers and slipping beneath them. He let his head fall onto the pillow, staring for a moment up at the ceiling. Then he turned to glance at Lois. Her gaze met his and he smiled. "Hi."
That seemed to break the ice, and Lois scooted over, resting her head on his shoulder and snuggling into him. Clark breathed a contented sigh as he tightened his arm around her, drawing her closer still.
"This is nice," she murmured into the darkness. She felt her lids droop heavily, her eyes feeling gritty behind them because of her aching tiredness.
"Mmm-hmmm," Clark replied, dropping his face to press a kiss onto her forehead.
It was quiet for several minutes as they let the events of the night wash over them and fill their minds. Lois had almost drifted off to sleep when she heard Clark speak, his voice soft, yet solemn. "Lois?"
She roused herself slightly from her sleepy state. "Yeah?"
"About what you said earlier. Do you think my parents really would be?"
"Would be what?"
Another pause. When his voice finally came once again through the darkness, it was thick with emotion. "Proud of me."
Lois's heart lurched at the haunting pain she heard there. She tilted her head up to look at him, and for the first time since they climbed into bed, she noticed there were tears on his cheeks.
She pulled him closer and felt a tremor run through his body. "Oh, Clark, of course they would be," she reassured him softly. "Just as your parents here have told you many times, you've given them a lot of reasons to be proud. You've taken this gift of yours and have done something truly amazing with it. You help people all over the world and give them hope. There isn't a more wonderful gift you could give to humanity."
Reaching up to wipe away his tears with the pad of her thumb, she nodded, her eyes shining with tears of her own. "Yes," she told him, her voice filled with emotion. "Your parents would be very proud if they were here to see you today."
A grateful sob escaped his throat, and his tears started to come in earnest. Lois rolled over to face him and wrapped her arms around him, drawing him close. He nestled his face in the hollow of her neck and cried, letting the grieving process begin. He cried for a long time--for the loss of his parents, for the loss of his world...but most of all, he cried with relief that he finally knew.
Lois rode the wave of tears, stroking his hair back from his face in a gesture of love and comfort until he finally fell asleep in her arms, both physically and emotionally exhausted. Only then did she shift her position, rolling onto her side away from him and spooning back against him. His arm automatically went around her waist, and she sighed contentedly, drawing her own comfort from his sleeping form pressed up against her.
And only then did she let sleep come.
**********
Lois stirred. Her eyes felt gritty beneath her eyelids, and she struggled to open them. Even as she tried, she noticed that something seemed different. She started to roll over...then realized what that something was.
She wasn't in bed alone.
All at once the night before came rushing back to her. Smallville. The globe. Clark staying over.
Her eyes opened a little easier and she noticed the room was still dark, though the beginnings of dawn were evident outside her window. She had time. The day was not yet upon her.
Reaching down for the arm that was draped across her waist, she spooned back against Clark's solid form and let her legs tangle with his. She let out a contented sigh. Waking up next to Clark was definitely something she could get used to.
Just then she felt Clark stir, and she rolled over slightly. She was surprised to see two beautiful eyes staring back into her own.
His arm tightened around her and he smiled. "Good morning."
"Morning." She smiled back at him, then turned over the rest of the way. Their lips hovered only inches apart, and Lois leaned in to his kiss. It was long and lingering, and made Lois tingle clear down to her toes. When it ended, she leaned back slightly to take in the slight pallor to his face, but decided he looked so much better than he had the night before. With concern, she reached up to stroke his face. "How are you feeling?"
He smiled a little and nodded. "Better." Then he grew serious, his eyes earnest. "Thank you for last night. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there." He looked down sheepishly at the blanket and fingered a loose thread there. "I'm a little embarrassed at having broken down like that..."
"Shhh," Lois interrupted, leaning in to press another light kiss to his lips. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You had a traumatic night. By letting yourself grieve, you're also giving yourself closure. It's a process, Clark. One that's not fun, but one that you have to go through."
His eyes flickered back up to hers, and she saw that her words had driven the embarrassment from them. Instead, it was replaced by a look of adoration.
"Come here," he murmured, tightening his arm around her waist and drawing her closer. His lips found hers once again, and their kiss quickly deepened into something more passionate.
Driven back by the pressure on her lips, Lois settled back against her pillow, wrapping her arms around his neck as he shifted positions to lean over her. Lois moaned softly into his mouth and tightened her arms around him, pulling him even closer.
Propped up on his one elbow, Clark reached a hand across her with his other arm, placing it on the bed near her shoulder to support his weight as their kiss became even more passionate. He groaned as one of her arms slipped from his neck and trailed along his side to his waist. Her hand lingered there for a moment before she grabbed a fistful of T-shirt, as well as part of the waistband of his boxer shorts, and pulled, urging him on top of her.
Responding without question, he moved over on top her, letting his fingers tangle in her hair. Her hand once again worked at his waist, this time fumbling with the hem of his shirt. She finally pushed the fabric away and slipped her hand onto the bare skin at the small of his back. He moaned again at her touch.
Lifting his head from hers, he looked down into her eyes. They were as clouded with passion as he was sure his own were. He studied her expression carefully, looking for any sign of hesitation, for any indication she didn't want this as badly as he did. When he saw none, he lowered his face to hers once again.
Following his instincts, his lips moved from her mouth to her neck, trailing fiery hot kisses along her skin. She made a guttural noise of pleasure, which only urged him on further. Beginning fresh explorations with his hand, he found the skin beneath her tank top and started tracing his knuckles along her side and stomach. He smiled as she flinched beneath his fingers, and he realized she was ticklish. A moment later his hand moved on, trailing lower and slipping beneath her waistband.
Her sharp intake of breath stopped his explorations. He lifted his head and looked at her, concerned. "Lois?" he asked breathlessly, noticing he wasn't the only one struggling to control his breathing. "Is this too much? Should we stop?"
She shook her head and smiled reassuringly at him, then reached up to cup his cheek in her hand. "No, Clark. I want this as much as you do."
They stared into each others' eyes for a long minute, then Lois reached for the hem of his shirt. He sat up slightly and allowed her to pull it off his back. Then he looked back into her passion-clouded gaze. "Are you sure, Lois?"
She nodded. "I'm sure."
When she reached for the hem of her own shirt, they both knew there was no going back.
~*~*~*~*~
The passion of their lovemaking finally spent, Lois and Clark were at last lulled into a deep sleep, circled in the comfort of each others' arms.
Neither of them stirred until hours later, when Lois awoke to the sounds of birds chirping outside her window, and sunlight streaming in through the curtains.
Sunlight!
Lois gasped and bolted upright. Panicked, she turned to look at the alarm clock on her nightstand, her movements rousing Clark from his sleep. She barely noticed as he propped himself up on one elbow in concern as she studied the numbers on the clock. The numbers told her it was after nine. She groaned.
"Jim is going to kill me! I am so late. And Perry is going to kill you! You're even later than I am! It's lunchtime in Metropolis!" She started to get up, but Clark's arm snaked around her waist, pulling her back up against him.
She gasped in surprise. "Clark, what are you doing? We're late!"
He chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder, then to her neck. "Mmm," he mumbled, ignoring the puzzled look on her face. "For the first time in my life, I don't care how late I am. I just spent the most amazing morning in bed with the most beautiful woman in the world. I'm going to be selfish for once and enjoy the moment."
Lois smiled and relaxed against him. She turned in his arms, then leaned into him to return his kiss. "Well, when you put it *that* way..."
Their kiss deepened, and soon Lois found herself lying on top of him. For what seemed like an eternity, she found herself staring down at this beautiful man, her love for him nearly bursting her heart as she thought about what they had just shared.
When he lifted his hand to her stroke her face lovingly, then move to tangle in the curtain of hair that hung down around her face, she sighed contentedly. "Oh, Clark," she breathed, dropping her head to his shoulder. "I could stay here like this for the rest of my life."
He slid his arms around her bare waist and hugged her tightly. "I could, too. This was even more wonderful than I ever dreamed it would be."
Touched at his admission, Lois lifted her head from his shoulder and grinned at him. "Really? It was?" When he nodded, she plodded on. "You've dreamed about making love with me?"
Clark nodded and smiled softly. "Many times. I hoped it would happen one day, but I didn't know for sure that it would. I mean, we've been through so much, and I could feel our bond growing stronger each day...but I didn't know how you felt about taking that next step."
She giggled and moved her hand so she could trail her fingers along the sensitive spot near his earlobe. "Well, I guess this morning answers that question." She grinned. "And just so you know, I've thought about it, too. On more than one occasion, actually."
"Really?" Clark echoed her exclamation of surprise of just moments before. His eyes told her he was clearly flattered. "You thought about making love to me, too?"
"Of course." She blushed. Then a mischievous glint came into her eye. "What woman doesn't dream about it after seeing you in that skin tight Suit?"
This time it was Clark's turn to blush. Lois just laughed and leaned down to press a reassuring kiss to his lips.
When their kiss ended, Clark reached up to tuck a strand of dark hair behind her ear. "Well, don't worry," he told her with sincere determination. "All those women you mentioned will just have to keep on dreaming. I've only ever been with one woman, and if I'm lucky enough to hold onto her, she'll be the only woman I'll keep sharing myself with for the rest of my life."
He smiled as he finished his declaration of love, but his smile faded when he saw the look of shock appear on Lois's face. His brow furrowed in concern. "What? What's wrong?"
She propped herself up on one arm and stared down at him, stunned. "I'm the only woman you've ever...made love with? Before this morning, you were a...?" Her voice trailed off, unable to finish the last word.
Clark closed his eyes and mumbled beneath his breath. How had that come out? It hadn't exactly been something he'd planned to blurt out like that. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes to find Lois still watching him intently. Finally, he nodded.
"Okay, no, I've never been with anyone before," he admitted sheepishly. "But you have to understand that I didn't want to. There was too much at stake. What happened if that person woke up beside me, only to find me floating in my sleep--which, yes, is something I've been known to do from time to time," he added. Much to his chagrin, she smiled at that, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she did. He groaned and shook his head. "You can tease me about that later, but my point is, I've waited because I wanted my first time to be with somebody special...somebody I could spend the rest of my life with."
A warm feeling started in Lois's heart and worked its way out from there. Tears sprang into her eyes. "Clark, do you really mean that? You feel like I'm the person you want to spend the rest of your life with?"
He nodded, and Lois leaned down to kiss him once more. "I love you," she murmured against his lips.
He sighed with relief, knowing that one more hurdle had been cleared. He kissed her back. "I love you, too, Lois."
They enjoyed the comforting circle of each others' arms for several more minutes, then Lois groaned and sat up. "As much as I hate to say this, we really should get going. I might be able to fudge and tell Jim I've been out working on leads, but I don't know what you're going to tell Perry."
Clark slid out of bed with Lois and squeezed her fingers. "Don't worry, I can get by with telling Perry the same thing. It'll be okay this once."
Lois laughed. "You're breaking all kinds of rules and justifying it lately."
"Well, I'm learning from the master." He grinned.
For the next twenty minutes, they hurried to get ready--Lois for work, and for Clark to head back to Metropolis. They took turns in the shower and laughingly battling over sink and counter space. When they were finally ready, Lois retrieved her briefcase from the coffee table in the living room and made sure she had everything in it that she needed. Clark followed reluctantly, his long cape flowing out behind him.
"I wish I could fly you to work to get you there faster, but I really don't want people starting to associate you with Superman. I don't want to put you in any more danger than you already put yourself in." He smiled at her and winked, making her laugh.
"Yeah, well, I promised I would work on that, and I will," she reminded him. "But thanks for thinking of it. I'll be fine getting to work, though. Now that I'm so late, the traffic won't be too unmanageable."
"Good." There was a comfortable silence, one which Clark finally broke when he closed the distance between them and lifted a hand to her cheek. "Thanks for last night in Smallville, Lois. And for this morning." He smiled softly, making Lois's heart skip a beat.
"The pleasure was all mine," she told him with a grin.
Their lips met in a sweet, lingering kiss that didn't last long enough for either of them. They pulled apart reluctantly, Lois taking a step toward the front door and Clark moving toward the balcony.
"I'll call you later?" He voiced it as a question, and she nodded.
"I may stay a little later at work to make up for this morning, but I'll be here," she told him.
He smiled. "Great. I'll talk to you then."
With a nod, she watched as he opened the sliding glass, closed it behind him, then rocketed into the mid-morning sky.
**********
Lois found it hard to concentrate on work that afternoon. Jim Langley had bought her story that she'd been late getting in to work because she'd been out chasing leads, but she still felt guilty about lying to him. In order to absolve her guilt, she was working hard on the story he'd requested by deadline, but it was proving to be a formidable challenge. She simply couldn't concentrate.
With a sigh, she glanced over at the phone on her desk. More than ever she felt the urge to hear Clark's voice. She wanted to know how he'd fared with his excuse to Perry regarding his late arrival, and to hear how he was doing. He'd seemed fine when he'd left her apartment that morning, his grief of the night before at least momentarily quelled. But he had proven to her on more than one occasion that he tended to bottle up his emotions and his concerns, worrying about imposing on others rather than shedding his doubts. And the information they'd gleaned from the globe the night before was definitely worthy of some deep pondering. She only hoped he would turn to her if he wanted to talk about the things he'd learned about his parents and his heritage.
A small smile escaped as she thought about how he'd obtained the globe. Right now, more than ever in her life, she felt like saying, "I told you so." Breaking into that warehouse was the best thing he could have ever done; of that she was certain.
Just then a thought flickered back into her mind, making her smile fade.
The meteorites.
On the phone before he'd come to pick her up to take her to Smallville, Clark had said something about some reports he'd found in the Bureau 39 file cabinets regarding the meteorites found at his crash site. He'd also said their findings had shaken him. He'd promised to let her read them, but with all the excitement with his globe, she'd forgotten all about them. Apparently, so had he.
Flooded with a sudden urge to learn more about these reports, she picked up her phone and dialed. There was no way she was going to be able to concentrate on her story now, anyway; not with the new thoughts of the meteorite studies running through her mind.
When there was no answer at Clark's work phone, she hung up and tried his cellular. He answered on the second ring, and his deep, familiar voice sent a chill of pleasure through her. "Clark Kent."
Lois froze. Just seconds before she'd been excited at the prospect of talking to him, but now that his husky, rich voice came across the line, a whole new sensation sent her stomach fluttering. She was nervous. Nervous after everything they had shared with each other just that morning, an intimacy that let nothing be held back. She tried to remind herself that this was still simply Clark, the man she'd grown to love over the past several months, but she still felt anxious and exposed.
She swallowed to steady her nerves and tried to sound casual as she responded. "Hi, Clark, it's me."
"Lois!" His voice gave no doubt as to how happy he was to hear from her. "I'm glad you called."
"You are?" The nervous fluttering in her stomach increased. She put a hand to her stomach and applied some pressure, hoping to regain some control over her unjustified nerves. "I was sitting here working on something--okay, not working on something; I can't seem to focus on work right now, but don't tell Jim that because he's expecting this story by deadline--and I suddenly remembered something you said last night, and I just had to call and ask you about it."
Clark chuckled. "I love it when you call and babble at me."
Lois groaned inwardly and leaned forward in her chair, dropping her forehead into her hand. He was right. She *was* babbling. "Sorry," she said sheepishly. "I know. I babble when I get nervous. And after this morning...well, I guess I kind of feel nervous talking to you."
"What? Why?" Clark's response was immediate. "Why should you feel nervous talking to me?"
She let out a breath and glanced around to make sure no one was listening. No one was, but she lowered her voice to a whisper anyway. "I don't know. I know it's silly, but...I don't know," she repeated. "Just chalk it up to the after-sex morning jitters. Although I know it's not technically the after-sex *morning* jitters, since we didn't actually have...well, you know...until this morning..."
She groaned aloud this time as she realized she was babbling again, and that she was digging herself into a very deep hole of embarrassment. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Never mind. This is going very badly. I'm hanging up now."
Before she could decide if she really wanted to hang up yet or not, Clark's urgent voice sounded across the line. "Lois, wait! Don't hang up."
There was a pause, and Lois seriously considered hanging up in spite of his plea in order to save herself further embarrassment. But her hand clutching the phone to her ear never moved.
After a moment, Clark asked, his voice anxious, "Lois, are you still there?"
"Yeah," she squeaked, her cheeks still burning from her embarrassment.
She heard his sigh of relief. "Good." Then his voice lowered to a husky whisper. "Lois, I don't want you to feel nervous talking to me. This morning was amazing, and I love you more today than I ever have. But nothing's really changed between us. I'm still me, and you're still you. We're still us. Only better."
A smile spread across Lois's face and she let out the breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. "Thanks, Clark," she said quietly. "You have no idea how much better you just made me feel."
"You're welcome."
They fell silent for several moments, and Lois could sense the electricity around them even from three thousand miles away. Finally Clark broke the silence.
"You said you remember something and wanted to ask me about it?"
Clark's question jarred Lois's memory and she sat up straighter at her desk. "Oh, yeah. When you called me last night to tell me about what you found at the warehouse, you mentioned you'd found some reports about the meteorites that had been found at the crash site."
"Oh my gosh, I completely forgot!" Clark exclaimed. "They papers are still with the other things. I'll see if I can retrieve them tonight and get them to you. I'd really like to know what you think. I have to admit, some of their findings were more than a little disturbing."
Lois caught the hint of anxiety in Clark's voice. She frowned. "What did they say?"
He sighed. "There was so much I don't know that I could go into it all over the phone. Besides, I'm outside of the courthouse right now waiting for a press conference to start. I'd start explaining and then have to go in a minute."
"I understand." Lois leaned back in her chair and stretched her legs out in front of her. "What about the other stuff you looked at in the warehouse? You mentioned something about making some copies of some companies who'd made research donations to Bureau 39? We know Luthor made a rather sizeable contribution to them. Why didn't it show up on the list? And what exactly is he after?"
"I don't know, but there's got to be something. Besides, I just glanced down through the names. That doesn't mean we won't turn up something when we give the list a closer look."
"And by 'something' you mean a link to Bureau 39, Mesopotamia, Inc., and Lex Luthor," she said with determination. "We know there has to be a connection. We are *so* close, Clark. I can taste it. Luthor has got to be behind Mesopotamia, Inc., and I think this connection to Jason Trask and Bureau 39 might be the key."
"I think you're right. Jimmy's still doing some digging for me on Bureau 39 and Jason Trask. I think I've already exhausted our research avenues, but you never know."
"Tell Jimmy thanks for me, too." Just then Lois felt something crash into her chair. Startled, she whirled around to see the janitor trying to maneuver the supplies cart behind her in the aisle.
"Hey, watch it!" she exclaimed.
"Sorry, ma'am."
Lois frowned as she watched the tall, burly janitor move on past. Clark's voice came across the line, bringing her attention back to the conversation.
"Lois? Are you there?"
"Yeah, sorry. I was almost taken out by the janitor's cart, that's all."
Just then Lois heard a commotion from Clark's end of the line. "Lois, I've got to go." Clark sounded apologetic. "The mayor just arrived and the press conference is going to start."
"Okay. Let me know if Jimmy turns up anything about Trask or Bureau 39 or Luthor's connection to all of this before we find time to get together."
"You got it," Clark said, then said a quick goodbye.
Lois sighed as she hung up the phone. Well, at least they weren't spinning their tires anymore. Thanks to Clark's snooping around in the warehouse, they were going to have some leads to follow. And hopefully some of those would lead to Lex Luthor and Mesopotamia, Inc.
With a resurgence of hope and a clearer mind, Lois scooted back up to her desk and turned her attention back to the story in front of her. There were only a few hours to deadline, and she didn't want Jim to be breathing down her neck.
~*~*~*~*~
Smith gripped the janitorial cart's handle in his hand a little tighter and stopped near the service elevators. Lois Lane's conversation had been interesting, to say the least. He'd only caught snippets of it, but he knew those little snippets were not going to please his boss.
Pulling his cell phone from his pocket, he punched in a number, then looked around to make sure nobody was listening as the call connected.
A familiar voice answered. "Yeah. What do you have?"
"Apparently, Ms. Lane's asking a lot of questions about Luthor, Trask, and Bureau 39," Smith said in hushed tones, "and she seems to know something about the donations being made to the group."
"How did you learn this? Did you manage to tap her phone lines yet?"
He shook his head. "We've run into a problem with that. We can't put a tap on her line here at work because there are always so many people around. And every time we've tried to get into her apartment to tap her home line, her nosy neighbor comes rushing out of her apartment to see who's in the hall. She seems to live to find out each and every person who passes by her door. That's not helping us get into Lane's apartment to get the job done."
"Be creative and get it done," the voice growled impatiently. "Make her home line your top priority, since our people inside can at least keep an eye at her while she's at work. We need to be able to monitor her phone conversations from home. Luthor says she's a workaholic, so she's likely doing a lot of research from there. In the meantime, do you know if she has any evidence that Luthor's involved?"
"It doesn't sound like it. She's still researching."
There was silence for a moment. Then came the response, "Warn her. Memorably. Tell her to back off...or else."
"You got it." Smith clicked the phone shut, then tucked it back into his pocket.
He glanced at his watch. All he had to do now was bide his time and wait for his opportunity.
**********
to be continued in part 28...
