This is the alternate ending to
The Heart of the Matter .
Because SOME people send out crazy, spiky-pole wielding wild-dudes when they don't get their fluff, first thing in the morning...
*giggles*
~.~.~
From part 1:"Then don't marry him, Lois," he said without hesitation. And before he could think the better of it, he blurted out, in a completely uncharacteristic fashion, "Marry me, instead."
She sucked in a sharp breath, then she shook her head sadly, frowned and sighed.
Clark had never before proposed to a woman, and while he was quite certain that this was probably the worst possible way to go about it, he was pretty sure that a sigh wasn't the traditional answer. He looked down to his feet, dejectedly.
"You have no idea how much I dreamt of this, how much I've wanted this," Lois said, hesitantly.
He looked up. "But..." he added, sensing there was definitely one coming.
"Couldn't..." Lois sighed again. "Did you have to do it as Superman, Clark?"~.~.~
And now, the conclusion...."You... you
know?" he stammered, completely taken aback. "How... When..."
"Of course I know," she said and she stroked his cheek tenderly. "Did you really think you could fool me with just a pair of glasses?"
"I... ah... but..."
"Oh, don't worry, Clark, your secret is perfectly safe," she told him, reassuringly. "And I doubt anyone else has figured it out. But, really, think of the amount of time we spend together... Did you honestly believe I'd never look at you closely enough to notice?"
"How long have you known?"
"A few weeks. A month maybe. What's the difference?"
"And you're not--" He cleared his throat. "... angry?"
"With you?" Lois shook her head, smiling at him. "Why would I? Because you thought it better to keep your secret a
secret? I was angry with myself for not seeing it right away. But I could never be angry with you."
"So, um, let me get this straight... what you're saying is--"
"What I'm saying is I'm in love with you," she explained. "I have been for some time. Surely you had to know that." She held up her hand to indicate she wasn't done when he opened his mouth to answer her. "And I don't mean you the celebrity or you the superhero. I mean
you, the man underneath all that. The
real man. So, when I let myself imagine that perhaps there might be – could be – a future for you and me, I wasn't thinking of it being with
Superman. Or at least, not solely with Superman."
"I guess I screwed this up pretty bad then, didn't I?" he asked, a self-deprecating smile on his lips.
"Well, no," she said, in a soft, gentle tone, "I wouldn't say that exactly. Just, well, maybe you should try again as Clark sometime. You know, when you're not wearing
that and you're just being you."
"You think
he'd stand a better chance?" He had a twinkle in his eye. "Of not getting a sigh for an answer?"
Lois shrugged. "I guess he'll just have to find out for himself."
Immediately, the man before her turned into a blur of red and blue. A second and a half later, Clark Kent – complete with glasses and one of his signature loud ties – stood in the same spot where Superman had been.
Lois stared at him, mouth gaping open, as if she'd just witnessed something utterly impossible. Clark gave her a shy smile, then he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss on her skin.
"Marry me, Lois," he said, his gaze firmly locked with hers.
She flashed him an almost-teasing smile. "I thought you'd never ask."
~ The End ~
