Hey, guys. Sorry it's been so long since the last post. RL has been reaking havoc around here. I will try to post another part tomorrow to make up for lost time. And I don't think there are a lot of parts left- enough to tie everything up nicely, but not enough to turn this into an epic.
Thanks for all the great comments, thanks for the continued interest, and thanks for continuing to read. It's what keeps up writing. (That and the fact that we get these crazy ideas that won't leave us alone until we get them out!
)
Enjoy!
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It seemed no one could keep their eyes off Clark as they settled and prepared to eat. For a few minutes the talk centered around what everyone wanted on their plates. Clark shoved a fork into his food and lifted it to his mouth. He didn't realize he'd voiced his satifaction until everything grew quiet. He looked around to see all eyes watching him.
"It's good," he mumbled around a mouth full, then immediately pushed more into his mouth.
"Slow down, boy," Jonathan told him. "You can eat all you want."
After several minutes of eating like a starving man, he lifted his glass and drank down half his tea.
"Did you have tea on that world?" Lane asked him.
"Ah, no," he answered as he set the glass back down. "We had nourishment fluid, blue nourishment fluid."
"That's all?!" Martha asked incredously.
"That's all."
"What did Jimmy eat?"
"The same thing." Clark took another bite. "It was so hard for him to get used to it. We were both warned not to over do it when we got back. We could end up really sick. But..." He lifted the fork again. "It's so good."
They all laughed softly.
"Mom, think you could cook omelets for breakfast?" he asked when half his food was gone.
"Yeah, Mom," Jonathan mocked.
"Anything you want, honey," Martha answered with a smile.
"Take her up on that, son. She doesn't make offers like that often," his dad added.
"Oh, Jonathan. You know you're in better health than you've been in years." She patted his trimmer waistline.
"Yeah, Dad," Clark said. "You do look great."
"Lost fifty six pounds," the older man said as he rubbed his stomach. "That there grandson of mine was motivation to get healthy. I want to see him grow up." Jonathan winked at Lane.
Clark's gaze fell to the boy beside him. "I think he's going to be motivation for a lot of things." He smiled at him before looking away. His eyes stung a bit; the last thing he wanted to do was break down at the dinner table.
"Speaking of looking great," Jonathan remarked. "You're not so bad either."
"Tell me about it," Lois mumbled as she shoved some food into her mouth.
Clark grinned over at her. "There wasn't a whole lot to do but fight and workout." He shrugged. "You should see Jimmy." He lifted his hands out. "Big as a barn. The nourishment fluid really packs a punch."
"I'd like to see him," Lois said.
"And he wants to see you," Clark told her. "He used to say 'Man, CK, I'd love to hear Lois yell at me'." He smiled and shook his head. He and Jimmy had become as close as brothers in the time they'd been gone.
Lois noticed the far away look wash over Clark, so she leaned forward to see Lane. "Hey, honey, why don't you tell your dad about your trip today?"
"Okay!" Lane scrambled to his knees, his favorite position at the table. "We had a great time! We went to the fish tank."
"Fish tank?"
"He can't say aquarium," Lois explained.
Clark nodded and focused his attention back on his son.
His son! What a mouth full!
"And we saw the sharks, and, and..."
Two minutes later, Clark's brows rose into his hair. Lane was even longer winded than Lois.
<Babbling! I've missed listening to Lois babble.>
Right now he'd have to settle on listening to Lane instead. He wasn't slowing down a bit. Clark leaned forward on his hand and sighed in utter contentment. It was so good to be home.
****
"Are you sure you've had enough?" Martha asked as she took Clark's coffee cup from him.
"I'm sure. I'll probably be nauseated now." He rubbed his stomach and offered his mom a smile. She just smiled back before turning to head into the kitchen.
When they'd all finished dinner, they'd gone into the den to drink coffee. Lane had settled next to Clark on the sofa and listened while his father asked about the farm, the new cattle, and the renovations. Lois explained how she'd become editor of the Post, and Martha told him about her art shows at the gallery in town.
Lois noticed Clark yawn widely. "Lane, honey, maybe you should go up and get ready for bed?"
"Aw, Mom, not yet," he whined.
"Dad will be here tomorrow."
"But, Mom..."
"Hey, big guy, Mom's right. I'll be here tomorrow." Clark reached up to ruffle his hair. He knew how he felt. He was reluctant to go to bed, but he was finding it difficult to hold his eyes open another second.
At the sight of Lane's out-poked lip, Lois tried another tactic. "Lane, sweetie, I think Daddy's tired. He's had a very long trip."
Lane lifted his wide eyes to his father's. "I'm sorry, Daddy."
"There's nothing to be sorry about, but I *am* tired." He cupped his cheek gently. "I'll come say goodnight in a few minutes."
The boy nodded and eased to his feet. "I'm glad you're home."
"And I'm glad to be home, Lane." He reached out to take one of his small hands.
"You're glad about me?"
"I am very glad about you," he whispered and lifted his hand to kiss his fingers. When he looked back up, Lane offered him the biggest smile yet. "You look so much like your mother." Clark leaned over and pressed his lips to the child's forehead, holding them there as more tears welled in his eyes.
When Clark drew back, Lane squeezed his hand. "Promise to come up?"
"Promise." He reluctantly allowed Lane's hand to slip from his as the boy backed up toward the door. They didn't take their eyes off the other until Lane was out of sight. He smiled at Lois when she rubbed his back.
"I'll go up and turn down the bed for you while you say goodnight to your folks."
"Okay," he said and ran his hand across her knee. She stood and disappeared. All at once, Clark was exhausted. He was glad Lois had known that and helped him out. A few minutes later, he'd said his goodnights to his parents and was approaching the door to his old bedroom. He stopped when he heard Lane speak.
"God, it's me Lane Kent. I just wanna say thanks. I knew if I kept asking you'd send my daddy home. I'll be a good boy. You'll see. Daddy'll be so proud of me. Mommy says he's the best. I like him. But he seems so sad. Guess he's thinking about the bad things that happened when he was away. I know I said I wouldn't ask for anything if you sent Daddy home, but it's not for me. It's for him. Help him get happy again. Bless Mommy, Grammy, Poppy, and especially my daddy. Thanks." He was about to get up, but dropped back to his knees. "Amen!"
Clark watched as he scrambled onto the bed and pulled the covers up to his chin. He waited a few seconds before he walked into the room. "All settled?"
"Yep!"
He eased down on the bed and reached out to make sure Lane was tucked in. "You know, I'm gonna need some help."
"I'm a good helper," Lane declared.
"That's what I thought. I'm new at being a daddy. And since you've already been a son for so long, you think you could help me out? Show me what to do?"
"Mommy says she was scared to death when she had me. Grammy told her to just love me. Maybe you could try that."
"Oh, Lane." Clark eased closer, reaching to touch his face. "I think I can do that," he said through his tears.
Lane climbed from under the sheet and wrapped his arms around his dad's neck. Clark's large hands covered his small back and he turned his face into his neck. Another smell that was already dear to him.
After a few minutes, Lane drew back, smiled at Clark, then climbed back into his bed. "'Night... Daddy."
"Goodnight... son." He watched as Lane closed his eyes, the corners of his small mouth turned up. He wished he could sit and watch him sleep all night, but his body was weary. The thought of an empty bed a few feet away finally forced him to his feet. His eyes stayed on the still form of his son until he was competely out of the door.
Lois was standing just outside the empty bedroom across the hall. "You're all set."
"Wanna tuck me in?" he asked with a grin.
"Clark," she whined.
"Relax." He reached down to take her hands in his. "I don't think I could move let alone anything else." And he yawned again to prove his point.
"You do look tired."
"I'm exhausted." He leaned forward and kissed her softly. "Will I see you in the morning?"
"I hope so. I live here."
"That's not what I meant. I just might sleep in. What time do you leave for work?"
"Work? Are you kidding? I've had vacation time waiting for this occasion. I might not do anything but sit and look at you, but I'm not about to go to work for a while."
He chuckled softly. There was no way he'd argue with her. He certainly wanted to sit and look at her for a while. But right now he felt as if he'd drop. He lifted her hands to his lips. "Goodnight," he told her when he lifted his head again.
"Clark?"
He stopped in the entrance to his room.
"I'm so happy you're home."
They stared at one another, conveying every emotion possible in that look. He stepped back over to her and kissed her soundly. "You have no idea how good it feels for me." One final kiss and he was gone. She was left to look at the closed door before she turned and made her way down the hall.
Inside, Clark dropped heavily to the bed. Another time he'd done this flashed behind his lids. He had to shake his head to get rid of that image. Flopping back against the pillows, he inhaled deeply all the wonderful smells of home. Lethargy overtook him, offering sweet respite from his racing thoughts. It was so very good to be home.
****
An angel- that was the only way to describe her, Clark thought as he leaned against the door frame just inside Lois' room. He'd retired a while ago, simply unable to keep his eyes open a second longer. He'd shared dinner with his family, listened to story after story, looked at his son, smiled at his folks, and flirted with Lois. But his body could no longer keep him alert.
He'd slept... better than he had in years. But he'd awaken a little while ago and couldn't go back to sleep. He finally made his way into the bathroom, looked in on his son, then headed directly toward Lois' room. He couldn't force himself to turn away.
Acting on instinct alone, he eased into the room. As gently as he could he settled on the bed behind Lois, his hand coming up to smooth over the side of her face.
"Wha...?!"
"Shh," he whispered. "It's just me."
"Is something wrong?" she asked concerned.
"Not now," he assured her, then kissed her cheek softly before settling down behind her. He pulled her as close as he could. "Please don't ask me to leave."
She covered the hand around her waist with her own. "I won't," she said with a sigh. It felt so good to have him with her. She felt safe and relaxed. She felt whole for the first time in years.
His heavy, even breathing told her he'd already fallen asleep again. Wasn't it truly amazing how fast things changed?
****
Clark's thrashing woke Lois with a start. He yelled out then sat up quickly. Wild eyes searched the unfamiliar room around him.
"Clark?" Lois reached out to touch his arm. She was startled when he roughly snatched it away. A second later she was pinned against the mattress, her wrists being held above her head in one of Clark's hands.
She didn't recognize the man above her. He looked almost predatory. Then suddenly his eyes cleared and he leaned to kiss her senseless. He pulled away abruptly, then smiled brightly.
"I love you. I never stopped loving you. I never will." He kissed her again, released her, and eased off the bed.
"Wha...?" She sat up, too stunned to say much more. "Where ya' going?" she managed.
"Bathroom!" He winked at her then disappeared from the room.
"Wow!" She touched her swollen lips. It was going to be so easy getting used to having Clark home.
****
Lois was sitting up agaist the headboard when Clark came back into the room. He settled beside her, laid his arm across her body, and buried his face against her neck.
"Clark?"
"Hmm?"
"Just now... when you woke up..."
"I didn't mean to scare you," he said without moving.
"You grabbed my wrist."
His head jerked up and he reached for her wrist. This time a lot more gently than before. "Did I hurt you?" He turned her arm over to inspect it.
"You... I just didn't know you there for a second."
Clark sighed and turned to lean up beside her. She didn't think he was going to say anything, but finally he sighed. "New Krypton was bland. A rock. Very little vegetation. It was smoldering hot in the summer and bitterly cold in the winter. The red sun made everything look funny." He turned his head to her. "I missed all the beautiful colors of this world."
"There was fighting. A civil war of sorts. More or less us against Nor and his followers. We chased him for four years." Lois noticed his hand clamp into a fist. "I was so tired... Tired of fighting, tired of listening to an entire planet of people whine... tired of defending my real home, my family..." He relaxed his hand. "Tired of defending my love for you." He didn't look at her, just stared down at the comforter like it held all the answers. "The only time I got any peace was inside my head..." His eyes met hers again. "... thinking of you."
She swallowed, but still didn't speak.
"Lois..." He looked away, as if searching for the right words to say. "I almost gave in," he whispered softly. "I was in so much pain. I wanted relief, if only for a while." He moved to sit up on the side of the bed, leaning over to put his elbows on his knees. "I, ah, I betrayed you."
<<What?>> Lois waited for him to go on, trying to calm her racing thoughts.
"She was there, and she... We'd become friends, good friends. Nothing like you and I."
Lois wasn't sure she wanted to hear any more. She'd been relieved last night, but now it appeared she'd misunderstood.
"One night, after a particularly hard day in the field, she was there, in my chamber when I returned. She'd come to tell me about a raid in another province." Again, he grew quiet, staring down at his feet. "We kissed, undressed each other." Clark stood and walked over to pick up an item on the dresser, inspecting it like it was a precious stone. "I tell myself I would have stopped."
"It's..." She had to force herself to swallow the lump so she could speak. "Clark..."
"I wouldn't have," he said softly. "I wouldn't have stopped until I was exhausted," he gritted out between his teeth as he slammed down the object in his hand.
<<Would have?>>
"I didn't get the chance," he said after a moment. He turned slowly to face Lois, large tears welling in his eyes. "Mr. 'I can make love for hours' couldn't even get started." He choked back a sob. "And I tried. I did everything I knew to do," he spat, fully crying now. "And she tried." He shoved a hand through his hair as he turned away from her again.
She covered her mouth to stop herself from crying with him. Hearing him cry the way he had the night before was one thing, to witness it was another.
"I yelled at her." Another sob. "I sent her away crying." He wiped his wet face roughly. "Then... I thought of you." He twirled back to face her, anger and disgust flashing behind his eyes. "I was angry at you. But dammit, I had all the right reactions!"
What did she do here? How did she help him with this?
Clark grabbed a kleenex and cleaned his face before he dropped back to the mattress. He was silent for a long while before he said softly, "I spent the next two years telling you how sorry I was."
"You had nothing to be sorry for," she offered quietly.
"I walked away from you. I have asked myself so many times how I could do that to you."
"We both made mistakes."
"That's an understatement."
"It would have been okay," Lois said softly after a moment.
"Not for me. It would have never been okay for me. I'd given you my heart," he countered. "That was the only thing that kept me sane." He got up again and left the room. Before Lois could contemplate his absence, he was back, carrying several notebooks. When he sat back down beside her, he placed the notebooks on Lois' lap. "This is everything I felt, saw, or did while I was away. Even what I just told you."
"Clark." Her hands settled on the cool surface of the books.
"I started these with every intention of bringing them back to you. I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to explain my feelings, but this..." He placed his hand on top of hers. "... this will. Please read them."
She nodded at him, unable to say any more.
He smiled slightly. "I believe I smell coffee."
"Yeah." She glanced at the clock. "Your folks are up."
"I think I'll go down." He waved his thumb behind him.
"Sure."
He searched her eyes for any sign that what he'd told her had changed her feelings. He found concern, confusion, and love. Despite it all, this woman still loved him. <She might change her mind once she reads the things I wrote.> But he couldn't think of that now. Leaning over, he stopped a mere breath away from her lips. He wanted... needed her to come to him.
And she didn't disappoint. The second he was close enough, she covered his mouth with her own. Awkwardly she reached out to wrap her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened. She drew back to look at him. "Nothing..." She cupped his cheek and looked deeply into his eyes. "*Nothing* will change how I feel about you. I love you."
Clark grinned widely as his heart began to soar. He'd longed to hear those words for years. After another brief kiss, he practically jumped to his feet. "If you manage to get down before Lane gets up, I'd like you to join me for a walk."
"I'll be down before you finish your first cup of coffee." And she allowed his sudden giddiness to wash over her, offering him a sexy wink.
"Argh! You're killing me!" he almost shouted as he left the room.
