After all I went through to get this, ya'll better appreciate it!!!! My laptop is dying so I've been saving everything I'm working on - fic and schoolwork to the desktop via my wireless network and it's taken FOUR hours to retrieve it. They don't want to talk to each other, but they'll both talk to the internet - sort of [the desktop doesn't like it much today]. So I went to the desktop to email myself... not so much. Wouldn't even save a draft on gmail. Couldn't put it in my 'briefcase' on my school stuff... nothing. Rebooted the desktop, the network, the modem... but not the laptop just in case it doesn't restart. I was FINALLY able to do it!!!!
So here it is! FINALLY!
The second and last part of To Do Lists!
Carol [who has now kept up her part of the deal with Nan - but who could come up with something else to post if Nan will... And my new laptop should be in today and I should have it tomorrow!]
*****
From Part 1:
*****
An hour and a half later, it was all Clark could do to stifle a groan as Lois ate a bite of his chocolate cake.
He loved her.
With all his heart, he loved her.
It hadn't taken long after he met her to realize it. He could only hope that she was starting to feel the same way.
They left the restaurant and he tucked her hand in his elbow again, his other hand protectively over the top of it.
She leaned in to him slightly, sighing softly before speaking. "So, did you get the rest of it all done?"
"What?"
"The rest of your list."
"Oh. Most of it. I still haven't talked to my mom."
"Right."
They were in Centennial Park, nearing the fountain that stood in the middle.
"Anything else, Clark?"
He took a deep breath and turned to look at her. "Just this."
*****
Part 2
*****
He cupped the side of her face in one hand and gently lowered his lips onto hers. His other arm encircled her waist and he pulled her closer to him. He felt her hands slide up the length of his arms, until they were around his neck and she returned his kiss.
It was long moments before they finally broke apart.
"Wow." It was barely more than a whisper, but Clark's super hearing picked it up easily.
"Wow is right." He smiled down at her, unwilling to let her go.
"That was on your list?"
He had to be honest with her. "No."
"But you said 'just this' and then kissed me."
"That wasn't the last thing on my list. I just wanted to do that before you decide to stop speaking to me all together."
She looked puzzled and rightly so. "Why would I stop speaking to you?"
"Because of the last thing on my list."
"What is it, Clark?"
"It's the only thing on my list that doesn't get done most days."
"So every day you have some... thing on your list that will make me want to stop speaking to you?"
He grimaced a bit and kissed her lightly on the lips one more time. "Yeah. It's been the one thing that's remained undone for months now."
"I'm thinking I should be sitting down for this." Lois sat on the edge of the fountain. "What is it, Clark? You're starting to scare me."
"Lois, I've wanted to tell you this for a very long time. I know you're probably not ready to hear this, but I love you. I have since the moment you barged into Perry's office during my interview." He held up his hands. "I know it's too soon for you, but I wanted you to know."
"Clark..."
"No, let me finish. I couldn't tell you at first, because I didn't know you. The only people who ever knew about this were my parents. And I think maybe Perry suspected from time to time - he didn't become editor because he could yodel you know - but, I've never actually told anyone. No one. We've gotten so much closer over the last few months and I've wanted to tell you this for a long time. It seems like I've wanted to tell you this forever. I just never knew how."
"Clark, just tell me please. Nothing can be worse than what I'm imagining."
He sighed. "Maybe it's better if I just show you."
He stepped back and took a deep breath. He reached up and took off his glasses. "Does this help?"
She stared at him. "Clark, I always knew you had nice eyes and I've wanted to see them up close without the glasses, but what is it I’m supposed to be seeing?"
He handed her the glasses. "Hold these for a minute."
He crossed his arms in front of him, took another deep breath and started to spin.
When he stopped, he was Superman.
He heard Lois gasp and he finally risked looking at her. "Do you hate me?"
She looked at the glasses and then at him. Then back at the glasses and then back at him. "A pair of glasses. I was fooled by a pair of glasses."
"No, Lois. You weren't fooled by a pair of glasses. It was a pair of glasses and a flashy suit and a bigger than life superhero persona. You weren't supposed to see that Clark Kent was Superman. No one was." He looked around and spun back into his regular suit. "I love you, Lois, and someday I want to marry you, but I can't even begin to think about doing that until you know the whole truth and nothing but."
"Truth and justice, huh?"
"Yeah, something like that." He sighed. "Of all the people I've ever known, you're the only one I've ever wanted to tell about me. All about me."
"Uh huh."
"No, really. And you're responsible for Superman too, you know."
She looked at him, glasses still in her hand. "I am?"
"Yeah. Remember how you suggested a change of clothes when I was dirty while we were investigating the Messenger thing?"
She nodded.
"That's what gave me the idea. A change of clothes."
"A change of clothes."
"That's all it is, Lois." He knelt in front of her. "A change of clothes. Clark is who I am. I can do all these things, but it's only because I'm Clark that it works. I couldn't be Superman without being Clark too."
She nodded.
"All my life, I've been different. From the time I was born. I wasn't born here. I was born on another planet, about to explode and was sent away by my parents - to save me by sending me to another planet. The Kents found me and adopted me - under circumstances that most of Smallville still thinks are a bit sketchy. By the time I was 10, I could hear things I wasn't supposed to. By 11, I was fast. By the time I was 12, I could bench press tractors. At 14, I was doing weird things with my eyes and I started wearing glasses to help me control them. At 15, my mom found me floating in my sleep. At 18, I could fly. I could do all these things but all I ever worried about was someone finding out and sending me to some lab to dissect me like a frog."
"But you're invulnerable."
"Not until I was 9. I broke my leg when I was 7 and it healed, completely, in less than a week. When I was 9, I fell out of my tree house and didn't break my leg, when, by all rights, I should have broken both of them."
"I see."
"I went to college, played football, always careful to never be 'the best' or the fastest even though I knew I could play a whole baseball game by myself - pitch, bat, hold on the runner at first, be the runner at first, be the third base coach giving signals and still take a home run away from myself, tag up and score from first. But I couldn't stay. By the time I graduated, there were too many weird things happening around campus. The doors to cars ripped off and the occupants out of a burning vehicle. Fires on the 15th floor of a dorm building mysteriously being put out before the firemen arrived. Things like that. I took off. I spent time on all 7 continents and finally landed in Metropolis a little over a year ago. I didn't know how I was going to keep up helping. I was hoping that maybe I could put a few months in here in Metropolis and then maybe become an overseas travel correspondent or something."
He'd long since let go of her hand and was pacing back and forth in front of her - aware of her rapid breathing and that her heart rate was well above normal. But she wasn't yelling at him or throwing things. Maybe that was a good sign.
"And then I met you. You barged into Perry's office and into my life and I knew, right then and there that I never wanted to leave Metropolis. I told my parents about you that night. Mom knew that night too even though I wouldn't admit it to myself even. The next night, we had all kinds of spandex out and... you should have seen some of the things she came up with."
"I'd like that."
He stopped abruptly and turned to look at her. "What?"
"I'd like to see the other outfits your mom made."
"You would?"
"Sure. I love the Superman one - you know that - and I remember you telling Amy Platt that your mom made it for you. I'd love to see the others and hear what your mom was thinking when she made them."
"Um... I'm sure I’m going to regret telling you this for a very long time, but I think she still has them somewhere."
"Good. Take me."
"What?"
"It's still early in Kansas. Take me."
"You're not mad?"
"Oh, I'm mad all right. And I'll make sure you pay all sorts of penance, but for now, I want to see those other outfits."
He raised an eyebrow. "Okay. I'll take you to Kansas."
He could almost see the wheels turning in her head, but he didn't dare ask what she was thinking.
He looked around, his vision unencumbered by his glasses. "Come here."
"What?"
"Come here."
"Aren't you going to do that spinny thing again?"
He grinned at her. "Nope. I've always wanted to take you flying as Clark and now's my chance."
"Aren't you afraid someone will see you?"
"Not if you hurry up. There's no one around right now."
"How do you kn... oh. Right. The vision gizmos."
"Yep. Vision gizmos."
"Come here." He smiled softly at her.
She stood and walked to him, holding his glasses in one hand.
He reached down and swept her into his arms, barely waiting until she put her arms around his neck to take off into the air.
*****
"Lois! I'm so glad to see you!" Martha instantly enveloped the younger woman in a big hug. "And Clark! Did Superman bring you two?"
Clark smiled at her. "She knows, Mom."
"Well, it's about time you told her! Come on inside, you two."
Ten minutes later they were all sitting around the kitchen table with fresh cups of coffee - made a super speed by Clark.
"...so I finally finished my 'to do' list. The only thing left on it most days was 'tell Lois the truth'."
"Good for you, Clark."
"You're okay with it, Dad." It was a statement rather than a question.
"I've known for a while that you were going to tell her, son, and yes, I'm okay with it. I trust her."
Clark covered one of Lois' hands with his own. "That means something. Dad doesn't trust anyone. Sometimes I'm surprised he trusts me with it."
The foursome laughed.
"I trust you, Clark. I have since you were, oh, 21, 22. Something like that. Before that it was because I didn't have a choice." Jonathan's smile and teasing tone offset the words he spoke.
Lois wrapped both hands around her cup and took a sip. "Mr. Kent, I promise you, I'll never betray your trust. Even if I wasn't in love with..." She stopped abruptly.
"What?" The words came in unison from all three Kents.
Lois turned four shades of red. "Did I say that outloud?"
Martha laughed. "Honey, we've known that you love Clark for ages."
"You have?" It was Lois and Clark's turn so speak in unison.
"Of course, honey. Ever since you two came out for the corn festival. I told Jonathan then that someday you two would realize you were meant for each other."
"Do you think you could have told us that?" Clark sputtered. "Or at least me?"
Martha laughed again. "Of course not, Clark. You two had to realize it for yourselves."
They sat in silence for a few minutes with Lois and Clark refusing to look at each other.
Lois took a deep breath and pushed back from the table. "Okay, now that I've been thoroughly embarrassed, I want to see what I came here to see."
Martha and Jonathan exchanged a glance. "What's that?" Martha asked.
"Clark. In tights."
"Lois, you see Clark in tights all the time," Jonathan pointed out.
"Not these tights. Martha, Clark told me that the Superman Suit wasn't the first one he tried on, that there were others."
"Well, yes. I did make several others."
"Good. I want to see them."
*****
Clark groaned. "Do we really have to do this?"
"Yes." Martha and Lois spoke at the same time.
"Fine."
Clark picked up the first brightly colored outfit and left the room. He returned seconds later with a wooshing sound. Leopard print, orange briefs, green tights and a wide belt Clark still didn't know what to do with.
Lois grinned at him. "No. I want to see Clark in these, not Superman. Clark hair and..." She reached into her pocket. "...glasses."
Clark took the glasses and brushed his hair with his hands. "How's that?"
The flash nearly blinded him. "What was that for?"
"Blackmail." Lois shrugged as she set the camera down. "Now the next one."
This one was green and blue with a big yellow circle on the front and a green mask and a bright blue hat. Another flash.
Hot pink with an orange sash. Flash.
Superman blue with vertical yellow and red stripes, a big red circlie belt buckle thing. Flash.
"That's it, Lois. That's all of them."
"No, it's not. There's one more." Lois looked at him pointedly.
"What? Superman?! Lois, I can't..."
"Clark, if I have blackmail pictures of you in all kinds of superhero costumes and not as Superman... Well, that would be suspicious. Besides, didn't you ever see Lethal Weapon 4?"
Clark looked at her, puzzled. "Yeah."
"Remember, Martin Riggs - Mel Gibson's character - put the pictures of Danny Glover's character, Roger Murtaugh in his skivvies doing the chicken dance up all over the precinct?"
"Yeah," Clark replied cautiously.
"Well, I'm sure I could find some way to put these up all over the newsroom if I needed to." Lois giggled. "With the appropriate captions of course."
Clark groaned. "Great. Can I at least get out of this now?"
*****
An hour later, they were airborne.
"You know, I really enjoy the 'S' Express, but I think I did like flying with Clark better." Lois' hand stroked the back of his neck.
Clark groaned. "Lois, I am Clark."
"You know what I mean." She ruffled his hair and then went back to stroking his neck.
Clark stopped flying abruptly and before Lois knew it, she was standing with him in the clouds. His voice was low and husky. "I can't concentrate on flying when you do that, Lois."
"You mean, I have that much of an effect on the Man of Steel?"
Clark's face was serious. "You have no idea, Lois."
She shuddered slightly and he wrapped his arms and his cape around her. "Better?'
She nodded and, face upturned, waited for him to kiss her.
He cupped her face in one hand and did something he'd wanted to do for a very long time.
He kissed her in the clouds, under the moon, beneath the stars, like his life depended on it.
Because, in some ways it did.
And, now, he could cross that last thing off his to do list.
Fin
