Thanks again to HappyGirl. And special thanks to her - and her dad - for the chocolate chip waffles.
~~~***~~~
Act 4: Desires
Thinking 'bout you every day
Dreaming 'bout you every night
Hoping that you feel the same way
Now that we know it, let's really show it, Darlin'
Verse 2 - Something To Talk About – Bonnie Raitt
Lois couldn’t help smiling as she walked to work with Clark. She was glad that he’d invited her to have breakfast with him. Leave it to Clark to find a restaurant that served breakfasts where chocolate was the feature item. The chocolate chip waffles had been a special treat. Of course, this was her Clark. Special was a way of life.
They were almost to work now. The stroll along the streets of the city had helped her feel a little less guilty about the rich breakfast. As they approached the Planet building, Lois was almost sorry. If they were going to get through the doorway, she’d have to let go of Clark. Lois glanced down at their clasped hands. Being together… holding hands… it just felt right. These sorts of moments were some of the best parts of her relationship with Clark.
As Clark reached for the door, she figured they were going to have to let go of each other to get through, so she gave his hand one last squeeze. Then she started to relax her grip on his hand, but he didn’t let go.
She looked up into those handsome features. “Clark, we need to get through the door,” she offered.
“We’ll manage. I’m not done with this yet,” Clark said as he glanced at their clasped hands and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
Lois had to admit that negotiating the door while holding hands was fun. They impeded the progress of a few other people trying to get into the building, but once the others realized what she and Clark were doing, they didn’t seem to mind the minor delay.
The ride in the elevator was all too short, and before long they were exiting to the bullpen. As they stepped out onto the landing, she realized that this time they really were going to have to separate. As she turned to face Clark, she couldn’t resist turning this moment into a hug. That went on for a few seconds before she pulled back. “This morning has been fun,” she said with a smile, “...but it’s time we go our separate ways. I need to get some work done.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “Being with you is so nice.”
“I’m sure,” she replied almost wistfully. “If we continue like this neither of us will get anything done today.”
He looked like his favorite toy had been taken away. “I’ll miss you,” he said.
“Don’t be silly, Clark. I sit right across from you.”
Before he could reply, she turned away and headed quickly for her desk. She was afraid that if she let him get in one more word she might not have the willpower to say no to holding hands just a little longer.
Once she settled in at her desk, it took a few more minutes to get her mind around the assignments of the day. However, before too long she opened her file on the Metropolis sewer system and dived into it with confidence that it would get her mind as far away from Clark as possible.
By the time Lois had done the first pass of the data, more than a half hour had passed. She was proud that she’d only thought of Clark one time while studying the material. Since she was at a stopping point, she looked to see if he was at his desk. Knowing her partner, she suspected that he would be gone. Almost to her surprise, she found him seated at his workspace. Lois’s expression turned to a frown when she realized that he wasn’t alone. That blonde girl that she’d heard talking about him yesterday was at his desk. And Clark was holding her hand.
Lois practically jumped out of her chair and hurried across the room. She reached his desk just in time to be there when this blonde hussy plopped down on Clark’s lap.
For just an instant, Lois’s mouth dropped open in shock. It took a full second for her to recover sufficiently to ask, “What’s going on here?”
Clark pulled his eyes off the floozy and smiled up at her innocently. “Hi, Lois. Do you know Jenny?”
“I’ve seen her around,” Lois replied coldly.
“Jenny, do you know my work partner, Lois?” Clark asked his… hood ornament.
The girl looked up at her for a second. “Yeah, I know her,” she answered in a squeaky voice. Then the bimbo used both her hands to turn Clark’s head back toward her and pulled him into a kiss.
For the second time in less than a minute, Lois’s mouth dropped open in shock. It took only a moment for Lois to realize that Clark was kissing back… with enthusiasm! “Clark!” she called out.
He broke the kiss long enough to face her. He was wearing a dopy grin. “What do you need, Lois? Is there a story we’re supposed to be working on?”
“No. How can you…? With this...? What about us?” she finally asked.
Clark looked confused for a minute. “But you told me that there was no us,” he replied simply. “I mean, you said you didn’t feel that way about me. And after this morning…”
“What?” she asked, cutting him off. “We had a date this morning. I thought…”
“But when we got to the office you told me we were going to go our separate ways. After you sent me away, Jenny stopped to see me.” He gazed at the slut on his lap for a second. “She came by and we started talking. She told me that it was okay for her and me to be a couple even though we work together. Isn’t that great?”
How was this happening? “But…” Lois sputtered.
Before she could get another word out Clark continued, “Jenny likes me a lot. I asked her to marry me.”
Then some kind of alarm started going off behind Lois.
~~~***~~~
Lois bolted upright. She was in bed and her alarm was beeping at her. She looked over at her alarm clock as she tried to get her bearings.
It had been a dream. She didn’t have breakfast dates with Clark. They didn’t stroll the streets of Metropolis hand in hand. Clark hadn’t taken up with that… girl from the office.
But was there any reason he wouldn’t?
What had that dream been about? The parts where she and Clark had been acting like a couple had felt so right. It had seemed so real. It could be real.
That part with the blonde had also felt all too real. That had been… horrid. Clark being with someone else was… wrong. Suddenly it was all too clear that she wanted Clark to be with her.
What if he did start dating someone else? What if he really did think that they had no future because of what she’d told him in the past? How would she feel if that special smile of his, or that special voice Jimmy talked about, were only for some other woman?
The more she thought of Clark with someone else, the more she came to realize how much she didn’t like it. Sure, she’d treated him badly at first. Then she’d ignored him while pursuing Superman and being pursued by Lex. Now, the idea of losing him… for real… forever… was unthinkable.
It was time for Lois Lane to act.
TBC
Bob
