Don't have much time to write. Still, my thanks to Nancy...
Without further ado:
Part 7
That was all the prompting Clark needed to capture her mouth in a kiss. At first, he was merely feeling her lips with his tongue, but she quickly retaliated, melding into his embrace. In near to no time, theirs was a kiss full of passion. To Clark, this felt like flying, just better. Much better. After a seemingly endless time, they got up for air, both of them breathing heavily. They looked deeply into each other's eyes, neither of them able to move. Finally, Clark moved his hand to Lois' cheek. After having waited for a few seconds, he started to kiss her again, this time even more passionately than before. At the same time, Lois decided it was time to discern whether Clark had cheated - or whether he truly wasn’t wearing anything beneath his towel. Her hands started to explore. She could easily reach the place the towel was opening. To her disappointment, it was so long that Clark had it wrapped around his hips twice, so she didn't get her answer. Which explained why Clark seemed oblivious to her little exploration. Of course, it was all too obvious that he was not truly oblivious...
Lucy stared at them, mouth hanging open. She couldn't believe her eyes. And not only about Clark kissing Lois like that. There was something else which was much harder to understand. Lucy could have sworn that Clark and her sister had been floating in midair. Okay, it was only a thumb length or so, but nevertheless, they were definitely floating, mocking the law of gravity. No one was supposed to be able to do that. No one but Superman, that is. Then, realization hit. 'Oh my God!' Lucy thought. She wondered whether Lois knew. Apparently not, Lucy decided. Her sister had asked him to reveal his biggest secret - a secret bigger than being a famous writer. Clark really had a secret identity. No wonder he had denied that his 'Jerry Clark' persona was a secret identity. He obviously knew the difference. This was *huge*. Confused as she was, Lucy was still sure of one thing: Clark had been honest when he claimed that he didn't have *little* secrets. Something else occurred to her, looking at them like this. 'They must be Head Over Heels with each other. So, what keeps them from getting together?' she wondered. Lucy was determined to find out.
Just then the doorbell rang, making everyone jump. Clark was the first to recover. Looking down at Lois appreciatively, he said, "Lois, you'd better get out of sight. I'll get the door."
Lois slumped down on the sofa so only her head was visible above the backrest. She turned her head to look back at Clark, who then turned to answer the door.
"CK? What's going on here?" Jimmy took in Clark's appearance, towel and all.
"Why don't you come in first?" Clark asked a bit embarrassed and still a lot out of breath.
Jimmy stepped in and looked around. He quickly spotted Lois and Lucy on Clark's couch. He raised his eyebrows questioningly. He raised them even higher when he saw that Lois wasn't wearing too much of anything. "I didn't interrupt anything, did I?"
Jimmy was rewarded with laughter erupting all around him. Once again, Clark was the first to recover. "No, not quite. Lucy, Lois and I decided to spend the evening together and play a little game."
Jimmy looked at them, shock obvious on his face. "And - ahem - what's The Name Of The Game?" he asked, his throat constricting.
Clark blushed crimson when he realized what must have been going on in his young friend's mind. "Not what you're thinking! It just happened that Lucy proposed to play truth or dare, and Lois was in total agreement. Outnumbered as I was, I had no other choice but to comply. You can see where it got me. They had me Under Attack from the very beginning."
Jimmy looked down at Clark, grinning broadly. "One thing's obvious, CK: You're going to some effort to guard your dirty little secrets."
Again, Lucy and Lois started laughing. Clark merely grinned. Jimmy was not quite sure what to make of this, so he looked askance at Clark, who shrugged.
"Lois had already hinted at that, and I told her that my secrets are certainly not dirty. Since they already got out one - which they know not to be the biggest secret of mine, they'll gladly tell you that they're not little, either."
Jimmy nodded matter-of-factly, and, while walking over to Clark's couch, asked, "Okay, there're two things I'd like to know: What is that secret of yours, and where do I come in?"
"I dared Lucy to call you and make you come here because I felt I needed some backup. And I've Been Waiting For You quite anxiously. You already know Mad Dog Lane – and her specialty of ferreting out things you *don't* want out in the open. Let me assure you that Lucy is equally good at it, so Watch Out! And how was I to survive with two Lane women hot on my trail? I mean, they already found out that I've been writing some stuff under a pseudonym."
"That doesn't sound too big to me. So what's the problem?" Jimmy asked.
"The problem is that he's famous!" Lucy filled him in. "He is Jerry Clark!"
"No way!" Jimmy exclaimed. Clark only nodded in confirmation. "Why didn't you tell me? I thought we were best buds!"
Clark sighed. "I didn't want to tell anybody because I hoped that Lois would find out first. In my books, I really hinted at it in many ways only she would understand. Unluckily, she has never even read any of them - or so she told me this week."
"Wait a minute! Is Lois the mysterious woman you .. er .. mentioned?" Jimmy asked.
Lucy's jaw made for her chest. *That* hadn't occurred to her. But it certainly proved her other assumption about Clark being in love with her sister. Her very lucky sister. She sighed.
"You mentioned me in your books?" Lois demanded to know.
"Of course I did! Lois, if you hadn't challenged me to that competition, I'd *never* have written a book, much less started a whole series! So, I thanked you for that. That's all," Clark explained.
"For starters," Lucy added laconically. "Besides, he didn't use your name, only your initials."
"What do you mean with 'for starters'?" Lois inquired.
Her sister winked at her. "That's for us to know and you to find out!"
Clark sat down on his couch, and when Jimmy tried to follow suit it became obvious that this was too tight a fit. Clark got up, excusing himself. When he returned, he carried his mattress and decisively put it down in front of the couch. Then he gathered his cushion and blanket to form something remotely like a backrest. That accomplished, he sat down. "Does anybody want to join me?" he asked, his eyes fixing Lois. Hesitantly, she sat down beside him.
Lucy turned to Jimmy. "Perhaps you could offer us something to drink?" Smiling broadly, Jimmy concocted each of them a cocktail. While he did that, Lucy filled him in on the slightly altered rules of their game. When he was done, each of them sipped their drinks. At the same time, Clark decided it was time to fill Jimmy in on the other things that had gone on so far. He told him jokingly about how Lucy had lost track of how many men she had had sex with, which led her to calling him, and how Lois had made him dress in only a towel. "You know how she got that idea, don't you?" he asked, and after Jimmy shook his head, he quickly related that tale as well. He also told Jimmy of how he returned that particular 'favour' and of the last round: Him not telling Lucy the number of *his* bedmates and therefore having to show her a perfect kiss - which he did, literally.
Lucy supplemented that statement. "That was not just *a* kiss, those were Kisses Of Fire, if you ask me."
After that, Jimmy started the new round of dice, eager to win his first question. To his disgust he got only a three. Clark beat him with a four and Lucy with a five. Then Lois performed her ritual of kissing her die, but to no avail: She got a one. In the end, Jimmy did not only *not* win, he was also Lucy's chosen target.
"Hmm. How do I ask this? ... When was the last time you were with a girl?"
"Been with in the sense of have had sex with?" Jimmy asked cautiously. At Lucy's nod, he took a deep breath. "Actually, I haven't been with anybody for a long, long time. In fact it has been so long that I can't even tell you about it..."
"That's not the question. I want to know exactly how long!" corrected Lucy.
"*Very* long."
"Answer me now or take the dare!" Lucy threatened.
Jimmy looked at Clark and Lois and decided that it might be better not to dare too much. Who could tell how many clothes he’d end up having on? "Actually, I.. I'm still a virgin." At that, Jimmy blushed five shades of red.
"Sweet innocence!" Lucy whistled. Lois and Clark both looked surprised but refrained from commenting.
Jimmy, however, was not yet done. "CK, since the cat has gotten out of the bag... I could do with some good advice, ya' know?"
"Sorry, bud, but you'll have to figure it out for yourself!" Clark replied genially, flashing him a lopsided grin.
After that, Jimmy refilled his and Clark's glasses - Lois and Lucy hadn't even drunk half of their share - and then they threw their dice again. This time, it was Clark's turn to ask. Since he really wanted to know, he asked Lois about the same thing. "Lois, how many men have you had sex with?"
"Three. There were Paul, John, and Claude."
"Oh, I remember Claude," Lucy supplied. She started singing, "Michelle, ma belle, sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble, très bien ensemble..."
"Stop it!" Lois snapped furiously. Lucy complied instantly.
"I didn't know about John," Clark probed carefully.
"There is not much to know. He was the reason that I made up the rule about not getting involved with my stories." Lois looked like she was fighting back tears.
Clark reached towards her, cupping her cheek. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked," Clark said in a hushed voice.
Lois looked up at him. "It's okay. It has been a long time."
Clark simply pulled her into an embrace, offering comfort. After a short while, they broke apart, but were still touching. Finding her voice, Lois asked him, "So, do you have any rules, too?"
It took Clark a moment to make up his mind about answering that one, since Lois was not officially entitled to a question. Having come to a decision, he said, "I'll tell you that one some other time. Promise."
Lucy started teasing Jimmy and Clark, "I think you guys should swap places. Don't you agree, Lois?"
Not wanting to be seated with Jimmy instead of Clark, Lois replied frostily, "I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Obviously, Jimmy is more on the inexperienced side, just like you. Clark certainly has more experience than either of you, so he fits better with me. That's why I figured that we should change our seating arrangements, you see?" Lucy explained matter-of-factly.
Lois was tensing, moving slightly nearer to her partner, but before she could muster a reply, Clark came to her rescue. "In fact, you are mistaken. My level of experience is definitely nearer to Lois'."
Lucy was not to be deterred. "But it's still nearer to mine than Jimmy's, isn't it?"
Clark blushed, but continued none the less, "Actually, it isn't. I'm as much a virgin as Jimmy." He was rewarded with three faces showing utter disbelief.
Jimmy was the first to find his tongue. "How is that possible? I mean, there are all those women throwing themselves at you, and most of them are really hot. Didn't you ever get tempted?"
Clark shrugged, feeling uncomfortable. "Actually, it was never the right one who threw herself at me."
Lois raised an eyebrow at Clark, putting one hand on his thigh. "Never?"
"Well, once. It was a very near thing."
"What do you mean by that?" Jimmy asked.
Clark took a deep breath. "Imagine the woman you love trying to seduce you - and I mean trying very hard - from early afternoon to dawn..."
Jimmy asked, incredulously, "And you didn't let her?"
Clark was indignant. "Of course not! She was very clearly not herself because of that stuff... I couldn't take advantage of her. What would *you* have done in the same situation?"
Jimmy contemplated this for a moment before answering, "I don't know, CK. This is a tough question."
Lucy disagreed, "I would have gone for it."
"Same here," Lois agreed.
Clark tried to make light of the situation. "Why do women always claim that it's the men who lack in morals?" In order to change the subject, he got another round of drinks.
The next question went to Lucy after a second round against Clark. At once, she looked at Clark, who, in turn, rolled his eyes. "Why me again?"
"Because you have the most interesting skeletons in your closet! But that's not the question right now. What do you hope to achieve with your beloved? What is your dream, if you have one?"
"Well, I *Have* A Dream. I hope that, one day not too far away, we will be a married couple and found a family. I'd really like to have a big family," Clark answered.
"Did you mean that? You really want kids? Plural?" Lois piped in, hastily putting some distance between herself and Clark.
"Of course I meant that! Why wouldn't I want kids?" Clark retorted.
"They are smelly, messy, take up all your time, cry until you're going mad, destroy their parents' relationship as well as their china - you name it!" Lois explained.
"Lois, how can you say that? Children are the greatest gift two persons can give each other! They are what make life worth living. They give you all their love, all their trust, they give you joy and happiness - would you really want to do without?" Clark argued.
Jimmy's expression became dreamy. "Yeah, a loving wife and some kids, waiting for me at home - that would be great..."
He was stopped short by a double cry of outrage. Lois admonished him, "What century are you from? Is that the way you guys work? Thinking that you deserve all the excitement and confirmation a good job offers? And that you equally deserve a home with a loving, caring, cooking, cleaning, washing and, last but not least, *breeding* wife? That women exist purely for your pleasure?" Lucy nodded emphatically to every point her sister made.
Clark spoke up, "I, for one, don't think in these terms." Lois stopped short, so he went on in a more normal tone, "What I expect from a relationship or even marriage is quite different. I want my wife to be an equal, a partner, someone who complements me in every way, someone whom I can trust completely, and someone who gives me a good piece of her mind if she thinks that I'm wrong. And I want to share everything: Work, chores at home..."
Here, he was interrupted by Jimmy, "Like cooking?"
"Yeah. In fact, I enjoy cooking. Perhaps you want to come over for a sample? Let's say dinner, tomorrow."
Lucy confessed, "I'd appreciate that. I myself am no good in the kitchen."
Jimmy grinned mischievously. "You can't be worse than Lois, though. Her forays into the world of cooking are nothing short of legendary. Rumor has it that she even turned off her fire alarm because the fire department interrupted one too many of her 'cooking' sessions. I bet you, one day she'll burn down her place..."
Lucy giggled. "That's exactly what happened this week!"
Jimmy's eyes grew round. "For real?"
Lois nodded solemnly. "But it's not my cooking that's at fault. Someone deliberately set fire to my apartment."
Jimmy apologized, "I'm really sorry. I didn't want to rub it in. So, how bad is it?"
Clark put a steadying arm around Lois waist. Solemnly, he said, "It's uninhabitable."
Jimmy quickly put the facts together. "But where are you staying?"
Since Lois was still unable to respond, Clark answered in her stead, "She's staying here."
"Uh-huh?"
"Jimmy, we're just friends! There's nothing 'uh-huh' about it!" Lois exclaimed.
This time, Lucy felt she had to make a few points. "Lois, would you *please* explain something to me?" Her older sister nodded, and she continued, "There is this incredible guy who does not only look like a god, but also has character and, yes, even style. This guy backs you up on every mad scheme of yours, helps you wherever he can - even let's you stay at his place, he is always there for you - and you honestly claim that you're 'just friends'? Are you nuts?!? I'd have jumped him ages ago!"
Clark and Lois both shifted uncomfortably, moving slightly apart. But Lucy was not done with them yet. "What else does he have to do before you see him as something more than 'just a friend'? Win you a teddy bear at a fair? Pamper you with his wonderful cooking, day in, day out? Cover for you? Save your life? Give you his credit card? Buy you lingerie? Tell you of his never-ending love? Propose? Die, for heaven's sake? What?"
Lois and Clark looked thunderstruck. Lois cleared her throat before softly speaking, "We've had all that already. Apart from the lingerie, that is..."
"And still? What else does it take before you say good-bye to your stupid Superman fantasies?"
"I don't have any Superman fantasies!" Lois snapped.
Clark raised an eyebrow at her, clearly indicating his disbelief in face of her choice of undergarments. "Since when?"
Lois rewarded that comment with a glare. "Whether my lingerie sports the superman symbol or a bat or whatever is none of your business. Besides, you took it all back. Didn't you claim that you would have said anything in order to stop me from marrying Luthor? Including that fake proposal? I wonder what you would have done if I had accepted."
"I wonder why your inborn curiosity didn't demand you find out then and there," Clark retorted, causing Lucy to giggle helplessly.
Since that exchange was followed by an uncomfortable silence, Jimmy once again mixed and poured some alcohol-laden long drinks which everyone took to, glad to have a reason for not saying anything. "Be careful with those, one of them is enough to make Superman fly wavy lines!" Jimmy teased.
"Can Superman actually get drunk?" Lucy inquired.
"I don't think so," Lois supposed. "Maybe, if he's suffering through the aftereffects of kryptonite exposure..." There was a speculative expression on her face.
"You don't actually intend to get a piece of that stuff in order to find out, do you?" Clark asked half-seriously.
"Would I ever do something like that? Never!" Lois answered, rolling her eyes.
Clark chose to change the subject quickly. So he started the next round of dice.
"Three!" he announced.
"One," moaned Lois.
"Four," said Jimmy.
"Another Four!" Lucy exclaimed, "Are we going to collaborate on a question and a potential dare, or are we going to settle it by other means?"
"I think I'd like to try collaboration. Your ideas are fun, but I prefer them pointed at someone but me," Jimmy answered. Lucy agreed, and they got up to go into the bedroom. Clark could hear their whispering voices but decided not to listen in on them.
Finally, Jimmy and Lucy returned, both looking very satisfied. It seemed as if they had settled on both a question and a dare. After they had sat down, Lucy cleared her throat: "We'd really like to know what your beloved did when she tried to seduce you," Lucy replied.
Clark felt his mouth go dry. "Lucy, I can't tell you that. It's.. it's kind of private!"
"Oh, come on, CK, you can tell us. We won't tell anybody about it." Jimmy glanced towards Lois.
"Jimmy, I really don't.." Clark started to explain, but was interrupted by Lois.
"Oh, please, Clark. We all want to hear this tale." Lois urged him.
"Lois, I can't believe you want me to tell everybody about it. I'm sure you won't like it." Clark tried to dissuade her, but Lois was determined.
"Let me be the judge of that!" She countered.
"Are you really sure?" Clark sound beaten. Lois nodded in encouragement.
"Well, she did..." Clark hesitated. "I really can't tell you!"
"Oh, come on, Clark, we all want to hear that nice little tale about Mayson," Lois prompted.
Clark looked at her, not believing his ears. He was breathing heavily when he finally began to answer, "Lois, this isn't about Mayson. It has never been about Mayson. If it had been her performing the Dance of the Seven Veils, I wouldn't even have been tempted; I'd have shown her the way out! At once, I might add!" Only when he saw the dumbfounded look on Lois' face did Clark realize what he had just said. So, Lois knew about his feelings for her. Clark was far from thrilled, but he couldn't take it back.
Jimmy looked at him in awe. "CK, did I hear you right? It sounded as if you were claiming to have resisted the Dance of the Seven Veils!" At Clark's nod, Jimmy continued, "Honestly, CK, you must be either a saint or Superman. There's no other explanation."
Clark resembled a deer in the headlights: Eyes wide open, mouth agape and completely unable to move. To his relief, nobody noticed because Lucy broke into a fit of giggling, thereby distracting Jimmy and Lois. When Lucy's giggles subsided, she managed to choke out, "Well, Lois' performance of that Dance is nothing short of legendary! She even taught me when I was sixteen."
Lois stiffened abruptly. While she was still trying to regain her speech, Clark replied, "Lucy, when did I ever said that it was Lois?"
"Admit it, Clark. Even a blind man could see that you're hopelessly in love with Lois," Lucy said, rolling her eyes at him and her sister.
Jimmy chuckled. "That would indeed explain quite a few things I've been wondering about."
Lois was completely flustered. Did he really love her? She couldn't believe it. It was impossible, considering how she had treated him. She used to look down on him, gushed over Superman in front of him - she even dismissed his proposal in favour of both Luthor and Superman. Even if there had been a chance for her at some time, she must have botched it a thousand times over.
While Lois' mind was still working furiously, Clark spoke up in his best Superman no-nonsense voice. "Lucy, stop that! I really don't need your interference." Lois realized that there was something familiar about his voice. Not Clark-like, but never the less oddly familiar. If she could just put her finger on it...
Lucy couldn't help herself. Ruffling Clark's feathers, knowing he was Superman, was fun, and she enjoyed it to no end. So, she decided to drive him even a little further to find out how far she could go. "So, what else did my sister do back then? I'm sure it was more than just dancing."
"I won't say anything about that night," Clark angrily shot back at her.
"So, you choose to take the dare. Gimme a minute," Lucy answered. Before even half a minute was over, she had an idea and a great one at that - one that would show that her assumption about Clark being in love with Lois was correct. Even Lois wouldn't be able to dismiss the hard evidence she was going to get... Lucy grinned at the image that popped up in her head, making her look like the cat that ate the canary.
"Your dare is quite simple. Just take Lois and set her down onto your lap," she dared Clark.
Clark and Lois both looked equally shocked. They exchanged a look, communicating silently. Finally, Clark came to a conclusion, wrapping his arms around Lois and gently picking her up.
"Clark Jerome Kent, don't you dare..." Lois started to object while he was carefully lowering her down onto his lap. Lois repeatedly hit him on his chest. In a desperate attempt to stop her from hurting herself and, thus, exposing him as Superman, he kissed Lois. At first, she stiffened, but within seconds she started to kiss him back. Clark would have liked to let the kiss continue forever, but he had the feeling that he'd better stop, or his body would betray him. So, he abruptly broke the kiss, grinning sheepishly at Lois. Seeing that she needed some more time to recover her bravado, he simply pulled her towards his chest and rested his chin on her hair, thereby nicely covering any possible reactions of his treacherous body.
