Happy Ficlet Friday. Let's see what MagiKal and Houdini are up to, shall we? I almost forgot about the poor dog this week, so thanks to everyone who reminded me. Disillusioned<The thing is - I love you, too.>Clark's words echoed through her mind as Lois snuck up the stairs, feeling like a thief in the night. The memory made her heart beat faster, but at the same time her gut clenched with sorrow. Her gaze flitted down to her chest, once again drawn to the blood stains on her shirt - Clark’s blood. Lois squeezed her eyes shut, then balled her hands into tight fists. She took a deep breath, relaxing her stance with a conscious effort before she climbed the rest of the stairs.
With a start she noticed Houdini, walking in circles in front of Clark’s bedroom door. A whimper left his throat whenever he stopped and looked up as if contemplating whether to jump up and open the door.
Her heart went out to the poor dog. When she’d spotted his bowl of food untouched in the kitchen, Lois had expected to find Houdini keeping watch at his master’s side.
The dog’s ears twitched slightly in her direction before he turned to look at Lois. For a moment they just stared at each other. Lois couldn’t help but find herself surreptitiously checking the dog’s lips for blood. But it seemed like she was the only one still carrying incriminating evidence.
Lois averted her eyes and bit down on her lower lip until it hurt. Her gaze drifted toward the door to Clark's old bedroom where he'd been resting for the past two hours.
Much like Houdini she couldn't bring herself to go inside, though she needed a change of clothes. More than that she desperately wanted to talk to Clark. But she was also scared of his reaction now that he'd had time to think. His declaration of love had taken her by surprise. How could he really mean it after everything that had happened?
“Don’t you want to go to him?" she asked Houdini.
The Irish setter lowered his head and whimpered softly. His usually wagging tail hung limply and the whole dog seemed to have shrunken to almost half his usual size.
“Yeah, me too,” she whispered.
Lois sagged against the wall behind her and cradled her face in her hands. Slowly she sank into a sitting position and pulled her knees up. Images of Clark lying on the ground invaded her mind, pale, bleeding and clutching his arm to his chest. She'd just been about to slip out of her jacket to use it as a makeshift bandage when an approaching car had caught her attention.
Martha must have sensed the danger, because she'd sent Jonathan after them. A startled cry had left his mouth as he’d spotted them on the ground. Then he'd climbed out of his pickup truck, immediately taking charge of the situation. Jonathan had pulled a first-aid kit from the bed of the truck and without much ado had tended to his son's arm to stop the bleeding while Clark had given him a brief account of what had happened.
Lois had wanted to help, but all she'd been able to do was watch, feeling completely helpless.
With his father’s assistance, Clark had stood up and they’d headed for the bed of the truck. But as soon as he’d tried to climb it, his face had drained of any residual color. Jonathan had quickly switched gears, helping Clark onto the passenger’s seat where he’d slumped, exhausted.
Numb and with a trembling Houdini by her side, Lois had climbed onto the bed of the truck instead. She hadn't known what to say or how to apologize. Words couldn't express how much she regretted talking Clark into coming here. How could she ever look into the Kent's eyes again after what she'd done to him?
The ride back to the farm had been quiet. Lois had spent her time trying to check on Clark through the rearview mirror. But she'd seen nothing but his closed eyes and her throat had been too tight to ask how he was doing.
Inside the house, Martha had cleaned the wound while Clark had occasionally hissed in pain. Lois had watched them until she hadn't been able to bear it any longer. It was pure torture, especially knowing that she was responsible.
Now he was resting in his room and she still had no idea if he was feeling better.
The worst part was that neither Jonathan nor Martha seemed to be holding a grudge. They'd even smiled at her though they couldn't quite hide how worried they were about Clark.
The whole time Lois had been expecting the other shoe to drop.
Only it didn't, which made her feel even more guilty.
Actually, she wished someone would yell at her. She knew she deserved it.
They should have known better than to take Houdini with them. They'd known something in this hole was dangerous to Clark. The dog had shown his protective streak time and time again.
Yet Clark had insisted on bringing Houdini along, terrified that he might not notice in time if whatever was in that hole caused his powers to act up. Above everything else, he'd wanted to keep her safe.
And now he was hurt.
Tears filled Lois' eyes, but she blinked them back.
Clark was hurt, it wasn't her place to cry. This was her fault and she had no business falling apart in front of his bedroom door. She needed to see how he was doing. She needed to thank him and apologize for putting him through this ordeal.
But she couldn't work up the courage to knock.
A light weight settled on her knees. Houdini's soft whimpers filled her ears. As Lois glanced up, she stared right into big brown eyes that looked so utterly forlorn.
"I'm sorry, Houdini." Tentatively, she reached out and scratched the setter behind his ear. "That wasn't supposed to happen."
A sob escaped her and Houdini whimpered in tune.
"You should go to him," Lois said quietly. "None of this is your fault. It's mine. I'm sure he's not angry at you."
The dog looked back at her sadly, not seeming convinced.
Lois' chest constricted and her heart beat in her throat. When she'd talked Clark into coming back to Smallville, she hadn't really considered the repercussions this might have for him. As always, she'd been far too optimistic, jumping in without checking the water level.
And he'd told her he loved her.
Lois buried her face in her hands. Another low whimper next to her confirmed that Houdini felt just as miserable as she did. Some strange pair they were, partners in crime and partners in grief. She ran her hand through the dog's fur, trying to offer comfort.
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and heard the low rumble of Clark's voice. "Hey, what's wrong?"
Startled, Lois raised her head. She hadn't heard him coming. The tenderness and concern in his gaze let her throat tighten even more. He looked much better than he had, though he was still pale.
"Clark," she managed past the lump in her throat. The tears that she'd fought to keep at bay spilled down her cheeks. She sobbed. "I'm so sorry."
"Oh, Lois."
He sat down beside her and wrapped his good arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer until her head rested against his chest and her tears soaked his shirt.
"There's nothing you need to be sorry about," he whispered into her hair. "This was my fault. I was so focused on not hurting you with my powers that I didn't even consider Houdini might be more of a problem."
Another whimper startled them both. Houdini stood at a distance. His head was lowered in a submissive gesture, seemingly begging for forgiveness.
"Sorry, buddy, I didn't mean it that way," Clark said. "Of course, you're not a problem. Come here."
After a moment's hesitation, Houdini relaxed and, finally wagging his tail again, greeted Clark with a few sloppy dog kisses, before he settled down and rested his head in Clark's lap.
Clark ran his hand through his fur, apparently enjoying the contact just as much as Houdini did.
He turned his attention back on Lois. "I'm just glad nothing happened to you."
She stared at him and let her gaze drift across his bandaged arm. "But -"
"I will heal," he cut in. "Probably a lot quicker than I'd like." A faint blush crept across his cheeks. "Because once I'm back to normal, I'm not sure I will dare to do this…" He trailed off, a flicker of hesitation in his gaze. Then he swallowed and leaned in.
His kiss was gentle. She could feel his breath caress her skin. Velvet lips brushed against hers, a shy tongue darting forward, not quite following her invitation to deepen the kiss as she opened her mouth to him. So she made the first step, feeling bold as she let her tongue slip past his lips. And then - suddenly - it was af they were both sucked into a passionate exchange. Their tongues took on a life of their own as if they’d been made for this dance. Lois lost herself, lost every track of time as she experienced a kind of magic that was so unlike anything she’d ever known. She could taste his love for her, felt the despair with which he was savoring this moment, because there was no telling how long it would last. Lois wished she wouldn’t have to stop kissing him.
Ever.
But eventually, they had to part. He leaned his forehead against hers, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.
“Sorry about that,” he whispered.
She cupped his cheek and stroked it with her thumb. “Why do you say that?”
“I shouldn’t be kissing you like this, not as long as I…” He took a deep breath and shook his head. “The only thing I regret about today is that we didn’t get any closer to the solution. That green rock hurt me and robbed me of my powers. And the red one turned me into a zombie of my desires. Unless my powers start acting up even worse when they come back again, we still don’t know what’s causing these power bursts.”
Lois wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her head in the crook of his neck. She breathed in his soft scent and pressed her body against his, as close as he would let her.
“We will find the solution, Clark.” She tried to put all her conviction into her words, willing him to believe that there was a future for them. Because if they both believed it desperately enough, then maybe they would find a way to make this work. “We just have to, because I wish you could always be this relaxed around me. I want you to act on your feelings, because I feel the same way about you. Please don’t stop kissing me. Let’s make the most of this disaster.”
He laughed softly. “You’re incredible. Do you know that?” He kissed her hair and then she felt him pull back. A little awkwardly he scrambled back to his feet and held out his hand to help her up. “My powers won’t be back for another few hours at least. And you’re right, we should make the most of this disaster while it lasts. Would you like to come to the corn festival with me?”
As if Houdini understood every word Clark said, a sudden excitement took hold of the dog. He barked happily, jumped up at Clark's legs only to turn and head for the stairs.
Lois felt a strange thrill as she took in Clark's dashing smile. “As your date?”
He winked at her. “If you want to call it that.”
She grinned. “Oh, absolutely.”
He beamed at her. “Then it’s a date.”
Lois once more took in the bandage around his arm and as she studied him with a more thorough look, she could also see the tired lines around his eyes. Her stomach dropped a bit, reminding her that only hours ago he’d been lying on the ground, close to passing out.
She frowned. “Are you sure you’re up to it?”
He reached out to brush a strand of hair behind her ear and ran his fingers along her cheek in a gentle caress. “With you, I’m up to anything.”
