Thanks as always for all the help and great work from Beth, Carol, Mary Beth, and Mark.
From Chapter 16
Curious, Superman opened up the paper and nearly gasped at what he saw. The headline, which Lois had put in sixteen point font, said Superman Living in Metropolis Apartment. A fast perusal of the article showed that she had spelled out his address and the fact that he was living with Clark. Even which bedroom she thought he had, so it would be easy to spot which window was his from the outside.
“Lois,” he asked, confused and hurt. “Why would you…” he trailed off, at a loss for words.
“I didn't,” she reminded him. “Last night, I was so angry at you, though, and… But it doesn't matter now. I wouldn't tell anyone your secret. I wouldn't hurt either you or Clark like that. I just thought you should know.”
“Thank you,” Superman said, his voice soft now and more Clark-like than it had ever been with this woman before. “Thank you,” he repeated.
“No problem,” Lois said before clearing her throat and then turning to Clark who was watching the scene with his mouth open, she said, “I'll see you tomorrow, Clark,” and walked out the door.
Chapter 17
“Um…hi,” Lois said, feeling extremely flustered.
“I hope you don't mind my stopping by unannounced,” Lex replied. “I was in the neighborhood and saw your light on.”
“You know where I live?” Lois asked, failing at her attempt to hide her pleasure at that fact.
Lex looked appropriately chagrined. “Okay, so I was in the neighborhood specifically to see you.”
“You were?” Lois asked, even more pleased.
“It's been awhile since we've seen each other, Miss Lane,” he said with a wide smile.
“But I saw you earlier. At the press conference.” Lois suddenly realized that they were still in her doorway. “Do you want to come in?” she asked him.
He smiled as he followed her inside. “This is just how I pictured your apartment.”
“It is?” Lois asked, more than a little surprised to hear he had pictured her apartment at all.
Lex looked around approvingly rather than respond. “It's very nice, Lois.”
Lois was not sure what to say. Finally, she settled on, “Would you like something to drink? Coffee?”
Lex sat down on her couch. “No, that's all right. I can't stay long, unfortunately.”
“Okay,” Lois said, sitting down across from him.
He spied the half eaten Double Fudge Crunch Bar on the table and smiled at her. “Can I have a piece?”
Lois nodded her head, not understanding at all what was going on. Lex took a part of the chocolate bar, and then handed it to Lois.
“So, why did you stop by again?” Lois asked as she bit off a piece of chocolate.
“I just wanted to say hello,” Lex said. “Really.”
“But we did that. At the press conference,” Lois said again.
“That was business, Lois,” Lex said.
“Oh,” Lois said simply.
Lex glanced at his watch and sighed. “I'm really sorry, Lois. I wish I could stay longer, but I need to leave, but maybe we could go to dinner again?”
Lois smiled. “I'd like that, Lex.”
“Good. Mrs. Cox will call you tomorrow to set up the details.”
************************
Clark tossed and turned in bed, afraid to fall asleep. The memories had been coming so frequently lately and he did not want to remember any more. True, they had not actually been coming while he was asleep, but he felt nervous about letting himself relax.
Finally, tired of lying in bed, he got up and put on dark clothes. Walking quietly through the apartment so as not to wake Superman, he made his way to the balcony and took flight.
************************
Superman lay in bed, listening to the sounds of the apartment. He had trained himself to be a light sleeper so that he could easily hear calls for help at night. He had heard Clark moving around in his room, but then all had gone quiet in the apartment. He considering going to make sure Clark was alright, but was not sure their relationship permitted that yet.
So, he had lain in bed listening until he heard Clark take off from the balcony. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he made his way to the kitchen. He wondered what was going on with Clark. Clark's reaction on the way home from Smallville to his question about becoming Superman had surprised him. Clark had fallen at least five feet before he caught himself. Superman had no idea, though, why a question that he had considered fairly innocuous had caused such a reaction. He wondered, not for the first time, if there were differences between himself and this Clark that he was unaware of.
Pouring milk in a pot he decided to add a little extra. He was not sure when Clark would be back, but this way in case he came back soon, there would be a soothing drink ready for him.
He placed the pot on the stove smiling a little as he did so.
“You need to stop that!” Lois demanded as she came into the kitchen.
“What?” Clark asked, looking up at her in confusion.
“The sauce – you're heating it with your eyes again. I thought we talked about this,” she said, a hint of exasperation in her voice.
“We did,” he admitted, looking sheepish. “I'm sorry.”
“I know,” Lois said softly as she came over to place a warm hand on his cheek. “Just try to remember, Clark. You have to stop before this little one is here,” she said, resting her other hand on her protruding abdomen. “It will be easier to stop now than trying to determine when he or she is starting to notice things.”
Clark smiled, placing his hand on top of the one she had placed on her stomach. “I know. I'll try harder.” He bent down to kiss her on the lips softly, before bending down further to place a feather light kiss on her stomach. “Sorry, kiddo,” he whispered.
He rarely used his superpowers to do household tasks anymore. He did not even think about it. Clark, who surely would have poured the milk into a mug and heated it up there, would probably be amused.
Maybe not, though. Maybe seeing him heat the milk in a pot would only be a reminder to Clark of what he did not have yet. It was hard to know where the line was – he wanted to be friends with Clark, particularly if he was going to be here a long time. On the other hand, he was hesitant to talk too much about his life for fear of both telling Clark things he should not know yet and as he did not want to upset him. He was not sure that he would have responded well to stories of a different Clark living happily with a different Lois during his first year in Metropolis.
Superman sighed. If he could just go home, this would not be an issue, but he was starting to think he had more than a little while left here.
************************
Clark slowed down as he neared her window. He could hear her deep even breathing coming from her bedroom. She seemed so relaxed. He ached for that type of contentment. He felt so agitated and confused right now.
He hovered next to her living room window for a moment longer. Her breathing seemed to speed up slightly and he wondered if she was having a bad dream. “Superman?” she called sleepily.
Using his x-ray vision, Clark glanced inside. Was she dreaming about Superman now? He found Lois awake, though, and more alarmingly moving out of bed. “Superman? Is that you?” she called.
How could she hear him? Clark had no idea, but given that he was in dark clothes and not Superman's suit, this was not the time for a conversation.
He flew away, but not before he caught sight of Lois in the window frame. She was wearing a nightshirt with a picture of Garfield on the front that looked like she had worn it since she was a teenager and her hair was mussed from sleep. She looked absolutely beautiful.
************************
Lois sat on the couch in the dark for a long time. She was sure Superman had been outside tonight. She had heard him or sensed him or something and it had woken her up. That had never happened before and she was sure it was a sign that they were getting closer.
She sighed. She knew it had not been that long, but it felt like it had been years since Superman had first shown up, years since these feelings had started to develop. She was ready to move forward with their relationship, but he was fighting it. Why?
************************
The knock on the door startled him. It was three in the morning, who would be visiting? Then he realized. Of course. Lois. With a sigh, he headed to the door. He wished Clark was back so he could avoid answering the door.
When he opened it, however, it was not Lois on the other side. “Herb?” he asked in surprise.
“Good evening, Clark,” Herb said and Superman took a step back. It had been a long time since anyone had called him that. He missed it. “Or, I guess good morning is more appropriate.”
“Come in,” Superman said, feeling somewhat deflated. He was feeling annoyed with Herb for placing him here, but felt too tired to argue about it right now. “I don't suppose you've come to take me home, have you?” he asked, sounding dispirited.
“Of course not, my boy. Things here are going splendidly.”
“They are?” Superman asked. “How can you say that? Clark seems terrified of becoming Superman and Lois… well, I've really screwed up with her. She has the same feelings for Superman my Lois did. I know I need to keep my distance, but…”
Herb looked taken aback by Superman's outburst. “But, Clark, things really are going well. You are doing terrifically. Really.”
Superman moved over to the couch and sat down heavily. “Are you sure you are watching things in this universe, Herb?” he asked. “It's all a big mess.”
“It's not,” Herb insisted. “What is really going so wrong here?”
Superman looked up at him in surprise. “Didn't you hear what I just said? Lois is half in love with me, Clark nearly broke out in hives when he put on the suit, and I can't seem to stop making changes to the timeline left and right. At least in regard to Lois. Oh, and did I mention I miss my wife and kids?”
Herb sat down next to Superman, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I'm sorry. I knew this would be difficult, but I guess I didn't realize just how difficult it would be. First off, you don't need to beat yourself up about the fact that you don't always adhere to the timeline. Things don't need to be exactly the same as they were in your universe.”
Superman stood up, looking angry. “Why didn't you tell me that before?” he demanded. “I would have… people died because I was trying to play things the same way. I gave in to Luthor's demand because I thought…”
“Clark,” Herb demanded, cutting him off. “I didn't say that you shouldn't try to keep things as they were. There should not be big differences. But it's okay if things are not exact. I'm not a big proponent of the butterfly effect.”
Superman looked at him incredulously. “What do you mean?”
“You know,” Herb smiled. “The butterfly effect. The belief that small changes in initial conditions can cause large fluctuations in the end result. People often relate it to time travel…”
“I know what the butterfly effect is,” Superman interrupted him. “I'm just wondering how you could not believe in it.”
“Do you really want to get into a philosophical discussion right now?” a third voice entered the conversation from the doorway.
Superman looked over towards the voice slowly, almost afraid to see his mistake. He was not mistaken, though. “Lois?” he asked, his voice nearly a whisper.
“Good to see you, too, Farmboy,” she said teasingly as she entered the room more fully, closing the door behind her.
Superman wasted no time moving over to engulf his wife in his arms. “Lois,” he breathed into her hair. “I've missed you so much.”
Lois leaned back slightly, just enough to let her lips touch his softly. “I imagine you have. I've missed you, too, and it's only been a few minutes for me.”
“What?” Superman asked, feeling like his thought processes had slowed down, almost like he was intoxicated on his wife.
“You've barely been gone. Herb said that since he was going to return you to a time just after you left, there was no need to wait for several months to come visit. So he came and picked me up right after you left.”
“Has Emily left for her party?” he asked her.
Lois laughed. “It's been what? Two, three months for you and you still remember that Emily's on her way to a party tonight?”
“It's her first with boys,” Superman said, sounding sad.
“She hasn't left yet. Your mother is still helping her with her hair. At least the best she can with your father and Jory weaving that silly remote control truck around the house.”
Superman smiled. His father had just bought the truck and while Jory claimed to be too old for it, he had not been able to put it away.
“I'll give you a few moments alone,” Herb said, reminding them that they were not actually alone yet.
Superman's lips were on Lois' before Herb had made his way to Superman's bedroom. “Have I mentioned how much I miss you?” he whispered between kisses.
Lois smiled. “Herb said you are doing great.”
“He's lying. I am… messing everything up. Lois already has a crush on me and Luthor… I can't even tell you how hard it is to deal with him all over again.”
Lois pulled him to her. “I'm sorry. I'm sure you're not messing everything up, though, honey.”
“I am,” Superman whispered into her hair sounding terribly depressed.
Lois pulled back to run her hand through his hair. “This is a hard thing you're doing, Clark. It's a real favor to everyone here. Don't be so hard on yourself.”
“But Lois is…”
“You wear spandex!” Lois exclaimed. “And you fly. You're surprised that this Lois has a bit of a crush on you? Really? Come on, Clark. There's nothing that you or Herb can do to stop Lois from having a crush on Superman except prevent him from appearing until after she falls in love with Clark. This isn't about stopping her crush. It's about giving Lois more of a chance to get to know Clark. And giving Clark a chance to come to terms with being Superman. That's really all you can do.”
Superman nodded, more because he did not want to argue than because he really agreed.
“How do you feel?” Lois asked, hesitantly. “About… about her?”
Superman smiled. “She's beautiful and passionate. I like spending time with her.” He smiled wider at Lois' look of apprehension. “She reminds me of you. Like a watered down version.”
Lois smiled at him, reaching out to swat his arm affectionately. “Very funny,” she said as she leaned in to kiss him.
************************
The noise was distant, as everything always was when he was kissing his wife. On the other hand, it was not going away. Superman backed away from Lois reluctantly and turned towards the sound.
“Superman?” Clark repeated, looking pale and shook up. “Lois?”
Neither Superman nor Lois said anything for a moment until Clark asked, “Lois? Did you cut your hair?”
Lois laughed. She could not help it. Clark thought Superman had been making out on his couch with his Lois and he decided to comment on her hair? Luckily her husband stood up and took over before Clark got too upset at her laughing.
“Clark,” he said, his voice even. “This is Lois. My wife, Lois.”
The relief on Clark's face was immediately apparent. “Right. Your wife. Of course. Who else would it be?” he asked with an uncomfortable laugh.
“It's okay, Clark,” Superman said. “We should have been more considerate. I didn't even think about what this would look like to you.”
Clark did not respond, staring at Lois in surprise. “You're really married?” he asked Lois.
“Yes,” she said, her voice soft. “It took some time,” she tried to assure him, “for me to see past the spandex to the man inside, but yes, I am very much in love with Clark.”
Clark nodded, but said nothing for a moment. Then, hesitantly he asked, “Any tips? Something that would have helped you notice Clark faster?”
Lois smiled and giggled a little bit. “No. I know it's probably not what you want to hear, but there's nothing you can do but be yourself. Lois needs some time to get to know you and trust you. She'll give up her fantasies of Superman and Luthor – I'm sure of it. But if she's like me, she has a lot of trust issues. They make Superman and Luthor more appealing than you, but only as neither of them seem very real. She'll get over that, and be ready for a real relationship at some point. And she'll want it with you as she'll trust you more than anyone else she knows. But, unfortunately, that takes time.”
Clark sighed. “Just what I wanted to hear.”
Lois smiled. “Sorry.”
Clark sighed again. “I'll leave you two alone.”
“Clark,” Superman called out to Clark's retreating back. “Um… is everything okay?”
“Sure,” Clark said, but his voice was less than convincing.
“I made some hot milk earlier and I made extra in case you wanted it. It may not still be hot, but it's in the kitchen.”
“Thanks,” Clark said as he moved to the kitchen. A minute later he called out, “You made it in the pot?”
Superman smiled. “I've been trained to heat things like a normal person,” he said, squeezing Lois' hip.
“Okay,” Clark said, looking at him strangely. “Whatever.”
