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Platonic
Part 2/?
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It was nearly three o'clock when they reached the tiny town of Braddock, located high in the Copper Mountains.
"Kent and Lane?" a dark-haired man asked as they got out of the Jeep. "We were starting to think you weren't going to make it," he said pointedly and looked at his watch. He had a scraggly beard that gave him a vaguely unsavory look.
Lois, who had stopped talking to Clark nearly fifty miles back when he first began to point out they were going to be late, now fought the urge to say something sarcastic. She settled for, "We still have ten minutes until we're supposed to depart."
The man looked at his watch again and frowned. "Yes, and there are still waivers for you to sign and your gear to stow. Get your gear on the trailer; we leave at exactly three o'clock."
Lois gave Clark a disbelieving look, one eyebrow raised. "This is the man who's supposed to be teaching us about interpersonal relationships?"
"No, that would be me." Lois turned to see a pudgier and grayer version of the impatient man she had been talking about. He held his hand out to her, "I'm Dave, that guy is my brother Rich. He's the outdoorsman. I'm the therapist."
Dave beamed at them, seemingly delighted that they were there. He cheerfully gestured behind him at the small group of people who were now climbing inside the dark-colored van with 'Elliot Outfitters' emblazoned on the side. Two canoes were secured on top of the van. Three more canoes were strapped to a trailer behind the van.
"Let's not antagonize Rich any more than we have to, even if it is fun. Get your gear on the trailer and we'll make our introductions as we drive."
Everyone else was in the van by the time they had moved their gear on to the trailer and secured it. Lois climbed in first, working her way along the side of the van to the only free seat left in the very back. Clark sat down next to her and she scooted across the bench seat until she was practically hugging the window. It was hot in the van and she wondered if the air conditioning was broken or if it just didn't reach all the way to the back. Unfortunately the window didn't look like it opened. Hopefully they wouldn't be in the van long. Lois wasn't sure why - she had never been claustrophobic before - but she was definitely feeling that way now.
Dave, sitting next to the door on the first bench, slid the door shut. The van made a careful half-circle in the parking lot before pulling out onto the road. Once they were on their way, Dave turned in his seat to address them all.
"Hello!" he chirped and then tilted his head slightly, waiting.
"Hello," they all chorused back with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
"I'm Dave Elliot and this gentleman is my brother Rich," he gestured to Rich, who was sitting in the front passenger seat. "About six years ago we decided to leave the rat race behind and do what we really loved, which is living in the great outdoors and helping people unlock their potential. The idea for these sessions has evolved over time. We started out working with corporations who wanted intensive team-building activities. This summer is the first season we've included couple's therapy. I have to tell you, we've had great success so far this year and I'm certain this group will be no different."
Ahead of them the other couples all gave each other smiles or a little kiss. Lois rolled her eyes. Dave was far too cheerful and positive. He simply had no idea what he was up against. Still, everyone had to learn to live with failure. At least he was a therapist - he'd get over it.
"So let's all introduce ourselves, shall we?" Dave turned to the couple sitting next to him. They appeared to be in their thirties, both of them blond and tanned, and they looked like bookends. They were even dressed alike, Lois noted with disgust. Heaven help them both if she started dressing like Clark.
"Hi, I'm Bob Musgrove," the man said. "And this is my wife, Jenny."
"We've been married for seven years now," Jenny added, looking over her shoulder at the rest of them. "We have a son, Dustin, he's three. He's staying with his grandparents while we're gone."
The couple behind the Musgroves introduced themselves as Jim and Brenda Sinclair. They had been married for twenty-eight years and had three children. Their youngest son had just left for college and they were coming on this trip as a way to reconnect. Both of them looked far younger than their stated ages of fifty-five and fifty-three, respectively.
The next couple were George and Debbie Rawlins. They had been married for two years. George looked like he was rapidly losing his hair. Debbie was slim and small, with auburn hair in a long thick braid.
"We're talking about having a baby," George said. From the strained smile on Debbie's face, Clark got the impression that George was the only one talking about it.
"And what about you two?" Dave asked after neither Lois nor Clark volunteered any information about themselves. "Married?"
"I'm Clark Kent and this is Lois Lane." He hesitated for a moment before adding, "We're engaged." They were supposed to be a couple on this outing, after all. He hated to force her hand on this one, but it seemed necessary.
Lois choked on a sudden cough and flashed Clark a sweet smile that promised retribution later. Then she turned her attention to the van's window, looking for a latch or a way to open it and get some air.
"Wonderful!" Dave turned further around in his seat to grin at them. "Do you have a date set for the wedding?"
"No," Clark admitted. "We're, uh, we're still kinda sorting through our options."
"How did you two meet?" Dave asked.
"We work together," Lois said before Clark could invent another outrageous lie. "It's a bad idea, isn't it? Dating your co-worker?"
Dave laughed. "Not necessarily. There are a lot of factors. How closely do you work together? How flexible are you willing to be? I think you can make just about any relationship work if you're willing to be flexible."
"Only if you can respect each other's judgment and share big decisions," Lois said pointedly.
"Well, of course." Dave cast a curious look at Clark.
"But don't you also have to be tolerant and realize that sometimes the greater good has to come first?" Clark asked lightly.
Dave tapped a finger against his lips and nodded sagely. "Tolerance and understanding are the cornerstones of any relationship."
"Yes, and honesty and respect are the other two." Lois gave up on opening the window and lifted the collar of her t-shirt and vented it in an effort to cool down. "I can't trust anyone who can't be honest with me or respect my opinions."
"I respect your opinions," Clark told her. Seeing Dave still watching them, he shrugged and said to him, "I guess you can see why we decided to give counseling a shot."
Dave gave him a smile. "I think it's wonderful that you can be so direct with each other. The fact that you're both here is proof that you want things to work."
Clark didn't have the heart to tell him that their only other choice was unemployment.
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Lois was becoming worried. They had driven through a long canyon and now the van was on a narrow, winding road that was climbing higher and higher above the canyon floor. It was a breathtakingly beautiful view, but the van's driver seemed a little too nonchalant about where the edge of the road was. It was okay, she told herself. If, heaven forbid, they went over the edge, Clark would figure out a way to save them.
She looked away from the window, feeling more than a little dizzy now. Just as she was certain they were never going to stop, the van pulled into a muddy turnout and the driver turned off the engine.
"Today will be a crash course in using a map and compass to arrive at a specific site. We've marked the trail we'll be following on your maps, just in case we become separated. If you think you're lost, sit down at the side of the trail and wait. We'll come find you. Understood? Good. Now everyone pick out a canoe and bring it along. It's only a little over a mile to the river. From there we'll head downstream about seven miles to the lake. We'll cross the lake and set up our base camp."
"Base camp?" Debbie repeated, looking almost as overwhelmed as Lois felt. "We can rest when we get there, right?"
"I know," Rich said reassuringly, "it sounds like a lot. But we have a good five hours of daylight left so just go at your own pace. Although I should warn you, the last couple to arrive will be assigned tonight's camp chores. Part of your training out here is learning to work as a team. I believe that competition only motivates when there's a clear goal or reward to win."
Lois smirked, feeling a little more magnanimous towards Clark suddenly. Between her competitive streak and his natural talent there was simply no way in hell they could lose.
"So, this base camp, we'll be staying there for the rest of the time? We're not going to have to haul everything to a new location every day, are we?" Debbie still looked a little nervous.
"We have a couple of long hikes and lots of other activities planned but we'll spend the next seven nights at base camp. The last two days will be spent navigating down the river to pull out." Rich clapped his hands together and then gestured towards the canoes. "Get your stuff and a canoe and let's get going. You'll find a map and a compass taped to one of the seats in your canoe."
The group moved to the canoes. Jim and Brenda loaded their gear into a canoe and lifted it above their heads, moving off down the trail immediately behind Dave and Rich. Lois opened her backpack, taking out a floppy hat and a pair of sunglasses and putting them on.
The van pulled away, giving them a friendly honk before it disappeared around a corner.
Debbie and George put their packs on and lifted their canoe above their heads, moving off down the trail. Bob and Jenny had loaded their gear into their canoe and were now experimenting with how best to carry it. They finally decided to hold it near their waists. They disappeared over a rise in the trail and Lois turned to Clark.
"Okay, here's what we should do - you fly the canoe and our stuff to the lake and then come back for me."
"What?" Clark shook his head. "No way."
"I'm sorry?" The smile she had plastered on her face began to fade away.
"I said, 'no way'. I'm not going to cheat, Lois. We're here to work as a team. And if that means carrying a canoe for a mile, then we're going to carry a canoe for a mile. Besides, it's not worth the risk of getting caught."
"A mile? Are you kidding?" Lois dumped her backpack into the canoe in frustrated dismay. "You're really going to make me haul this canoe in the hot sun for a mile?"
"Look at this way, you'll have shade." Clark bent to pick up the back end of the canoe. "Let's portage."
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After only fifty yards Lois was ready to scream. They had stopped three times already, still trying to find a way to work together. They had started with their packs and gear loaded in the canoe, only to lose it all when her grip slipped and she dropped the front end of the canoe. After that they had put on their backpacks after lashing their sleeping bags to the bottom. Clark had tied the bag with their tent to his pack as well. They stopped again when her sleeping bag fell off her pack. Clark fastened it to one of the crossbeams on the canoe. On the final stop they had turned the canoe upside down to give both of them a better grip.
Irritated by the canoe follies and spoiling for a fight, Lois didn't try to hide the scorn in her voice as she asked, "Engaged, huh?"
"I figured that way you'd have to talk to me. It's supposed to be couple's therapy, you know."
"I just hope you realize that sharing a tent with you isn't going to give you any kind of conjugal rights."
Clark could feel the blush creeping up the back of his neck. He didn't answer her, certain that no matter what he said it would be the wrong thing.
After a few minutes of silence Lois decided to try another conversation so she wouldn't have to pay attention to the way her arms were beginning to ache. "So what are we? Seriously? If we're supposed to be working towards an improved relationship while we're here, that is. What do you see as the likely outcome?"
This time he knew exactly what to say. "I want us to be friends again."
"Friends can mean a lot of different things. Casual friends? Friends who once dated? Friends who hang out together? Or just a friend from work that you only see during daylight hours? What kind of friend do you want me to be?"
Clark sighed and shifted the canoe slightly. Ahead of him Lois stumbled at the added weight. "Sorry," he told her, pulling up on the canoe to take more of the burden which only made her grab frantically for it when it lifted away.
"Clark! Make up your mind! Are you helping or hindering?"
"Sorry," he said again, eyeing the taut line of her arms as she re-established control of the front end of the canoe. She had wrapped those arms around his neck so many times in an embrace. A month had not muted his sense of loss at the fact that she never would hold him like that again.
"We're dead last, you know," she grumbled. "Dead last and probably lost to boot."
"We're not lost," he told her.
"Wanna bet?"
"Lois, do you know what the number one way not to get lost is?"
"Always know which way is north?" she ventured.
"Never leave the trail."
"Why would I leave the trail? Do you see how you undermine me? You're implying that you think I'm going to get lost out here, aren't you?"
"No, of course not." Clark shook his head - how could she twist his words so completely? Had she ever truly understood him or was this new denseness on her part just her latest way to punish him?
"I suppose you never get lost, do you?" she snarked.
"Not really, no."
"Is that because you never leave the trail?"
"No," he grinned. "It's because I always know which way is north."
"Smarta*s," she muttered under her breath, knowing full well he could hear her.
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Lois entered their tent, zipped the flap closed and then crawled to her sleeping bag. She flopped face first onto it and rested her head on her tired arms.
"I was starting to wonder if the mosquitoes had carried you off," Clark said without looking up from the book he was reading.
She didn't reply. It had been the longest day of her life. She had driven for hours, carried a canoe for over a mile, paddled until her arms were sore and then helped to pitch a tent that had a mind of its own. After that she had to help gather firewood, start a fire and haul three buckets of water from the lake to use for cleaning up after dinner.
Dinner. Her lips curled in disgust at the memory. Obviously Perry loved his wife more than his employees because "food" was the wrong word to describe their dinner. It was ostensibly spaghetti, but it had been freeze-dried and then reconstituted. She had picked at it glumly. In the end she only finished her portion because she knew that a hunger strike wasn't going to fix anything.
It was all too much, really, and having to pee in the woods was just the final straw. Not that she was going to give Clark the satisfaction of knowing just how much she loathed being in the mountains. Especially with him. Their first assignment, given to them as they had all huddled around the fire after dinner was to look back on the day and compare their individual communication styles after they got back to their tents. Clark had actually taken the assignment seriously but she had been in no mood to talk to him, opting instead to put her boots back on, grab a flashlight, and wander around outside.
By daylight their base camp had seemed ruggedly beautiful. They were camped on the edge of an alpine meadow boarded by a thick forest of spruce that gave way to a massive cliff wall that rose nearly a thousand feet high. They had set up camp roughly a hundred yards from the lake. The sense of isolation had been thrilling - until the sun went down. In the dark that isolation and the eerie quiet of the mountains now felt creepy and ominous to her. When her teeth began to chatter from the rapidly increasing cold she had finally scurried back to their tent and its relative warmth and safety.
Lois sat up now, determined to put on more layers than just the flannel pajama bottoms and long-sleeved t-shirt that she was currently wearing. She pulled her boots off and tossed them towards the tent's entrance. Her left boot bounced off of Clark's shin and she kind of wished that could have hurt him, just a little bit. She allowed herself a grim little smile - how did he like her style of communication now?
"Hey, campers! Mind if I come in?" Rich asked from outside their tent.
"Um, no, come on in." Even as she said the words she wondered where exactly Rich planned to sit. Between them and their backpacks there was precious little room left in the tent. It supposed to be a two-man tent but she thought the manufacturer was being overly optimistic. She reached into her backpack and pulled out the sweatshirt she had packed and put it on.
Rich settled for unzipping the flap and sticking his head in. "I'm just checking up on everyone." He paused and his smile suddenly looked more genuine. "You know, it gets pretty cold here at night. You'd be better off to zip your bags together and spoon. Good night!" With a growl of the tent's zipper he was gone.
"Don't even think about it," Lois warned, yanking a pair of socks out of her backpack to put on over the ones she was already wearing.
"Hey, I'm not the one who gets cold." Clark fought the urge to smile and tried to concentrate on his book. It was hard to do since Rich's comment about spooning had now captured his imagination.
"You're also not the one whose arms hurt. Why couldn't you have just paddled a little harder? We should have been the first ones here!"
"Lois, we lost time carrying the canoe." He didn't look up from his book, which just irritated her even more.
"That's exactly my point! You could have carried it alone. I can't believe you made me help."
"This from the woman who complained that I couldn't be just an ordinary guy?" The words on the pages in front of him made absolutely no sense to him anymore, but he didn't put the book down.
"That was entirely different," she countered.
"So maybe this time I'm doing it for me and not you."
"You don't care that I'm sore and tired?" She scowled at him, willing him to put the book aside and talk to her. She'd have plenty to "share" tomorrow morning when Dave asked about their communication styles. And, unlike Clark, she wasn't about to sugar-coat it or outright lie to everyone about the true nature of their relationship.
"Of course I care. But part of the point of being here is to work as a team. Out here we're completely equal. You have to do your part." He tried to keep the words mild, but he could feel an anger equal to hers begin to bubble up inside him. She had ignored him for the past month and now his purpose in life was to accommodate her whims?
"You just never run out of ways to punish me, do you?" She found another pair of socks and put them on her hands as makeshift mittens.
"Why would I want to punish you?" Clark looked over his book at her, bemused to see her unsuccessfully trying to zip closed her backpack. He thought about suggesting she take the socks off her hands to do it but knew that would just be pouring gasoline on the fire.
"For turning you down. I sometimes think you broke my heart just to get even." She gave the zipper another ineffectual tug. She knew that he was watching and it only made her feel even more inept.
"Lois, I never meant to hurt you. I should never have called things off with you like that."
"Oh ho," she said, latching onto his choice of words. "It's not that you're sorry you broke up with me, is it? You're just sorry you did it like that!"
He sighed and didn't answer. Instead he put the book aside and propped himself up on one elbow to face her as she continued to vent.
"In all this time, Clark, you've never even once tried to see things from my perspective, have you? Whereas I, well, I actually tried to look at it from your point of view. And do you know what? It still doesn't make any sense! If you don't want me, that's fine. But don't expect me to be all friendly and happy about it," she said flatly and pushed her backpack away, giving up on getting it closed.
"Lois," he said softly, "it was never because I didn't want you. It was because you're safer..."
"That is such utter and complete crap that I don't even know where to start. What about your parents? Are you no longer seeing them for their protection?"
"That's different. My parents aren't in Metropolis all the time. And they aren't constantly putting themselves in danger."
"My god, you are the densest person alive! Did Bob Fences lure me there on some pretext because he knew about you? No! He didn't! He had no clue! Do you realize how stupid your logic is on that one?"
"Lois..."
"I'm done talking to you. Please just leave me alone." She climbed inside her sleeping bag and wished she were somewhere - anywhere - else. She went to zip the bag closed but had to pull off a sock to do it, letting out a frustrated growl in the process.
Clark turned off the lantern. It seemed safer to let the subject drop. If he left the light on they'd only continue to argue. Lois sighed, tossing and turning so that her feet kicked against his legs as she moved. He knew she was trying to get warm and comfortable but it was still irritating. He wasn't about to remind her of Rich's advice. The thought of spooning with her now was singularly unattractive. Finally he couldn't take her pointed sighs and restlessness any longer. It was as though she was blaming him for the cold outside.
"You know," his voice broke the darkness, "there is some sense in what Rich said about zipping the bags..."
"No. I'd say when hell freezes over but I'm already in hell and it's freezing and there's still no chance of that happening. What part of 'I'm very upset with you' are you not getting?"
"Suit yourself."
She could hear him turn away as he said the words. She shivered further down into the sleeping bag and promised herself that she would find a way to make Perry pay for this. A few minutes of quiet went by as she plotted and then--
"You could put a hat on," he said.
"What?"
"The majority of your body heat is lost through the top of your head. You could put a hat on."
"A hat?" she snapped. "The only hat I brought was for shade. I didn't realize we were going to be exposed to freezing temperatures."
Clark decided not to point out that 'near-freezing nighttime temps' was specifically mentioned as a factor on the list of required equipment. "Pull the bag over your head."
"And then I'll suffocate!"
"Never mind then."
She let out one more irritated sigh, an obvious indictment of his failures in general, and then she ceased to be restless. He didn't dare ask if it was because she was feeling warm at last.
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End 2/?
Is anyone reading this on the PG boards? If you are, let me know. Otherwise I'm just taking up bandwidth and I'll stop cluttering the board.
