From Part Two
It was then that an officer asked him what he did when he needed some time alone, some privacy.
Half in jest Clark as Superman answered,"I head back to my fortress of solitude, you know?" Ignorant of a guy in the background jotting down notes with an eager look on his face, he rushed back home.
From Part Four
Unconsciously, she cuddled closer to Clark as they were walking home. Obediently, Clark put his arm around Lois' waist. To him, this walk was pure bliss. As it was for Lois, though she wouldn't have admitted it to anybody, including herself.
Part Five
**** Sunday, early morning, Dec 22nd ****
Lois woke up ever so slowly, becoming aware of her surroundings. She felt the cushion her head was resting on, and somehow it didn't feel right. It was much plushier than she was used to. And it smelled different. Not unpleasant, but different. In fact, the smell was oddly familiar, and she definitely liked it a lot. It was aftershave. Definitely aftershave. Suddenly, her mind began screaming at her that where there's aftershave, there is a man nearby. With a jolt she reached across the bed – only to find it empty. There wasn't even an indication that someone else had been sleeping there. Odd.
Another alluring smell found its way to her nose. She breathed it in with delight. Coffee! Lois finally opened her eyes, quickly scanning her surroundings. She knew this room. This was Clark's bedroom. What was she doing in here, of all places? Suddenly her memory kicked in, and she remembered everything about the fire and how Clark had taken care of her. How they ended up on the couch the first evening. And how he insisted on her taking the bed when they returned from the poker. Which reminded her that Clark must be the one making coffee. Slowly, she sat up, stretching and yawning profusely. Looking down at herself she checked that her pajamas were covering her decently before she swung her legs out of the bed and walked towards the aroma that promised fresh coffee.
As soon as Lois entered Clark's kitchen, he turned towards her with that incredible smile of his. Without giving it any thought, she smiled back, making Clark's knees go weak. She went to the table, and Clark, looking awesome in his black sleeping shorts and shirt, approached her and pulled out a chair for her. Still smiling, she neared the chair meant for her. Without warning, she found herself in Clark's embrace. She emitted a gasp of surprise, and all too soon Clark released her again. Looking up at her best friend, Lois asked, "What was that for?" She could actually see Clark blush slightly.
"Just... for... good morning," he all but stammered. Clark couldn't believe that he had lost control like that first thing in the morning. At the rate he was going, he feared what was going to happen in the evening. He just hoped that Lois wouldn't read anything into his behaviour, or she would leave sooner rather than later.
Lois gently put her right hand on Clark's chest. "Sounds nice. Good morning to you, too," Lois said, still bearing a warm smile. She looked up at Clark, who was still staring at her, and their eyes met. She could see something in them. Something strong. Longing? Hope? Love? She scolded herself for thinking that. Clark was *not* in love with her. He was just her partner at work. And her best, friend, she silently admitted. Even a great host. Nothing more. Never more. After all, he had told her he didn't love her. He wanted only friendship.
Clark was looking Lois in the eyes, feeling utterly and completely lost. He was overwhelmed and confused by the sheer number of different emotions he could see there. Something warm and gentle, quickly replaced by – what, hurt? - followed by sheer determination. He was still wondering whether the first emotion he had seen was really there or just wishful thinking on his part. While he was pondering that question, Lois broke contact and sat down on the chair, her chin thrust forward in determination. At once, Clark realized that Lois' walls were up again, locking him out. And he would stay locked out unless he could find a way to make her lower her barriers once more. "You know, when I mentioned that I'd like to see you in burgundy, I never figured to see you in burgundy pajamas, of all things," Clark teased.
In spite of herself, Lois turned towards him, smiling. "I liked that particular set. And the only other colour they had it in was Barbie doll pink..." She let the last trail away while she looked at him.
"And you don't like Barbie doll pink because you're not some stupid blond plastic doll with nothing to offer but artificial good looks. Instead, you are a natural beauty made of flesh and blood, with a great personality," Clark continued for her, still smiling. Lois blushed slightly at his praise, but managed to conceal it by lowering her head. Clark chuckled softly. "So, what does my lady wish for breakfast? We have coffee, toast, French pastries and oatmeal."
"You have to ask? I'll stick with coffee and the pastries, thank you." Lois decided this in an instant. Clark served her and himself before sitting down. He was just sipping his coffee when his telephone rang. Lois looked up at him. "I guess it's for you," she said.
"Guess so," Clark replied while getting to the phone. "Clark Kent here." Lois strained her ears to hear at least Clark's half of the conversation.
"Mom! What a surprise."
"You called because of a newspaper? The Tattler, no less?"
"THEY WROTE WHAT?" A long silence followed that outcry.
"I really don't understand how they could make it a crystal palace, of all things! And put it in Santa Claus' neighbourhood on top."
"You're right, they must have gotten the name somewhere. Still, I don't understand it at all. How is this poss... Wait! I remember something. But it wasn't anything like they make it out to be!"
"Sorry, but I'm not alone right now. Lois is with me."
"No, it's *nothing* like that! She's just staying for a while because her apartment was burnt to ashes."
"Of course we don't sleep together! Honestly, mom. You know I would never take advantage of her like that."
"Yeah, I'll do that. Bye, mom. And thanks." Clark set the receiver back and returned to Lois. "My mom told me to tell you 'hello'."
"That's sweet of her. What did she call for?"
"She called to tell me about a news headline." Clark didn't know how to go on.
"From the Tattler, no less," Lois added.
Clark gave her a strange look. "So you *were* listening."
Lois rolled her eyes at him. "Would I ever do that?"
Mock-seriously, he replied, "You'd never *not* do that. Since you already know that much, I'd better tell you the rest. The Tattler has written about 'Superman's Fortress of Solitude'."
Lois shook her head in amazement. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, according to the Tattler, Superman has a secret place at the north pole. And this place, the so-called 'Fortress of Solitude', is supposed to be a crystalline palace..."
"Clark, you're talking nonsense. Nobody will believe it. Never," Lois reassured him.
"I hope you are right."
"I'm always right. Besides, Superman does not have such a place," Lois concluded.
"How do you know?" Clark asked, relief evident in his voice.
"That's quite easy. If Superman had such a place, we'd have been the first to see it. We're his best friends." Lois tried her best, irrefutable Mad Dog logic. For her, it always worked.
With a sigh and a lopsided grin, Clark told her, "You don't know how right you are."
Lois decided that it was time to change the subject. "So, what was the other part about?" At Clark's puzzled expression, she added, "The part where you said that you were not alone?"
Clark fidgeted a little, but decided to answer her in spite of his discomfort. "Well, there are certain things I don't want to discuss when *someone* could be overhearing it."
"Oh, come on, Clark! It's not as if you had any secrets. You're like an open book. With you, you get what you see. No big secrets, no stunning surprises, no startling revelations."
"Is that the way you see me? As boring?" Clark wasn't sure whether to feel complimented or offended.
"I never said you were boring...."
"What else would you call me?"
"How about dependable? Boy-scoutish? Caring. Touchy-feely." She nodded to herself. "Definitely touchy-feely. And your excuses... they certainly qualify for annoying and strange."
"That's all I am to you?" Clark asked with a fake light tone.
"Well, what did you expect? Drop-dead gorgeous?" Realizing what she had just said, Lois blushed scarlet.
Seeing Lois reaction to her own words, Clark couldn't resist teasing her a little. "Well, it would have been nice to hear that instead."
Under her breath, but still audible to Clark's superb hearing, Lois muttered, "Can't believe I said that aloud." She was still shaking her head ever so slightly in denial. In order to have a reason to not have to talk to Clark at that particular moment, she decided to have breakfast. Food always made for a good excuse. Unless said food was cheese. The Cheese of the Month, in fact, was the worst excuse ever. Seeing that he wouldn't be able to coax Lois to say anything more, Clark followed her example and had breakfast. And a very silent breakfast it was.
***Sunday, early afternoon***
Lois was sitting in the newsroom, furiously typing up her latest story, which was an interview with Superman concerning his Fortress of Solitude. His non-existent 'crystal palace', as described by the Tattler. She had asked Clark out for lunch while in the office that morning, and once again he had run out on her, using one of his usual flimsy excuses. It was half past one by then, and for over two hours there had been no sign of Clark.
Lois was just finishing her last paragraph when she heard her sisters' voice.
"Oh, hello, Lois. I've been trying to talk to you for days now, I even left a message on your answering machine the day before yesterday, and I've received a busy sign ever since. You were supposed to pick me up from the airport, remember?" Lucy sounded slightly mad herself.
Lois had completely forgotten about that. They had agreed that Lucy would stay at her place for two weeks because she wanted to spend Christmas with her older sister - and both their parents, hopefully. Not that there was too much hope for that. Even if they managed to get their mother and father into the same room - which only worked if they tricked them into it - a meeting like this had spelled 'disaster' all over it. So, Lucy and her older sister usually spent one day (or half) with their mother and about the same amount of time with their father - if they didn't have anything more important to do than spend time with their daughters. They both knew all this, but they enjoyed spending Christmas together none the less.
So, Lucy was there, expecting to stay at Lois' place. The only problem was that her place was not available any more. Not since it had been burnt down. Lois sighed. She had to tell her sister.
"Lucy, let me just finish this story, and we'll go have lunch. It won't be long."
Lucy knew that something was bothering Lois by the way she looked at her. She agreed and grabbed a chair from a nearby desk, sat down and waited, thereby reading part of Lois' story. To her surprise, Lois really didn't need much time. Soon, she shut down her computer. Lucy inquired after the story Lois had just finished, "What was this interview about?"
"There was this stupid article in the Tattler claiming Superman had a secret Fortress of Solitude, a crystal palace at the north pole. Needless to say, this is not true, Superman didn't like it and gave me an impromptu interview. That's all." With that, Lois got up. Lucy quickly followed suit, and they walked towards the elevators.
"Do you still have that crush on Suman?" Lucy asked.
"I don't have a crush on him. We're just friends. At least I think we are."
"You're sure it isn't just a working relationship? He rescues you from thugs, and you rescue him from the media?"
Lois was indignant. "Of course not! I mean, there is some truth about the way you put it, but that's not all there is to our relationship."
Lucy's curiosity was piqued. "I wasn't aware that there was more to it. You don't happen to be an item?"
"Lucy! Of course not!" Lois exclaimed. "I mean, it's not as if he was free to have a girlfriend."
"Why not? I certainly wouldn't mind being his girlfriend. Have you ever had a close look at him?" Lucy was licking her lips in appreciation of Superman's undeniable assets.
"Why not? Because he's terribly busy all the time. He can't lead a normal life, considering all the rescuing he does. Besides, he has made many enemies who'd be only too thrilled to know he had a girlfriend. Since *he* is invulnerable, she'd be the target for all schemes to get back at him. The only chance of survival I see for his hyptheticl girlfriend is absolute secrecy. But how could Superman keep something like that secret? It's not as if he could wear a mask..."
"I see you've thought things through. So, what, exactly, is going on between the two of you?"
"As I told you before, we're friends. And, as a friend, he sometimes comes by."
"You mean he comes by your place? What do you do then?"
"Talk."
Judging by the monosyllabic answer she got, Lucy figured that it was time to change the subject. "So, why did you avoid any contact?" Lucy asked.
'Here it comes,' Lois thought. Before she answered, they stepped into the elevator. Lois was quite glad that they were the only occupants. "I didn't actively avoid you, really. The last week had been a busy one. And to top it all, someone started a fire at my place on Friday."
"How bad is it?" Lucy inquired anxiously.
"You can't stay there. In fact, even I'm not staying there at the moment," Lois explained as they stepped out of the elevator and started towards the exit of the building.
Feeling her sister's mood change for worse, Lucy chose to change the subject quickly.
"Where should we go for lunch?"
Lois thought about that. Since she and Clark had intended to go to a new Indian place, she decided to go somewhere in the opposite direction from the Planet.
"Do you like pasta? There's a small Italian place about two blocks from here."
"Pasta? No, not really. But pizza... hm," Lucy answered. Smiling, they went to the restaurant of their choice.
"So, what's up between you and Clark?" Lucy inquired. Lois and her gorgeous partner were one of her favourite topics.
"Nothing. We're friends, and that's that," Lois answered with a shrug. At her sister's incredulous look, she amended, "Okay, maybe we're best friends."
"Lois, you seem to have a lot of 'just friends'."
Lois was feeling annoyed. "What is that supposed to mean?" she snapped.
"It's not only Superman, but also Clark. I mean, you work together with this incredibly handsome guy and you don't want anything but friendship? I've met him a few times, and he seemed to be an absolutely nice guy. How can you not feel anything for him?"
"We *work* together, Lucy. And what will happen if it doesn't work out between the two of us? Then even our working relationship and our friendship will be ruined. I don't want to risk that."
"Does that mean that you do have feelings for him?"
"Of course not!" Lois exclaimed. Why couldn't her sister understand that she was content with the situation as it was?
"Well, if you don't mind, I'll try to get a little closer to him. Who knows?" Lucy replied in a dreamy voice. If she knew her sister at all, she'd act all jealous, thereby finally admitting her feelings. Which would be fine with Lucy. She really wanted to see Lois and Clark together. Of course, this plan might backfire and Clark might want to get closer to her instead of Lois. In that case, Lucy wouldn't complain, either
"Why does it have to be Clark?" Lois blurted out.
"Why not? If I imagine being held in his strong, muscular arms, feeling his soft lips on mine – the way he looks, he must be a great kisser, getting my hands on his broad chest and other places... I just hope he doesn't have too much body hair. I don't like the Neanderthal type, you know? I wonder what his 'best friend' looks like..."
At that very moment, something within Lois snapped. She burst out, "He is the worst kisser this side of the Atlantic, his chest and arms are not near as muscular as you might think, and he's as hairy as an ape! And about his 'best friend'... You really don't want to know that!"
Just then, they rounded a corner and ran into someone. Someone with a broad chest and muscular arms that steadied both of the women before they could fall. Confused, they looked up at the smiling face of Clark Kent.
"Hi, Lois, hi Lucy! Nice to see you," Clark said. Lois expression showed very clearly that he was the last person she had expected to meet just then, but seemingly oblivious, Clark continued, "So, any ideas for lunch?"
Lois was trying to muster a reply, but was beaten to it by her sister. "Yeah, we wanted to go to the small Italian place nearby."
Clark looked at Lois in an unspoken question. He had realized that the restaurant they were going to visit was in the opposite direction to the one he and Lois wanted to go to. Somehow, he didn't believe in coincidence. Trying to make the best of the situation as it was, he asked, "Mind if I join you?"
"Yes," said Lois.
At the same time Lucy answered with "No."
Clark was looking from one to the other, trying to come to a decision. Before he was able to do so, Lucy slipped her arm through his and resumed walking towards the Italian place. Knowing defeat when she saw it, Lois followed suit, soon hanging on Clark's other arm. She'd rather die than leave Clark for her sister. Not that she was in love with him, far from it...
***************************************
While they were walking towards the little Italian place, Clark tried to make some light conversation.
"What were you two talking about before you ran into me?"
"What are you talking about? *We* didn't run into *you*, *you* ran into *us*!" Lois replied heatedly.
Clark grinned broadly. That was his Lois, fighting even whenthere was nothing to fight about. "Well, I, for one, didn't loose my balance," he replied mockingly.
"I managed fine by myself," Lois heatedly countered.
"Yeah, thanks to a not-so-muscular arm steadying you," inserted Lucy sardonically. She had the impression that Lois' description of her partner hadn't been entirely truthful - at least when it came to his arms, which were as muscular as a girl could wish. Thinking of his arm, she wet her lips. That guy was just – wow.
When Lucy's comment had sunk in, Clark raised an eyebrow at her in the hope of finding out what this was about. Lucy was *very* inclined to let him know.
"As to what we have been talking about – well, men, of course. More accurately, we were talking about Mr. Perfect."
Clark was intrigued, though not by Lucy's obviously flirtatious behaviour. "So, what is your Mr. Perfect like?" he inquired.
Lucy looked positively dreamy when she answered. "Well, actually, he is pretty much..."
"Non-existent!" Lois put in.
"...like you" Lucy continued as if Lois hadn't said a word.
Clark was flabbergasted. "Like me? Really?"
"Well, pretty much so. Just without all that hair, you know?" Lucy explained.
Brushing his hand through his black hair, Clark asked, puzzled, "What's wrong with my hair?"
Lucy broke into a fit of girlish giggles while Lois hung her head to cover her suddenly profusely blushed face. "Not *that* hair, Clark. The hair further *down*. I'm talking about your chest hair here," Lucy corrected. Clark looked at her in confusion since he had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. "Ever thought of waxing it?" Lucy inquired.
Clark glanced at Lois, who was doing her best to look interested in the shop windows they were passing, thereby 'accidentally' avoiding any eye contact. Shaking his head in befuddlement, Clark answered with some discomfort, "Actually, I don't deem it necessary."
Obviously, this was not what Lucy wanted to hear. "Oh, but you surely expect a woman to wax *her* legs, at the very least, so you can feel smooth skin only, don't you?"
"Well, it does feel nice..."
Lucy was talking herself into a rage. "Yeah, right. Expecting the woman you want to be with to undergo that - by the way painful - procedure, but being all macho when it comes to your own hair. 'I'm a guy, I've got the hair to prove it!'. You know what? It makes me sick." With that, Lucy stormed ahead.
Clark turned to Lois, who made a choking sound. "What the heck was that all about?" Clark asked her. Lois looked up, her eyes dancing with mirth, and shrugged. She couldn't have said a single word without bursting out laughing. What was she supposed to tell him, anyway? The truth? Fat chance! Since she didn't intend to let him force the issue, she accelerated her steps in pursuit of her ticked-off sister. Clark stayed behind, still shaking his head in confusion. 'Women! Will they ever make sense?' he thought.
------------------------
tbc
