Previously:
"Are you saying I messed up today?" she asked defensively, pulling her hand away from him.
"No." He caught her wrist and sat up, putting her hand to his chest so she could feel his heart hammering nervously inside him. "I'm telling you that I'm grateful you gave me a second chance. Please give me a third chance, Lois. And a fourth. And a fifth. Or however many chances that it takes. I'll do whatever you want. Be reckless or whatever it is that you need. Just don't push me away, Lois. Talk to me about whatever it is and we'll find a way to work it out, okay?"
"Okay," she whispered as her throat tightened and tears came to her eyes. She should apologize. She should say something, anything, instead of lying here in silence.
In the end he spoke again first. "Lois? Can I ask you another question?"
"Sure."
"Did you go in the river on purpose?"
She was quiet for a few seconds as she thought about the answer. Finally she whispered, "Yes."
Conflicting emotions raced through him. Anger, fear, amusement, irritation and frustration all warred for prominence. She was never going to back down, he realized. She was always going to be Lois. Maybe, in another twenty years, he'd have her figured out. Then again, maybe the attraction lay in the mystery? He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You really do amaze me," he said softly.
Lois frowned. Did he really think flattery was going to fix this? "In a good way, I hope."
"Not always," he admitted. "But most of the time."
She pulled her hand from his chest. "I didn't go in the river to worry you. Or because I wanted you to rescue me. I'm grateful for the times that you have, don't get me wrong, but I find it insulting that you think I couldn't survive two minutes without you."
"That's not what I meant." Clark tamped down his frustration. How in the world had she misunderstood him so completely?
"Good night, Clark." She rolled over, facing away from him, and snuggled down deeper into her sleeping bag.
"Good night," he answered after a few seconds. "Sweet dreams."
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Part 13/13
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Lois was falling. She screamed, but the rush of wind as she dropped stole the sound from her lips. The ground was coming faster and faster and she flinched, shocked into waking at the moment when it seemed she had hit the pavement.
"Clark!" she gasped.
She was alone in the tent. Clark's sleeping bag had been neatly rolled up and was sitting next to his backpack. She winced, feeling the dull ache of a knot between her shoulders. No wonder people weren't supposed to go to bed angry. Her heart was still racing from the dream and she flopped backwards, staring without comprehension at the tent's roof above her.
Outside she could hear the murmur of voices in conversation. Had she slept through the cow bell? Was Rich letting them all sleep in this morning? She glanced at her watch and saw that it was almost six-thirty. Rich wasn't letting them sleep longer - she had woken up early.
But not as early as Clark. Where was he? None of the nearby voices sounded like him. Lois lay there for a couple of minutes but going back to sleep seemed both impossible and futile. She worked her way out of the sleeping bag and hurriedly dressed in the chilly morning air.
Outside the tent the voices revealed themselves to be Dave, Rich and Jim. All three men gave her a smile or a wave in greeting.
"Coffee's on." Jim gestured at the pot in invitation.
"Thanks." Lois poured herself a cup, looking around furtively for Clark.
"He went for a walk," Dave told her.
"Sorry?" Lois asked, even though she knew who Dave meant.
"Clark," Dave clarified. "He came through here about twenty minutes ago. He really is an enthusiastic hiker, isn't he?"
"Mmm," Lois offered and then blew on her coffee to cool it.
"How are you this morning?" Dave asked softly as Rich and Jim walked away.
Lois shrugged and took a sip of coffee. "I think sleeping on the ground has lost its charm for me."
"In four days I'll be sleeping on the ground again," Dave said with a laugh.
"If you don't enjoy it, why do you keep doing it?" Lois asked.
Dave's grin widened. "Did I say that I didn't enjoy it?"
Lois rolled her eyes. "I guess you got me there."
"Are you glad you came?" Dave asked.
"Well," Lois said after thinking about it for several seconds, "I think Clark and I still have some issues to iron out, but we're a lot closer than we were ten days ago."
"That's great," Dave said as his eyes crinkled in amusement. "Lois, if you're lucky you'll always have issues to work on. Nothing keeps a relationship alive better than when you're actively working to improve it. It's when we become complacent that the real problems turn up."
Lois gave him a rueful smile. "I can't imagine Clark being complacent about anything."
"How long have you two known each other?"
"Almost three years now," she answered. "I mean, we've worked together for that long. We've been dating for about six months now." When Dave didn't reply she kept talking. "I know, that's really fast, isn't it? Dating to engaged in just six months?"
"Some people know each other after just a few months, others can spend a lifetime together and still feel like they're strangers."
"I think I know Clark better than anyone," Lois said, more to herself than Dave.
"And how well do you think Clark knows you?" Dave asked gently.
Lois flushed. "Too well. I'm starting to worry that maybe he knows me too well."
"The last time we talked one-on-one you were wondering if you could trust him again. Have you answered that question yet?"
"I trust him." Lois stared at the toes of her shoes. There were so many things that Clark had done on this trip to prove that he would never hurt her again. He had done more than just hold back from tossing her in the lake. He had given her control of their relationship and had asked her to make decisions for them both. She had chided him for constantly being so in control when the truth was that he had given up control to her. It dawned on her that he had done more than just prove she could trust him - he had proven that he trusted her. He might have called her 'reckless' but he trusted her anyway. "I think I'm more worried that I might lose his trust," she added softly.
"Has he mistrusted you in the past?"
"No." She shook her head. "Maybe he could have trusted me more, sooner, but I don't think he ever mistrusted me." Lois sighed. "After yesterday I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to take a break from me for a while."
"Is that what you want?" Dave asked.
"No," she whispered. "It's the last thing I want."
Lois heard a twig snap and looked over to see Clark emerge from the trees. The tilt of his head told her he had heard every word.
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The Jeep was dusty from sitting idle. The air inside was hot and stale. Lois rolled down the passenger window, not caring that the wind was playing havoc with her hair. It was nearly seven o'clock at night and they were still several hours away from being home.
"You know, we'll never make it back to Metropolis tonight unless you cheat," she said.
Clark gave her a look. "Do you want me to cheat?"
"I would never ask you to do anything that reckless." She had meant for it to sound teasing but, even to her own ears, it sounded like she was baiting him.
He ignored the implicit challenge and turned on the radio.
Lois held her hand out the window, letting it lift and fall on the current of the wind. Clark was obviously in no hurry to get back to Metropolis, that was for certain. How could a man who flew at supersonic speed be happy to roll along on the highway at exactly fifty-five miles per hour?
"You know, you could drive a few miles over the limit and no one would care." She cringed - that definitely sounded like she was criticizing instead of commenting.
"That would be illegal," Clark pointed out smoothly.
"No, that would be driving like everyone else. Cars have been passing us. Did you know it's also illegal to impede the flow of traffic?"
Clark turned up the radio slightly, whistling softly along with the song. Irritation flowed through Lois. He was doing this on purpose. The chorus of the song was playing and the words, 'I remember we were driving, driving in your car. The speed so fast I felt like I was drunk...' seemed to mock her. Clark had to recognize the irony but he was blithely playing dumb.
"Maybe I should drive for a while?" she offered.
"Nope. I'm fine," he said pleasantly.
Lois gritted her teeth. He was doing this just to annoy her. Not that she probably didn't deserve it after yesterday, but she hadn't thought Clark would hold a grudge for this long.
"What if today was your last day?" Clark suddenly asked. "Would you spend it fighting with me?"
"Do you know something I don't?" she asked to cover her surprise at the question. He shook his head in disgust. Realizing that he was making an overture, but a little too peeved to back down now, she just kept talking. "What if it were your last day, Clark? What would you do with it? Would you drive home just as slow?"
Clark swerved into a pullout on the side of the road. He braked so quickly that he reflexively threw his arm in front of Lois to keep her from lurching forward.
"What are you doing?" she gasped in surprise.
He didn't answer. Instead he pulled the keys from the ignition and got out of the Jeep, slamming the door shut behind him. He came around the front of the car to open her door.
"Out," he commanded in a clipped tone.
"Why?" Lois crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.
He reached inside and unfastened her seat belt. "Either you get out on your own or I pull you out, but you're getting out here."
"You're going to leave me by the side of the road?" she asked, utterly aghast. What had gotten into him?
"Get out, Lois," he said stonily.
For a few seconds she thought about refusing, but he looked grimly determined and there was no way she could stand up to him if he was going to use brute physical force. She narrowed her eyes at him, a warning that he'd better not ditch her here. No sooner had her feet touched the ground than he took hold of her elbow and said, "Let's go."
"Go where?"
He propelled her alongside him into the trees at the side of the road.
"Seriously, Clark, where are we going?"
"Home," he told her, sounding mildly annoyed. "I can tell you're not up for the drive, so I'm going to cheat and take you home." They were out of sight of the road now and he held up one hand to caution her. "Wait right here."
He streaked away, only to return a few seconds later in the Suit. Lois gaped at him, flustered to see him so unexpectedly Superman. It wasn't that she had forgotten what he looked like in the Suit; it was just that she had a new familiarity with what lay beneath all that blue spandex. And the red briefs.
"Are you ready?" he asked, reaching out as if to pick her up.
"What about the Jeep?" Lois stepped back, suddenly inexplicably nervous about flying.
"I'll fly you home and come back for it."
"You're going to fly the Jeep back to Metropolis?" Was she was missing the point or was he? Wouldn't it be faster to have him fly both her and the Jeep at the same time?
"No," he said, his voice tinged with impatience as if he were talking to a small child. "I'm going to drive the Jeep home. I just don't want to listen to you complain all the way there. Come on." He took another step towards her and she sidestepped him again.
Clark furrowed his eyebrows. "What's the problem?"
"Why are you really doing this? You want a break from me, don't you?" She gave him a suspicious glare.
"I was just trying to be nice," he said as if it should have been patently clear to her.
"You didn't answer the question. You do want a break from me, don't you?" She felt the pinpricks of tears at the backs of her eyelids and she blinked a couple of times to hold them off.
"No, I don't want a break from you."
"Then what do you want, Clark?"
"I thought this was about what you wanted." He sounded as exasperated as she felt.
"Me?" she repeated incredulously.
"Yes, you. You want me to be more spontaneous. So here I am, spontaneously offering you the chance to get home sooner and not spend hours on the road. That should give you two things you wanted at the same time - it's a two-fer." He crossed his arms and watched her warily.
"This isn't what I wanted," Lois said scornfully. "It's not a two-fer. It's you trying to make me look irrational while you get to be the good guy."
Clark spread his hands wide in a gesture of frustration. "Then what, Lois? What do you want? Just tell me what you want from me and I'll do it! I can't read your mind!"
For a moment she simply stared at him. It was odd, she thought. Here was a dream come true; Superman was standing in front of her and offering to do whatever she wanted. They had shared so many dreams with each other over the course of this trip, but this was one she never would have voiced out loud. The truth was she didn't want him to feel like he had to acquiesce to her every whim.
Dave was right - it was the work required to build a relationship with Clark that she wanted. She wanted to carry her half of the canoe and be equal partners with him. If she was honest with herself she had to admit that from the very beginning she had secretly enjoyed the way Clark never backed down around her. Everyone else might tiptoe around her opinions but he had never wavered. They were both strong and reckless and cautious and control freaks - just never at the same time.
He was still waiting for an answer. His dark eyes were watching her cautiously and she realized what a minefield she had created by picking a fight with him the day before.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. His eyes widened a little in surprise. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I should have helped you in the rapids. I just got scared. I'm not good at relationships, Clark."
"Me neither," he said softly. "I can understand why you'd have a hard time trusting me again."
"But I do trust you!" She stepped forward and took his hands in hers. "I do, Clark, honest. I just want you, Clark. Just you. That's all. I'd rather drive slowly all the way back to Metropolis with you than have to wait hours to see you again."
His face relaxed at that and Lois realized another quality that she loved about Clark - he didn't hold grudges the way she did.
"Do you know what the only good thing about a fight is?" she asked him, putting her hands possessively on the 'S'. He shook his head and she continued. "Making up afterwards." Lois went on tiptoe to kiss him softly.
Clark wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer against him as he deepened the kiss. He was in so much trouble, he realized. He was never going to be able to let her go. Not even long enough to drive her home.
"I deserved it," Clark murmured when the kiss broke. "When I broke up with you, I was irrational and you were the good guy. It did hurt me. Actually, it nearly killed me. You acted like I was a stranger and I was utterly miserable. I promise I will never break up with for your own good again."
Lois kissed the underside of his chin. "Take me home, Clark," she whispered. "The old-fashioned way."
Her lips were swollen from their kiss and it drove his pulse faster. Did she honestly think he could last another six hours until they got back to Metropolis? He reluctantly stepped back from her. "I, uh, I need to change first."
She grinned at the Suit and a faint blush stained her cheeks. "Yeah, I guess so. I'll see you at the car."
Lois had only taken a few steps when she heard the sonic boom and the wind rushed past her. She turned around and Clark was gone. She furrowed her eyebrows and then realized that they had passed a sign stating that the town of Cooper Springs was only a few miles away. Clark must have heard a call for help.
She got in the Jeep, flipping down the visor to check her reflection. It was beyond horrifying and she quickly looked away. He must really love her. She smiled to herself - he *did* love her. It was worth giving up the chance to get home faster to be able to extend this trip. What was getting clean compared to having Clark all to herself for a few hours longer? Then again, he was already back in action as Superman. She sighed - it had been wonderful to have his undivided attention while it lasted. She glanced at the trees - where was he? She should have told him to leave the keys. No, there he was, back in the grungy clothes he was wearing when they first stopped at the side of the road.
"Was there an emergency?" she asked as he started the engine.
"Yes," he told her. "A big one."
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When they reached Cooper Springs, Clark pulled into the parking lot of the Paradise Motel.
"Bathroom break?" Lois asked.
"I got us a room," he told her, his eyes sparkling mischievously.
She stared at him for a few seconds before understanding dawned on her. "That was your emergency?"
He held up the key to the room. "You'd rather keep driving?"
Her eyes darkened and he knew he had her.
"I can have a shower," she said as she got out of the car. "Not that I didn't love your showers, but this will be, well, more normal."
"I can shower with you," he added with a wink.
"And a bed," she continued, her mind racing to catalog all the modern wonders that a motel room contained. "I can sleep on a real bed."
"We both can."
"They probably don't have room service, but I bet they have a vending machine in the lobby. Did you see if they had any candy bars? Or those crackers and fake cheese that I wouldn't normally buy but that would probably taste like heaven right now? Or I could just send you out to get us something. That's not cheating, is it?"
"I'll get you anything you want."
"I just want these clothes off." She flapped the hem of her t-shirt and silently vowed to herself that she was going to burn it once she got back to Metropolis.
"Then we both want the same thing." He gave her a meaningful grin.
Lois was almost humming with happiness. "I'm going to shower and then I'm going to lie on the bed and just watch television until my eyes glaze over. Can you think of anything better in the whole world?"
"I can think of lots of things better than that," he teased. Clark opened the door to the room and she stepped inside.
"Oh my gosh, carpet!" she exclaimed. "Look, Clark, there's carpet!"
"I had no idea carpet turned you on."
"It's not the carpet, it's civilization. I've missed civilization so much. I'm never going anywhere that doesn't have indoor plumbing ever again."
"Oh," he said, trying to look askance. "I guess I forgot to mention that this motel doesn't have indoor plumbing."
"Liar." Lois pushed past him and headed across the room. "The bathroom is back here. I bet they have a tub, not just a shower. And tile. I hope they have tile in there. I could cry if I saw tile right now."
Lois pushed open the bathroom door and turned on the light. "A toilet," she exclaimed in the same breathless and worshipful tone that she once reserved for the phrase, 'Thanks, Superman.'
"And look at this!" Lois indicated the toiletries on the wide vanity like she was hosting a game show. "Shampoo. Conditioner. Lotion. Two cute little bars of soap. And this, it's a..." She held up a small paper-like cloth. "You can use it to clean your shoes," she read from the cloth. "Do you want your shoes cleaned? Isn't it great?"
Clark grinned at her as he leaned against the door's frame. She honestly had no clue he was trying to seduce her; he would have to step up his efforts. "Remember when you asked what you're wearing in my dreams?"
She looked at him curiously. "You said I was wearing clothes."
"Usually you are. But there was one dream where you weren't."
"I was naked?" His eyes were dark with desire and it dawned on her that he wasn't here for the free shampoo.
Clark nodded and reached out to play with the collar of her t-shirt. The light brush of his fingers against her skin sent a pleasant shiver through her.
"I was cleaning your apartment naked?" Where was he going with this? Was he going to tell her another dream now? Her heart beat faster at the thought.
"You were in my shower. Is this shirt one of your favorites?"
"What? No. I wouldn't wear it camping if I cared about it."
Clark took hold of the collar of her shirt with both hands and split it open easily. Just as quickly he had the front clasp on her bra unfastened. Lois made a small, stifled murmur in the back of her throat. Something in that little tentative sound inflamed him beyond rational thought. His last bit of control slid away into all-consuming lust and he shut the bathroom door so he could press her back against it. "You know the way you feel about that bathtub? I feel the same way about you."
"Oh," she whispered. His breath was hot against her skin as his mouth moved against her throat. Lois moaned, turning her head sideways to see her own dazed expression in the large mirror above the vanity.
His hands traveled down, unfastening the button on her jeans. Lois toed off her shoes as she slipped her hands beneath Clark's shirt. He wasn't wearing the Suit and she was about to ask him where he had left it when he moved back a little to pull her jeans and panties down her legs.
"You're right," she acknowledged. "This might be more fun than watching television."
He straightened up to kiss her and she lifted the hem of his shirt. He smiled into their kiss and ripped his shirt away, tossing it aside to join the pile of her clothes.
"Now we're even. Sorry about your shirt," he murmured in her ear as he slid what was left of it from her shoulders along with her bra.
"I never liked that shirt," she gasped. "Let's talk about your clothes. Shouldn't you get rid of more than just your shirt?"
"Mmm. Soon," he promised breathlessly. "Let me tell you about this dream first. In my dream I asked you what you wanted. What do you want, Lois?"
"You," she said simply. "I want you."
"I thought you said you wanted a shower," he teased.
"Can't I have both?"
"Absolutely," he whispered. "I did say 'anything you want.'"
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Her apartment was stuffy when she got home. Lois dumped her mail on the kitchen counter and opened both of her windows to air the place out. She went back into the kitchen and started to sort through her mail. There was a sudden breeze that made her look up with the beginnings of a smile on her lips. The curtain fluttered but Clark wasn't there. Disappointed, she looked over at the phone and fought the urge to call him.
Give him a break, she told herself. He just spent ten days with you. You can give him an hour or two of peace and quiet...
She furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head in the direction of her bedroom. She could have sworn she had just heard Clark clear his throat. She paused, listening intently, but her apartment was quiet. She was imagining it.
No - she wasn't. She definitely heard him cough just now. Lois dropped the mail and walked to her bedroom door. Clark was sitting cross-legged in the middle of her bed wearing nothing but a clean, well-worn pair of jeans and a smile. He lifted a pint of chocolate ice cream in invitation and held a spoon out to her.
"So, tell me about this dream of yours..."
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End 13/13
Finished! Finally! I'm so sorry it took this long - it was never my intention. I started this story back in October 2006 and I thought I was well on my way to having it completed. I *did* have it mostly completed when a series of unfortunate events occurred that made it nearly impossible for me to read, let alone work on, this story. I want to thank everyone who encouraged me while I was stalled.
I must repeatedly thank my betas on this story - DJ, alcyone and Julia for their patience and help over the course of the writing the story. Especially DJ, who knows that I scrapped the last part, completely rewrote it and then scrapped it again and went back to the original version. She patiently eased me along to get this finished. I also owe a huge debt of gratitude to Lara who helped beta the very last part. She made some invaluable suggestions (including one line that made it into the final nfic version - thanks!).
