Here you go with another part. I hope you like it, though I'm afraid it won't bring too much light into the mystery's darkness. The next part will, I promise.
From Part 10
Lois placed the receiver back in the cradle and got up to get ready for the Daily Planet; ready to face Clark Kent. *Oh, God.* Lois groaned as she remembered the kiss. Weary as she had been this morning, she had only seen its pleasantries. Now she realized that this could be the overture to a catastrophe. She had kissed him and he had responded, but what did that mean? Was he going to be mad because she had kissed him without his permission? What would she have said if he had been the one who just bent down to capture her lips in such a kiss? She wouldn’t have complained, Lois thought dreamily. Absolutely not!
Serendipitous Infinity
Part 11
It wasn’t true; Lois had to admit that to herself. She would have complained, because she was an independent woman, because no one could just decide to kiss her. There was a threshold towards intimacy that couldn’t be crossed that easily. If the crossing happened, it should be consensual, regardless if it was a man or a woman who made the first step. What would Clark say? Had he even felt the same electricity, the same tension between them? Or had he just given in, afraid to hurt her and to lose her friendship. Had he simply not dared say no?
Lois wondered if she could even have this kind of effect on men. When she had last seen Claude, he had called her cold, frigid. Maybe she wasn’t attractive enough to make a man want to stay with her forever. People called her Mad Dog Lane. Who would want to be close to a mad dog? A little surprised, Lois realized that she was already thinking about Clark in a romantic way. What was the matter with her? It had been just a kiss. For love, there had to be much more than this. There had to be deep trust and similar interests. They needed something to talk about in the evenings. She wasn’t going to mistake the mere attraction between two people for unconditional endless love. That didn’t exist anyway. But everything else was second best for Lois. She wouldn’t go for the second best, she had learned that. Her father, Claude and Paul had taught her. Lois wouldn’t be so silly ever again.
* * *
He was a nut case. There was no other way to put it. With her kiss, Lois had sucked out his brains, leaving nothing but emptiness and a dull feeling of floating in his head. Clark kept looking at the floor, assuring himself that he was still earthbound. It was ridiculous; Becca had asked him three times to prepare something for her lunchbox before he had actually done it. She had needed to pull him into the right direction as they were on their way to school. And the way back to the Daily Planet had ended up in a detour and almost an accident. He couldn’t think of anything but Lois.
Well, that wasn’t new, actually. But until now, he had been able to stop thinking about her long enough to make his way to work without major problems. Today, that was rather doubtable. Maybe, it was because he knew now how being loved by Lois Lane might feel. Or maybe it was because no erotic dream he had had before had ever been as good as the one this morning. Or he was just scared to death, knowing that it would kill him if she’d murmur an apology today. What happened if she said that this had been a bad mistake? Or even worse: if she blamed him for this? If she turned her back on him, hating him for the rest of his, then certainly short, life.
Had it been his kiss more than hers? Had it been his fault that it hadn’t remained a platonic kiss on the cheek? Had he interpreted things wrong, blinded by the wishful thinking and longing her earlier kiss had caused? Maybe it wasn’t him who she had kissed, but Superman? There it was, the proof. He was a nut case. Clark shook his head, trying to clear it. He didn’t want to knock out an innocent passerby. He didn’t really want to go to work either. He was scared to death, knowing that the morning might hold more source of hurt for him than a dark ally or Child Services could.
But he went on, placing one foot in front of the other, unconsciously. It would look strange if he didn’t show up at the office today. After all, there was something he needed to tell Lois. Something he hadn’t been able to tell her yesterday, partially because she had been kind of distracting. And he hadn’t been able to come up with a good idea as to why he had heard it and how. Clark Kent wouldn’t have passed the Smithsonian Institute of Metropolis on his way back from the train accident. He wouldn’t even have gotten close to the building without breaking fences and laws.
So, now that he thought of it, he had to lie to Lois. Or tell her that Superman had told him. She would be fuming. Why did the hero tell her dumb partner when she had kissed his cheek yesterday? But Clark figured that it was preferable to end up having to deal with a furious Lois as opposed to lying to her. If she found out the truth, she would consider him a pathological liar, she would never be able to trust him *ever* again.
Without really noticing it, Clark had crossed the Planet’s lobby and had stepped into one of the elevators. Before he even knew it, he was in the newsroom. Everything looked as usual, but why shouldn’t it? Because Lois had kissed him? Because he had returned the kiss? Clark went down the ramp towards his desk, almost surprised that no one shot him knowing glances. But what was he expecting? That Jimmy would ask what touching Lois’ lips felt like? For Heaven’s sake, it was just a kiss, nothing out of the ordinary. He hadn’t made love to her; it had just been a kiss.
Clark reached his desk and sank down in his chair with a heavy sigh. He needed to gather his concentration; this wasn’t the right place for daydreams. He looked around, trying to go back to his daily routine. It was almost embarrassing that it started with finding Lois. But she was his partner, why wouldn’t he want to see her? Clark forced his concentration back to the pleasant task. He didn’t see her, but he could hear her, talking with Perry. She was in his office. Now that this was done, his mind went blank. What was to come next?
He glanced at the computer and booting it up seemed like a good idea. Clark groaned. This was going to be a long day. He was completely useless and could only hope that no one called for Superman today. He would end up appearing with a blue spandex suit and a charcoal jacket instead of a cape. Perhaps a loose tie would make the outfit perfect. Just at that moment, he heard sirens and frantic cries for help. It was a bad car accident. *Okay, Kent. Go to the staircase. Red boots, a red cape and a blue suit. Does Superman wear glasses? Probably not.*
* * *
When Lois stepped out of the editor’s office, she realized, embarrassed, that she hardly knew what he had been talking about. She had tried to make herself believe that she could forget about Clark, that she could continue working with him professionally. But as soon as she had set foot back into the newsroom, she had searched for him frantically. He hadn’t been at his desk or anywhere else for that matter. Clark still wasn’t there, or was he? Lois noticed his coat that was hanging across his chair. So he had been there. But now he was nowhere to be seen. Lois sighed inaudibly. She wanted to work and she needed her partner.
Lois went to her desk, sitting down on her chair. She was supposed to read a press release, but her eyes wandered over to Clark’s empty desk. She hoped that he would return soon; he couldn’t have gone far without his coat. He would come back, Lois thought slightly nervously.
Her telephone rang three times before Lois had made her way back to reality and was ready to talk and listen to anyone. She took a deep breath and answered the phone.
“Lois Lane.”
“What’s the matter with you? The Lois I know doesn’t lose chocolate on her way to work.”
“Bobby?” Lois asked, surprised. “What are you talking about?” She was confused. Bobby almost never called her, dreading that he wouldn’t get the usual amount of food if he was giving away information so freely.
“A whole box of double fudge crunch bars was on the top of your car when you drove off. Of course it fell down on the street. Thanks Lois. This was a nice way to start the day. Tell me if you plan on losing more of them. I’ll be around,” Bobby replied with laughter.
“Bobby, why are you calling?” a mildly annoyed Lois wanted to know.
“Well, thanks to your chocolate I feel able to tell you that I’ve got more information concerning your mysterious savior. The people who run the Laundromat couldn’t recall his name, but they could describe him. He’s tall and has dark hair, he wears glasses. They said he was rather nervous, oh, and he was with a little girl, his daughter maybe.” Bobby said.
“That’s all, Bobby?” Lois was disappointed.
“Lois, honestly, what do you expect to get for a tiny box of chocolate?” Bobby ended the conversation and Lois hung up. This didn’t really help her. Bobby’s description was anything but exact. On the other hand, it was enough for Lois to doubt her former theory. Would an arsonist bring his daughter to a crime scene? Probably not. But who had saved her?
“Good morning, Lois,” Clark interrupted her thoughts.
She looked up; saw his soft smile, his dark hair and his glasses. He had a daughter. Lois blinked. No, that was impossible. Clark couldn’t have saved her; he didn’t even know where she lived before the fire. And why should he keep this a secret? Lois dismissed the thought. She would speak with the owners of this laundromat as soon as possible.
“Good morning, Clark,” Lois said and turned towards him.
“Did Bobby tell you anything interesting?” he asked. “I only heard the last part of the conversation.” Clark added, blushing slightly, obviously embarrassed at having overheard. Lois had the feeling that they were returning to their awkwardly polite way of talking to each other.
“I’m still trying to find out who saved me from the flames.” Lois answered.
“And he wasn’t able to tell you?”
“No he wasn’t. He gave me a description, but that could fit on almost anybody,” Lois replied sadly.
Clark had heard more of the conversation than he was ready to admit. Inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief. His heart had skipped a beat as Bobby had mentioned his daughter. At that moment, Clark had been almost sure that Lois would guess the truth. He was awfully afraid of that moment. Clark didn’t want to tell her. If there really was anything between them, he would have to tell her some day, but right now that seemed impossible. He had carefully hidden his secret from the world and even Lily hadn’t known. He hadn’t told one of the most important persons in his life.
She had been his friend in times of trouble. Lily had come to him when he hadn’t wanted to see anyone, because he was afraid that he could set someone on fire accidentally. He had tried to make her go away, but Lily hadn’t left. She had just smiled and said that if he didn’t want to see her, she would sit down behind him. And then she had laid her arms around him and told him about her latest fight with her parents. Clark had taken her hands in his and they had supported each other. She hadn’t asked what he was upset about, she had just been there. Even Lily had never known, so how could he trust Lois with this secret?
Clark started telling Lois what he had heard the previous evening. He said that he had met Superman this morning, that the hero had told him about this. Lois listened patiently and waited for him to tell her everything before she commented on it. Clark knew that this was another trace that led to Smallville. Maybe Lois would come to Smallville with him and Becca? He wasn’t sure whether this made him happy or not. Part of him was very happy about the prospect, but he was also afraid that this would end in a catastrophe.
“Smallville again,” Lois muttered. “And what did Superman say…robur viridis? Do you know what this means, Clark?”
“I can look it up,” Clark replied, blushing. He had completely forgotten about it this morning. “Maybe you can call the Smithsonian Institute and make an appointment with Hugh Danes. I’m pretty sure that he will be able to tell us more about this.”
to be continued...
