Last time:
But she couldn't get back to sleep. She had that edgy feeling of having shaken off a bad dream but not wanting to go back to sleep just yet. With a resigned sigh she climbed out of bed.
<<I'll just get a glass of milk to calm me,>> she thought.
She made her way to the kitchen and got out a glass and milk carton as quietly as she could. It was very dark in the apartment, the only light coming from a neon sign outside the window. She glanced over at the sofa where Clark slept.
She let out a stifled yelp, the milk carton hitting the floor, spilling its contents. **Clark was floating.**
********
And now, part 2:
She walked over to him slowly, cautiously. She was afraid to wake him, yet wondered if she was still dreaming. What was going on here?
She knew the answer, though she wouldn't let the words fall together in her mind just yet. She stared.
Lois tested, just to be sure, waving her arm above and below him. Nope, no strings. She let out an unhinged giggle, stifling it in her hand.
Clark. Is. Superman. <<Are you kidding me??>>No wonder he was always disappearing with lame excuses! Is that what took him an hour at the video store that was literally a block away? The fire that Superman had taken care of?
But what else could it be? Why else would Clark be floating in his sleep?! She couldn't stop staring at him, seeing for the first time, what had been right there all along; all the pieces fell into place. She took off his glasses, gently, feeling slightly sorry for him that he didn't even feel comfortable taking them off to sleep. And then there he was, absolute proof right there in front of her.
<<Unbelievable. Clark?? Really??>>
She suddenly remembered the spilled milk and desperately searched the kitchen for some towels. Why that became a priority, she didn't know. But it seemed a way to distract herself as she sorted out what to do.
What to do, indeed? She peeked up from cleaning the floor, peering over the counter top again. Yup, he was still doing it! She felt almost hysterical. Partly too, from lack of sleep, and the stress of all this Trevino and Mr. Make-up business.
Finally, the kitchen mess was cleaned up. She came back into the living room, just staring at her partner in mid-float.
At first she was mildly amused, but the more she thought about it, she became embarrassed. How many times had she fawned all over Superman? He must have been secretly laughing at her behind her back, especially since she told Clark he didn't have a chance with her. She then started to get a little angry. Her partner had seriously been holding out on her! Did he enjoy making her look like a fool!? Or did he just not trust her to tell him? Did he think she'd make his secret into a story--and what a helluva story it would make too! Though even as the thought formed in her mind, she knew that she would never ever do that to him. He must have had good reasons for not telling her. She suddenly remembered the incident with Trask, and how he had been so sure that Superman was raised in Smallville. <<And he was indeed. By the sweetest parents anyone could ever hope for.>> What would happen to them if it got out who Clark really was? She realized that they were the ones who had nurtured his gentle nature... and also the ones who probably instilled a fear in him so deep not to tell anyone the truth about what he could do. <<Not even me. His best friend.>>
<<Poor Clark.>> She suddenly had the urge to touch him, to reach out and try to understand this complicated man. She leaned towards him, her arm poised in the air to maybe touch his face. But suddenly, like a compass pointing due north, his body swung towards her hand. She wasn't sure she heard it, but she thought she heard him mumble her name.
Lois was terrified of waking him, yet part of her wanted him to wake, just to see what he'd do. <<What crazy excuse could you come up for this one, Flyboy? You're practicing meditation, and yeah, they taught you how to float?>>
"Lois," he murmured again. Yup, she definitely heard it. She dared to brush his hair away from his eyes. It flopped back by his ear, apparently troubled by gravity, unlike the rest of him. His hand reached out for hers, gently. She startled, afraid he'd awoken. But no, he still slept.
He took her hand and placed it under his on his chest. "I love you," he sighed, settling back into his 'mattress' of air.
She froze. <<I love you? Does he mean *me*?? He's dreaming, of course. I can't think he means anything by it. Can I?>>
Part of her thrilled. Here it was, Superman's confession of love! Albeit while he was asleep and dreaming... But was it Superman talking? Wasn't it really Clark who had spoken, the guy she'd been half ignoring for months now, who'd put up with all sorts of mood swings from her, and had watched her swoon over his alter-ego?
<<Who are you really, Big Guy?>> she wondered. <<Which one of them are you?>>
Watching him and thinking about their relationship--er, relationships, the answer suddenly struck her. Of course it wasn't Superman talking, it was Clark. Clark loved her. That was why 'Superman' had never encouraged her crush on him, and why Clark would at times appear outright jealous of Superman. Jealous of himself! He must have wanted her to love him as plain old Clark. Though how difficult for her to see him when he kept flashing Superman in her face! <<Maybe that's the point, Lois,>> she thought to herself. <<He needs to see that I can see through the flashy costume to the man underneath...>>
Suddenly feeling very affectionate towards him, she took her other hand and again stroked his face. She knew she was risking a lot. If he woke up there'd be some intense questions on both sides. But she just couldn't quite pull her hand from the flame...
Suddenly, he swung her up parallel with him. His arm held her up, practically spooning her in mid-air! <<Lucy would never believe this!>>she mused.
Oddly enough, it felt really comfortable. His body was strong, yet comforting, undemanding. She felt like she belonged there. Tears came unbidden to her eyes, as the two men she respected most in the world slowly, irrevocably melded into one in her mind. Her comfortable, dependable partner, and her rescuer and hero. Now that she knew, she felt a little bit like a child at Christmas who had unwrapped a precious gift too early... she didn't want to know yet... it was like she cheated somehow.
She decided that she would pretend that she knew nothing. She wouldn't tell him she knew. She wanted to give Clark a chance to tell her on his own, this man who was Superman, but who was also shy, vulnerable where it counts, smart, sweet, and darn good-looking. She had wanted a relationship with Superman, but now she wondered, who was Superman? She always wondered what he did when not off saving the world, and now she knew. The more she thought about it, she realized Superman had to just be an excuse for helping, so Clark could try to live a normal life--well, as normal as a work-aholic partner at a newspaper could be. <<And he had said he loved me. Right?>> She would date him if he ever asked, trying to tell herself it wasn't because he was Superman. Clark was sweet and special all on his own, too. <<But it took me learning about Superman to realize it,>> she couldn't help admitting to herself.
But she simply couldn't just tell him she knew his secret. He knew she loved Superman. And now she knew he loved her. And if he knew she knew he *was* Superman---could he ever believe she could love Clark, the man under the suit? She figured that it was his place to tell her, and until she could build that trust in him to do so, she'd have to pretend she didn't know anything. He'd have to tell her this on his own.
They were suddenly moving. Lois tensed. What was happening now?
She never felt fear, though. Just curiosity. Clark held her close, and they drifted towards his bedroom.
<<Well this is a smooth move, if ever I saw one.>>
But he made no physical demands on her. They simply floated softly into his bedroom and then hovered over the bed a moment. Then, he floated down, with Lois in his arms until at last they rested gently on the mattress. He pulled her into him again, spooning her, and sighed softly into her neck.
That sigh sent shivers of pleasure up and down her spine.
<<Wow.>>
She had never felt so right in her life, as she did lying in his arms.
<<Don't worry, your secret's safe, Clark,>> she thought at last, before sleep carried her away and pleasanter dreams began to fill her head.
*********
Morning light gently woke Lois. A heavy arm was laying on her waist. <<Clark! **Superman!**>>
She sat up carefully, intent on getting out of bed before he awoke. But it was too late.
"Lois?" he asked in confusion. "What happened? I thought... what happened?" he said, a look of panic on his face as he felt for his glasses that weren't there.
"Um, well, nothing..." she said, sprinting towards the bathroom, leaving him looking after her in confusion as she ran and slammed the door.
She had to think of something, fast. She brushed her teeth, a little too intensely as she thought. <<Clark is always good at coming up with excuses. Why can't I think of one?>>
"Lois?" he called again, a worried tone in his voice. "Did... did anything happen last night?"
Inspiration. She had it.
She stepped out of the bathroom, trying not to notice how nicely his t-shirt outlined his perfect chest and biceps. <<Superman's perfect chest and biceps,>> she thought to herself, feeling her cheeks redden. Though she did notice he had found his glasses again.
"I... had a nightmare. And you came in to sit with me."
"I did?" he asked, totally confused. "I don't remember."
"Well, you were half asleep. So... but nothing happened, Clark. Don't worry. I think we were both so tired... it's fine, really." she said as reassuringly as she could.
But he seemed to accept her answer. "If you say so... sorry to... uh, well, I didn't mean to fall asleep here, I guess," he tried, not sure why he was apologizing except he felt a little embarrassed to have woken up beside her.
"It's fine, Clark, really. Actually, it was kind of... nice," she smiled, remembering floating in his arms. "I mean, nice to have you nearby. Yesterday was a bit... crazy."
"Hm, well, I'm glad then," his smile was uncertain, but he was happy if she was happy. "OK, why don't you get a shower and I'll make us some breakfast?"
********
<<Clark is Superman! Clark is Superman!>> She couldn't get that single thought out of her mind. She was washing her hair, scrubbing her scalp with her fingers. A song came to her mind, "I'm gonna wash that man right outta my hair, I'm gonna wash that man right outta my hair, and send him on his way..." Though she didn't want to 'wash' Clark out of her hair, she just wish she didn't know he was Superman. She had fancied herself madly in love with Superman and fond of her friendship with Clark. How could she reconcile the two relationships? How could she try to look at Clark and see if she felt more for him without it feeling forced because she was in love with his other persona? <<But what was I in love with in Superman? Aren't the qualities that I find attractive in him in Clark?>>
She sighed, turned off the water and rested her forehead against the tile for a moment. <<Should I tell him I know?>>
"Lois?" Clark tentatively called. "Breakfast is ready. And Perry just called. He needs us to try and get in a few minutes early if possible to get a head start on the arson story..."
"I'm coming!" she called.
She wished this Trevino business was over with. She wanted to think all this over in her apartment, without *him* to distract her. <<Well, at least I know I'm safe around Clark. He'll protect me for sure.>>
She at last got dressed, realizing she was putting on the same clothes as yesterday. And when she and Clark went to the Planet---well, it would look as if, as if---she felt panic rising.
"Oh, Lois? I, uh, I actually went by your apartment last night, when I went to get the movies, which was why I was so late. I brought you a change of clothes. They're on my dresser," Clark told her from the kitchen.
<<Yeah, I'll just bet you did. How gullible do you think I am?>> She thought to herself, realizing that she was pretty gullible where he was concerned. Did Clark do *super* things like that all the time and she simply failed to notice? <<Well, I'll notice now.>> When did he really have time to get her clothes, anyway? <<While I was in the shower? And he was making breakfast?>> That floored her. That Superman could make coffee, cook eggs, and fetch her clothes all in one swoop.
"Thanks, Clark."
