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From part 9:
Back in the living room, Lois grabbed the coat that she had lost somewhere in the process of nursing Clark. She wanted to go back to the hotel, but when she passed his sofa, she looked at it, longingly. Even though the hotel bed would be much more comfortable, the sofa seemed inexplicably inviting. Lois sighed. She was just as tired as Clark and Becca had been. She didn’t really want to return to a lonely hotel room. Lois remembered Clark’s kind offer to stay. Somehow it seemed natural to accept it. Lois glanced at her coat and made her decision. She placed it on a chair and went to fetch the blankets Clark had spoken of. Just a few minutes later she was lying on his sofa. It was even more comfortable than it looked like. It didn’t take her long to be sound asleep as well.
Part 10:
Clark wasn’t sure whether he had even moved once during the night. The exhaustion had rendered him almost paralyzed. But the night’s rest had driven away the soreness of his muscles. He was comfortable now and the pain was nothing but a terrible nightmare that had finally, finally faded. It hadn’t left him unchanged, though. Clark didn’t feel like he was back to normal. As soon as he had opened his eyes, he had tried out his x-ray vision. It didn’t work. Neither did any of his other powers. He couldn’t deny that he was worried. How could his powers be there in their full force for over ten years and fade in just a few minutes?
Clark looked towards Becca, who was awake as well. She was watching him, almost without blinking. Her glance didn’t leave him for a second as if she was waiting for something. She had watched his efforts to use his powers. It was hard to tell how much she had understood from what he was trying to do. Since nothing had happened, she could only have noticed the strained expression on his face. He turned towards her.
“Good morning, pumpkin,” he said, his voice firm now, totally unlike a few hours ago.
“Good morning daddy. How are you?” Her voice was trembling.
Clark could tell that she was worried and afraid that what had started yesterday would last throughout this day.
“Better, honey,” he replied, comfortingly.
Becca shot him a doubtful glance.
“Really!” he confirmed and got out of bed.
Clark stood on his own two feet, firm and solid. He smiled at Becca and went around the bed to sit down at her side.
“I was weak yesterday, but I’m not anymore. I don’t know where it came from. I felt terrible, out of the blue,” he explained and then bent down closer to Becca. He didn’t know if Lois was still there. So Clark decided to whisper the next part. “But, honey, whatever happened to me, it robbed me of my powers and they haven’t returned yet. I’m not sick anymore, but I’m not my normal self, either.”
“And how are we going to get to Smallville, now?” Becca asked in a normal voice.
Clark shrugged. “I don’t know, pumpkin. It’s too late to get a flight. I guess we’ve got to stay here.”
It was hard to see the disappointment in her face. She had been looking forward to see her grandparents. And so had they. Clark would have to call them, and after yesterday, he wanted to talk to his parents anyway.
“I’ll prepare us some breakfast, honey.”
He tousled her hair, giving her an apologetic look. He knew that this was hard on Becca. Christmas in Smallville was so magical and special. Hard as he might try, he couldn’t be as good as his mother. He didn’t have the power to turn Christmas into the really special occasion that it usually was. Clark always felt the spirit, but he wasn’t sure if he was able to cast the spell on others.
Clark got up again and went to the kitchen. On his way through the living room, he noticed – slightly surprised – that Lois was still there. She was sleeping on his sofa, cuddled into a blanket and was a most peaceful version of herself. As she was lying there, her expression relaxed and her hair a mess, she was even more adorable than ever before. Clark couldn’t help but stop at the sight of her. She looked darn good.
The most impressive about her were her lips. Lois was smiling in her sleep and her tender lips attracted his glance with a magical force. They had a soft shade of rose and Clark couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to touch them. He imagined the electrostatic shock between the two of them, if he should ever be allowed to kiss her. But that was just a dream, the kind that teenagers had. Clark should know better. He was grateful that they had decided to try friendship instead of fighting with each other, but he couldn’t really expect more to happen. This was all he would get, and maybe it was really better that way.
Clark sighed silently and forced himself to continue his way to the kitchen. The breakfast wouldn’t prepare itself. It didn’t take him long to make breakfast. Clark noticed more than once that he used his powers more often than he thought. The pan was hot and Clark almost burned himself before he took a towel to hold it. That wasn’t the only incident, but the most serious. Apart from that, Clark didn’t have too many problems in the kitchen. He decided to give his parents a quick call. He knew his mother; she would already be cleaning the house and would soon start cooking like she had invited Kansas in its entirety. Clark took the receiver and dialed the number. While waiting for his parents to take the call, he watched the food.
“Hello,” his mother said.
“Hi, mom, it’s me,” Clark replied, suddenly not so sure that he really wanted to talk to his parents. They would only be scared, and probably more than he already was. He was so used to his invulnerability that the threat of getting burns while cooking alone was frightening.
“Hi, honey.” Martha sounded surprised. Why shouldn’t she? After all they were supposed to see each other in a couple of hours. “You’re still at home? I thought that Becca would have already put you in your suit.”
The light-hearted teasing confused Clark for a moment. He noticed that his own good humor this morning was just a futile pretence. He tried to lead himself to believe that he didn’t really care whether he was super or not.
“Oh, yeah!” Clark chuckled in a weak attempt to sound sincerely amused. “I guess she would. But Mom, I’m afraid there is a problem. I can’t fly.” He mentioned it as if it was something incidental. Was he really attempting to play that down, as if he just wasn’t able to buy the bottle of wine that he had promised to bring? He had lost his powers for crying out loud!
“You can’t…what?” Martha gasped, shocked. Stunned silence followed. He couldn’t fool her. She was smart and she knew him. She had definitely heard the worried trembling in his voice; the suppressed panic.
“I don’t really know what happened, Mom. All I know is that I felt sick yesterday, and that I feel really normal today.” He tried to tell his mother everything without mentioning something that would raise any suspicion in Lois, in case she listened.
“Normal? As in ‘like any other guy’? You mean you…you’ve lost your powers?” Martha asked, sounding very worried.
“All of them. It’s possible they’re even gone for good.” Clark felt awkward as he said this.
Although he had always wanted to be a normal guy, he couldn’t help feeling sad now that he was. It was as if he had lost a vital part of himself. But at the same time, a strange relief was also welling up inside him. This meant that he could be free to really lead a normal life. He no longer heard any sirens in the city. He couldn’t listen to police radios and there were no cries for help. Clark knew it didn’t mean that someone had turned Metropolis into a peaceful place, just overnight. He could care for Becca without being haunted by the cries of the people he wasn’t saving. Clark shook his head. Who was he trying to fool? He didn’t actually hear those cries, but he knew they were there. It made him nervous because he imagined terrible disasters. His mind was busy thinking about fires and accidents all over Metropolis. Inwardly, he saw people dying violently because he couldn’t be there to help. Clark assumed that his imagination was probably a thousand times worse than the real emergencies that occurred, while he wasn’t listening.
He felt a strange ambivalence in addition to the panic that losing his powers had caused. Not having his powers meant that he didn’t need to pretend that he was normal. He just was. This was a good thing, considering that Lois was around. He vividly remembered the few moments in her hotel room… He hadn’t expected to see her again so soon, and most definitely not as Clark.
“Gone for good?” Martha muttered. “I don’t think so, honey.”
“They are a part of you, son.” Jonathan joined the conversation. “Whatever happened, I’m sure they will come back, Clark. It might take some time, but I’m sure they’ll return.”
“Tell us, what happened, Clark,” Martha pleaded him.
Tell them? They wouldn’t be satisfied with what he wanted to tell them. *Mom, Dad, I stepped into the back alley and when I left it I had lost my powers. Yeah, Clark! Great idea!* he thought. He didn’t want to mention the intense pain, the soreness and the angst back in that alley.
“Later, Mom. Lois is here.” He was grateful that Lois provided him with an excuse not to tell the whole story. “I’ll call you later. I just wanted to tell you that we won’t come. I’m so sorry,” Clark replied, sadly. How he had wished to spend Christmas with his parents. It was always so special. “I’m afraid we’re never going to get a flight today.”
“We understand, Clark. Get better, soon. We love you. Merry Christmas.”
They said good-bye to each other and Clark hung up. He sighed and turned around and flinched as he saw Lois’ face right in front of him.
“Good morning, Lois,” he greeted her, startled. Clark wondered how much she had heard of the conversation with his parents.
“You should be in bed!” she retorted, almost angrily.
Her brows were furrowed as she watched him in his upright position. He didn’t notice that Lois stole a glance of his bare chest, still fascinated by the firm muscles.
“Good morning, Clark,” he muttered wryly, trying to hide his real state of mind. After a brief pause, he continued. “I’m feeling better, now, Lois. Thanks for your help, yesterday. Would you like to have breakfast?” Clark hoped that the prospect of food would distract her from his strange illness.
“What was that, Clark? I’ve barely seen anyone in a worse condition than you, yesterday.”
As she was speaking, Lois placed her hand on his forehead, again. She obviously noticed that his temperature was back to normal. Clark sighed inwardly. Food obviously didn’t suffice to change the topic.
He shrugged. “I don’t know, really. Maybe I ate something bad.” He hadn’t eaten at all, but he wouldn’t tell her that. “So, how about breakfast?”
Lois nodded. “Yeah, breakfast would be great,” she said and gave him a broad smile.
Clark grinned at her and called Becca. His little whirlwind appeared, but stopped dead in her tracks as she recognized Lois.
“I offered her to spend the night at our apartment, pumpkin,” Clark explained as he noticed Becca’s expression. “It was too late for her to go home, really.”
The furrowed brows on the little girl’s face vanished. “Good morning.” It didn’t even sound angry.
Clark was well aware of Becca’s resentments concerning Lois Lane. But she behaved in an almost friendly manner towards her, which relieved him. He wasn’t up to appeasing the two of them.
“Good morning, Becca. Did you sleep well?” Lois asked with a slightly insecure smile.
“Yes, Ms…” Becca started, not completely sure of the right way to address Lois.
“Call me Lois. Thank you for your help, yesterday,” Lois replied and turned to Clark. “You should thank her as well, Clark. The cold compresses were her work. Well, almost…”
Clark was at a loss for words. He looked from the woman to the little girl and back again. He didn’t really know what had happened. Somehow, whatever had changed him, had obviously also influenced them. But as he examined them closer, he noticed that the friendly atmosphere was a façade. They still didn’t trust each other, but had both decided to give each other a second chance. It was a weak truce and Clark hoped that Lois wouldn’t blow it the next second. She was quite good at that. Nobody knew that better than him.
“Anybody hungry?” he asked, with his best puppy dog eyes.
It annoyed him that he couldn’t come up with a better idea than breakfast to distract Lois and Becca. He only hoped that it would work. Lois and Becca nodded and sat down at the kitchen table. Clark poured Lois a cup of coffee, while Becca started eating silently. She glanced at the two adults. They didn’t talk to each other, either. It was a rather awkward atmosphere and Clark felt forced to turn it into one of the light-hearted conversations that he usually enjoyed at the table. The only problem was that he didn’t feel light-hearted. It was the same with Becca after he had told her that a flight to Smallville was out of question.
“So, Lois, what have you planned for Christmas?”
“Christmas!” Lois snorted. “I don’t plan Christmas, I’m trying to survive it.”
“Survive?” Becca gave her a very confused glance.
Well, that started out just wonderful. The truce hadn’t even lasted three seconds. Clark groaned inwardly. Someone wanted to punish him for whatever sin he had committed. He didn’t know what it could be, but it had to have been a really bad one. This was going to be the worst Christmas ever. Maybe survive was actually just the right term. He didn’t say it, though.
Lois was about to reply something as Clark interrupted her. “Lois was just joking, honey. Right, Lois?”
His voice sounded somewhat threatening as if to warn Lois to keep her tongue in check before she spoke again. For a brief moment Clark was afraid that Lois would ignore the obvious hint. It would be typical for her. But apparently she remembered that they had buried the hatchet. Lois chose to remain silent instead of taking back her statement. She seemed to be thinking about what she should say next. Clark decided to step into the breech.
“Becca and I wanted to fly to Smallville, today. But the flight was cancelled, unfortunately.” ‘Cancelled’ was an interesting description for what had happened to him, he mused. “So we’ll have to stay in Metropolis. I’ll still have to find a way to make it up to Becca.”
“So you’ve got an awful lot to do today, Clark, don’t you?” Lois asked, sympathetically.
“Oh, it’ll be okay,” he replied with a shrug, and grinned. “Actually I hope it’ll be fun. What about you, Lois? Did you find a new place to stay?”
She shook her head. “They still think that their house is going to explode the moment that I appear in front of their door.” Lois sighed sadly. “I’m really fed up with that hotel and so far nobody has been kind enough to burn it down. You would think that the arsonists would have tried again in the last three weeks. These landlords are such airheads! They just don’t understand that I wasn’t the target.”
Clark couldn’t help but laugh at Lois’outburst. “Would you like to spend Christmas with us? You don’t seem to have anything planned and I think that Becca and I will feel a bit lonely without my parents.”
Lois watched Clark in disbelief and he was already expecting to get another taste of Lois Lane’s offenses. He even started searching for words to defend himself and Becca. It wasn’t necessary, though. Lois Lane surprised him.
“You would really invite me for Christmas?” she asked, stunned and somewhat excited.
“Well, that’s what I just said, Lois. Of course, if you want to be with your family, we would understand that.”
Lois chuckled, and then suddenly burst into laughter. “My family? Yeah, good joke, Kent.” But for once the use of his last name didn’t sound offensive. She had said it gently. Lois turned serious again. “Clark, my family is awful, really. They would kill each other on Christmas. Maybe that’s why I never really feel the Christmas spirit. I don’t know.”
“So, you’ll stay?” Clark insisted.
He felt a flutter in his belly. Somehow, it seemed inexplicably promising to him that he would spend some time with Lois. It was unbelievable. Usually he tried to avoid being too close to her.
“I’ll stay,” she agreed. “But don’t expect me to be too cheered up about Christmas.”
Becca’s face had darkened. She didn’t look as if she liked the prospect of having to share her dad with Lois. But she reminded herself that Lois had helped her daddy. Becca wasn’t allowed to forget that.
“I bet you will be at the end of the day. You’ve never seen Becca’s smiling face on Christmas Eve. It’s contagious.” Clark said, sounding more convinced then he actually felt.
to be continued...
