I forgot last time to link to
this . That's the sort of general warnings for OTOH. If you want more specifics, email me. That said, the first WHAMish type stuff happens in Ch. 7 which will be posted shortly after this.
Thanks to all of you who commented and to my FABULOUS betas - Alisha, Beth, Nancy and CarolynK.
There will be more notes at the end of Ch. 7 or in the FDK thread, not sure which yet.
This is getting posted a bit earlier than 'normal' because of stuff going on later tonight.
PDA = Public Display of Affection
Last time:
Lois
One thing that bothered me was the lack of commitment he'd shown. Yeah, we were young but he'd never stuck with a girlfriend very long at all. I didn't think it would be an issue once he was truly committed to a girl.
The more I thought about it, the more I thought he'd be attentive and caring. He'd want kids. I wasn't sure that I wanted kids, but I wasn't completely set against them either. That was something that could be decided later.
What about careers?
He wasn't sure what he wanted to do with his life, but unless 'the girlfriend' of Dad's cheated him out of house and home, money wouldn't really be an issue. I mean, we'd have to support ourselves and all that, but if we ever truly fell on hard times, Daddy would let us live with him. And once Daddy... I couldn't bring myself to think it. Someday, I'd probably be very wealthy.
I closed my eyes and tried to imagine life with Joe. I could see us sitting at the kitchen table in the morning eating breakfast – something out of the freezer, most likely because neither one of us could cook. That wasn't hard. He'd gone with me and Daddy to the cabin a number of times and we'd eaten breakfast together. He'd slept in his own room though.
He'd mentioned wanting to sleep in my room at the cabin. Dad had always said Lucy and I would be able to use it for a romantic hideaway someday. Lucy no longer needed it of course, but I would. I hoped I would. What would it be like spending a weekend with Joe there? I rolled my eyes. It would probably involve a lot of being mostly unclothed together. That wouldn't be a bad thing if we were married, I guessed, but still made me a bit uncomfortable – just because it was something I didn't have a whole lot of practical experience with.
I sighed again. It was a pretty pointless exercise at this point. Maybe in ten years, I'd think about it in more detail, but for now...
I wasn't getting married until after I won the first Pulitzer.*~*6*~*
~~~~~
Clark
~~~~~
"Hey," Lana said as she walked through the open door into my room. "Anyone here?"
"Nope," I said with a grin. "Just you and me, Baby."
"Really?" she said, a slow, sexy smile crossing her face, moving to sit next to me on my bed, one leg across my lap as I wrapped an arm around her.
"What do you suggest we do until they get back?"
"Hmmm... I don't know. What do you think?"
"You know the longer we play this game, the less time we have to make out," I told her as I moved to kiss her.
"Good point," she whispered before my lips came into contact with hers.
Before long we were stretched out on my bed, exchanging lots of gentle kisses, always cognizant of the boundaries we set for ourselves.
The door opened and then slammed shut. Lois was apparently on a rampage. I looked down at Lana, an apology in my eyes over being interrupted.
"Do you two ever stop?" Lois asked us.
"Nope," I said with a grin.
She opened her closet and dug something out and then headed to her desk, rummaging through it and pulling out a notebook before slamming the drawer shut and heading back towards the door.
"As you were," she called over her shoulder before she left.
Lana hadn't moved except to follow Lois with her eyes. "You didn't put a note on the door, did you?" she asked.
I shook my head. "She wasn't supposed to be back until after we left so there was no reason to."
She nestled into my arms, her head resting on my shoulder. "She could have been a little nicer about it."
"Why don't you like her, Baby?"
She shrugged. "It's not that I don't like her..." She didn't continue.
"Then what is it?"
"She's a very pretty woman," she finally said not looking at me.
"So?"
"So? She's your roommate."
"So?"
"So..."
"Lana, look at me." I used a finger to tilt her face towards me. Tears were shining in her eyes. "I love *you*. I've always loved you. Even when you told me never to kiss you ever again."
"I was five," she whispered. "I didn't know what I was saying."
"I know." I grinned at her. "That's why I did try again."
"You waited long enough."
"We were fifteen. We weren't allowed to go on an official date until you turned sixteen."
"So?"
I laughed and then moved her so I could stand up. I closed the other door before I went to the CD player and turned one of my favorite jazz CDs on, pushing the button until I found the song I wanted. I flipped the light off and plugged in the white Christmas lights Lana'd put in here for mood lighting.
"Can I have this dance?" I asked, holding a hand out to her.
She nodded, tears still shimmering in her eyes, placing her hand in mine.
I pulled her to me, her hand in mine, my other arm wrapped around her, holding her close. She rested her head on my shoulder as we moved slowly around the open area of the room. Nat King Cole filled the air.
"You are unforgettable, Baby," I whispered. "I love you and only you."
"I know," she whispered back.
"So talk to me."
She was silent for a long time as we continued to dance. "I don't want us to end," she finally said in a voice so low even I had to strain to hear it.
"What are you talking about? We're not going to end. Not until we're old and gray."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I love you."
"How do you know I'm the one for you, Clark?"
"I just do," I told her.
"I've seen the way you are with her."
"What are you talking about?"
"The way you two fight."
"What about it?"
"It scares me."
I stopped moving and looked in her eyes. "Why does the way I fight with her scare you?"
"She's smarter than I am. She knows more. You two bicker like cats and dogs, trying to one up each other in the intelligence department." The tears were flowing down her cheeks. "I've always been second best, why should now be any different?"
She tore my heart out when she said that and I pulled her to me, her tears soaking my shirt. When the torrent finally slowed, I spoke. "I know you've rarely come in first at whatever you try, but you are smart. You're funny. You're beautiful. You care about people. You care about *me*. You worked hard to get through high school when you did. You bought your own car even though your parents probably would have because you didn't want the strings that came with it. You always try so hard and you always do so well, even if someone else does just a bit better."
"Second at state in the 100 and 200 meters. Vice President of the Senior Class. Co-captain of the cheer squad. Second in the art contest. Second in line for the Lucy Lane Memorial Scholarship. The only reason I'm here is because number one went somewhere else."
"You were better than all but one person. How many hundreds of girls wanted that scholarship and didn't get it? You got a scholarship for girls who want to make a difference in the world and you outlined how you wanted to do that in your essay. That's why they chose you. You love little kids and you're going to be a great teacher. You can change the lives of those kids. You can give those little girls approval where you didn't get any. You can give them hope that they can be anything they want to be and not *just* the wife and mother your parents expected you to be. You're going to be a great wife and a great mom, but you're so much more than that. You've always been number one to me and you always will be," I said gently.
"How do you always know the right thing to say?"
"I know *you*. I know how much it hurt when you lost by half a step or came in second in girls in the senior class by .01. I know how much it hurt when your dad wasn't quite happy with second."
"He never was."
"But I love *you*." I tipped her face to mine again. "I love you, Lana, and I hope that over the years I can help heal the hurt. You *are* good enough. You always have been and you always will be."
I kissed her, hoping to convey how I really felt about her. When I pulled back, she smiled at me.
"Thank you."
"It's what I'm here for." I brushed the tears off her face with my fingers. "Once we get married, you'll really be family with my folks, too."
"I know and I can't wait until I can actually call Martha 'Mom'."
"I don’t think she can either. Neither can Dad."
"I like your dad a lot better than my dad," she confessed, resting her cheek on my shoulder again.
"I know. And listen, I know the claws come out with Lois because you feel threatened, but, honey, there is absolutely *no* reason for you to be threatened by her."
"My head knows that, but my heart..." She sighed. "And when she's around, my heart wants to defend its territory and that's you and then the snide comments come out. I'll try to do better. I promise."
"Thank you. She really is a nice person."
"I'm sure she is and if it were other circumstances, I'm sure I'd like her better, but since she's the one who's actually living with you right now..."
"It's not forever. You're the one who's going to live with me forever."
"You mean that?"
"I do," I said with a smile, remembering our conversation when we first arrived in Metropolis.
"Remember those words, Mr. Kent. You're going to need them." She looked up at me with a big smile.
"You better believe I am," I said just before I kissed her again.
~~~~~
Lois
~~~~
I sighed. I'd planned on staying in my room and studying or maybe curling up on my bed for a good cry and an early bedtime, but the Siamese Twins were in Clark's bed – attached at the lip.
It was just one of those days.
I'd still managed to avoid telling Daddy that Clark was my roommate. I talked about my friend Clark but never mentioned that he was my roommate. When he asked specifically about the person who shared my dorm room, I avoided pronouns.
But... My shoelace broke first thing in the morning and Clark was still asleep and I didn't want to turn the lights on to look for a new one.
My pen ran out of ink in my first class. I managed to get one from Joe, but he was with someone else. I wondered if he was still planning on taking me to the party Wednesday.
It had been about ten weeks since school started. Midterms were over and there was a big Halloween toga party at one of the frat houses. Joe was going and had asked me. He'd gone out with a couple other girls since school started, but I didn't really care. I studied instead and my grades were showing the effects of that.
I'd mentioned the party to Clark who mentioned it to Lana and so all four of us were going. Not exactly a double date but something like that.
Of course, Joe was going to have to show up to be my date first. I wasn't about to ask him. But if he'd suddenly decided he didn't want to and didn't mention it to me and I got stood up, I'd never hear the end of it from Cruella but Madame Medusa even more so. Linda had a huge crush on Joe since we were two or something. We'd been in the same kindergarten class and they'd done some square dance thing in the musical and she'd been smitten ever since. She'd liked Paul, too.
Paul she could date and I wouldn't care. Joe and I weren't exclusive or anything like that but he was my friend and I didn't want him to end up with her on any level at all.
On the other hand, I didn't know why I cared so much.
We weren't destined to be together like the Bobsey Twins and I didn't *want* to 'settle down' the summer after my freshman year in college like I suspected Clark and Lana were planning.
And then, after seeing Joe kissing Pippi Longstocking, someone had tripped and bumped into me. I'd landed hard on my wrist and thought that it might be sprained. Of course, it was my right wrist so taking notes was going to be difficult. Not impossible, but more difficult. I'd broken my right arm in both third and sixth grades and had to learn to write left handed. I still did every once in a while, just in case, and I was glad now that I had.
I sighed. If Dad's girlfriend would just go away I could move home. That would be better, but it wasn't going to happen as long as *she* was there.
I sat on a bench outside the library for a long time – a very long time. Finally, I decided to head back to the dorms. If Rhett and Scarlet were still going at it, I'd have to throw a bucket of cold water over them or something.
~~~~~
Clark
~~~~~
How had I let myself be talked into this? I asked myself for the umpteenth time.
A toga party.
Seriously.
A frat party.
What was I thinking?
Oh, I knew. Lana had said she wanted to go to *one* frat party during her college career and if we went to this one we could get that out of the way.
I adjusted the sheet I'd draped over my shoulder and tied with a piece of string I'd found. I wasn't wearing a shirt, but was glad it would be nice enough out that no one would notice.
Except Lana.
I grinned to myself. Lana would notice I wasn't wearing a shirt and I was sure she'd comment on it. She liked my chest and my arms and I was glad she did.
Before long we were walking across campus. I was walking behind Lana, my arms around her, moving in tandem. I kissed the side of her neck and she giggled.
"Well, when you leave your shoulder bare like that, what do you expect?" I whispered.
"Sometimes I wish we could just run off to Vegas," she whispered wistfully.
"I know. Me, too. Maybe we will someday, but not yet. I don't even have a ring for you yet." I kissed her shoulder.
"I know, but I don't care. I just want to be your wife, ring or no ring."
"I know, Baby. And you will be."
"I know."
The noise reached us long before we actually made it to the frat house. I didn't think I was going to enjoy this but it was something to fill an evening and Lana wanted to come – just once – so it would be okay.
~~~~~
Lois
~~~~~
It really wasn't my scene but I didn't feel like staying home on Halloween. Even though it was a Wednesday, I needed to cut loose a little bit. I was sure there would be alcohol – and lots of it – at this shindig but I didn't drink. I didn't know if Clark or Lana did. Joe would probably have a beer or two, if the graduation party we went to was any indication.
I adjusted the sheet I'd draped over my shoulder and tied it with some bright yellow rope I'd gotten my hands on. I could have gotten an actual toga from a costume shop or something if I'd really wanted to, but it wasn't worth the effort. I had a tank top and shorts on underneath the sheet. It was a decent night out – wasn't supposed to be too chilly – and there were a couple of Canadian Arctic cold fronts or something coming through in the next couple of days so I need to enjoy it while I could. One was going to freeze us out and the other was going to give us several inches of snow.
A knock on the door interrupted the adjustments I was making to the sheet. "Come in," I called. "It's open."
"Heya, Gorgeous."
"Hi, Joe," I said frowning at my reflection again.
He moved to stand behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "You look great."
"Thanks. So why'd you ask me to go with you tonight?"
"I missed my make-out buddy," he said with a shrug.
Well, there were worse things. I knew he wouldn't expect me to put out and I knew that the other girls he'd gone out with either had or probably had, but he knew there was no way I was going anywhere near that far with him. "Gina and Leslie weren't good enough?" I asked.
"Oh, they were fine, but you're the best kisser I know."
"Well, that's something I guess."
"What about Dan?"
"What about him?"
"Who's the better kisser? Me or Dan?"
I shrugged. "Dan only kissed me once and when he found out he wasn't going to get any further than that, he took off. It wasn't long enough to really evaluate his kissing skills, but my first impression was that you're better."
Clark opened the door from the suite's living area. "Hey, Joe. Thought I heard you."
Clark wasn't wearing a shirt under his sheet. Joe wasn't either, but Clark was definitely a bit more impressive.
I sighed. This wasn't going to get any better. "Is Lana ready?"
Clark shrugged. "I think so. She was tweaking her toga a couple minutes ago."
"Well, let's go then."
Clark went to go get Lana and I wasn't surprised to see that her toga was from a costume shop or something rather than a sheet. She even had some sort of gold leaf crown thing on her head. I'd just stuck my hair up in a clip.
Before long we were walking across campus. I was trying to ignore Clark and Lana's PDA as we did. He'd told me once that they were waiting until they got married to really be together, but sometimes it sure seemed like they needed to go get a room somewhere. As long as it wasn't mine. Joe had his arm draped around my shoulders but that was as close to PDA as we usually got.
Before long we got to the frat house where the party was held and I soon lost track not only of Clark and Lana but Joe as well. I sipped on my soda and looked around the room but didn't see any of them. If I didn't come across any of them in the next fifteen minutes, I was going home.
*****
TBC
