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Part 8

Disclaimer: Some of the dialogue in this part was taken straight from the Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman television series, developed by Deborah Joy LeVine. In particular an episode penned by John McNamara. I am not claiming that dialogue as my own, but just borrowing it for plot purposes.

Part 9

Lois remembered a flash of blue and a streak of red had come out of nowhere and then suddenly a pair of strong arms had held her. He had smelled smoke and she had felt a breeze as she had gazed up into his face. Then…? Then… ? That must have been when she passed out.

Clark rescued me!

Clark lied to her! And he said he had always been honest with her. Occam’s Razor? Humph.

Lois was mad; so mad she felt like hitting him again. Then she remembered it hurt her more than him last time. Okay, hitting Clark was out. She needed to think. And to think she needed to pace. But Clark’s arm that had been around her shoulder had fallen down over her waist and pinned her against him. So, Lois couldn’t pace. She couldn’t move – really – without waking him up… and if he woke up with her in this position – basically sitting in his lap, snuggled up against his chest – that would cause more problems than solutions. And she would then have to explain why she took off his glasses. His glasses!

That was why he refused to remove his glasses the other night. He was afraid she would recognize him. She almost let a snarl escape, but caught herself in time. Snarling would certainly wake Clark up. And no matter how much she felt like yelling at Clark for lying to her, she certainly did not want him to wake up to find her in this compromising position.

Not that Lois thought that Clark would take advantage of her. Clark was no Claude. Thank goodness. She never would have invited him into her apartment, never would have put herself into this compromising position if she ever suspected even for a fraction of a second that Clark would press his advantage – and Mr. Hardbody definitely had the advantage over her. The way he had picked up those heavy bundles of Sunday papers this morning like they were gum wrappers! But Clark wasn’t like Claude. He had brought her home that night – while she was passed out nonetheless – and hadn’t done anything more than lay her down and take off her shoes. And lied to her about that. That was a trait she definitely could not have in a boyfriend: dishonesty.

Boyfriend?

Lois gulped. No. That was not what she had meant. She had meant a friend who was also a boy.

Her inner voice giggled. Clark is certainly a lot of things – but a ‘boy’ is not one of them. He is ALL man.

She needed to move. She could not think straight lying here in Clark’s arms, pressed up against his warm chest, gazing up at his perfect face. Lois swallowed.

Go ahead, move! I dare ya.

Ooooh. Lois hated when her inner voice was right. She couldn’t move. Partially because she couldn’t move without waking Clark up and partially, if she let herself admit the truth,…

The truth? Wow, I never I thought I’d hear that coming from you!

Lois didn’t want to move. Clark was sweet and kind and had always bent over backwards to make her life easier at work. She bet he was the one who had left her the first aid kit that first day – definitely over and above the call of his job description. Not to mention, this gorgeous man liked her. Her! Never before had someone the caliber of Clark even given her a second glance – without beer goggles.

She knew she wasn’t ugly. She was an attractive woman. Very attractive in fact. Lois knew that she was and if she put in the effort, if she dressed up – like she had for her date with Claude – she had no problem appealing to a higher quality of man. But Clark had liked her for herself without all that extra effort and despite her constantly treating him like mud, yelling at him, hitting him, and even using him to regain her dignity. He just kept coming back for more.

Don’t forget he also saved your life.

Lois sighed. He had done that, too. She wondered what had happened that night. Had it been his truck that had almost hit her? Had he scooped her up into those strong arms of his and had she recognized him on some subconscious level, allowing herself to pass out? Then the poor man had a damsel in distress in his arms and didn’t know what do to. So he had put her in his truck. He had had three options: a) take her back to his place, which Clark never would have done – gentleman that he was – although she suspected that he still lived with his folks; b) take her to the hospital, which would have been more costly since she was broke and had no insurance; or c) take her back to her place. Since he had seen her leaving for work, he knew where she lived, so he had taken her back to her apartment.

Obviously, since you woke up here.

And her apartment key was marked ‘1B’, so maybe he realized that ‘B’ stood for ‘back building’. It made sense in a logical sort of way. Why hadn’t he stayed?

Stayed? Lois, what would you have done if you had woken up to find Clark in your apartment that night?

Yes, that would have been worse. She would have screamed bloody murder and probably had him arrested for assault. Lois sighed. What other option did Clark have, but to leave? She wouldn’t have listened to reason, not after what Claude had done to her that night. She would have thought the worst of Clark. And she hadn’t really known him at that point.

But why hadn’t Clark been wearing his glasses?

It had been raining…

True. Maybe he took them off because it was hard to see with wet glasses on. That made sense.

And then you freaked out and cried to him about the strange man who had brought you home.

Oh, yeah. What must Clark have thought? What guilt had he felt at not being able to tell her the truth? Maybe that was why he had assigned himself as her protector and friend. Why he let her treat him like trash and kept coming back for more? Maybe Clark didn’t really like her for more than a friend after all. Earlier that evening she thought he had looked at her like he wanted to kiss her, but then he had turned away, instead. Lois sighed. Maybe Clark thought of her like a little sister. This idea tore at Lois’s chest.

Why did this concept physically hurt? She had never sought more than a friendship from Clark. She had fought tooth-and-nail from developing their friendship into more. But if she admitted the truth of her feelings…

Yes, that would be a nice change. I’m getting tired of arguing with you.

When Lois looked at Clark, she did feel more than friendship. Why was that thought so scary? Was it because her parents had such a terrible and bitter marriage? Why was it so daunting to trust? Even someone as sweet and kind and considerate and…

…smoking hot…

… as Clark.

Lois’s brow furrowed. Why had he smelled of smoke? He didn’t smoke.

Hello! Investigative reporter-wannabe… he cooks in a restaurant!

Right. Right. Of course. It all fit. Clark Kent was her hero. Now, the big question: should she let him know that she knew the truth about him?

Lois stared at that handsome sleeping face, her fingers just itching to caress it and her lips...

No, not yet. She would get to know him better and see if he would confess the truth to her. Yes, better plan. Give him the opportunity to tell her the truth on his own. See if he treated her like a sister, a friend or more than a friend. It really didn’t matter that he lied, now that Lois knew the truth. Knowing the truth was more important than knowing that Clark lied. As long as he never lied to her again.

Better put the glasses back on him then.

Lois sighed.

Such a waste of a handsome face, to hide it behind this mask.

Reaching behind her, Lois removed his glasses from the side table. Slowly, and ever so gently, she slid them back onto his face. Just as she was about to remove her fingers from his frames, his pools of darkness opened and gazed into hers.

“Lois?”

“Hmmm.”

“Whatcha doing?”

Oh, damn! Caught red handed.

***

Clark opened his eyes and there was Lois’s face just inches away from his face. Her hands were on his glasses and her heart was racing a mile a minute. Actually, he thought it was her fast heart beat that had gotten his attention.

“Lois?” he asked, not really able to say more with her that close.

“Hmmm.” Was she having the same problem?

“Whatcha doing?”

Smooth, Romeo. Very romantic. You should have kissed her instead.

Lois’s face turned bright red as she began to sputter. “It’s not what it looks like,” she rambled.

What did it look like?

That was when Clark realized that Lois was sitting in his lap. He raised a brow. “No?”

Lois let go of his glasses and grinned. She was trying to appear innocent, but she looked pretty darn guilty.

I could live with that.

She blushed more. “OK, it is what it looks like. You had fallen asleep…”

“What?” he gasped. He didn’t.

You did.

“… and I was just taking off your glasses because I thought you’d sleep better with them off.”

Clark swallowed. She hadn’t planned on waking him up? She just figured he would stay the night? He couldn’t stay the night. He cleared his throat. “I should go,” he said, standing up.

“No!”

“No?” Clark asked. Her arms went around his neck when he had stood up and he realized his arms were wrapped around her waist, holding her against his chest. She felt good there.

Lois jumped out of his arms and reluctantly he let her go.

Right. Why would she want to stay there, in his embrace?

“Clark, you’re too tired to drive home,” she explained, hurriedly.

He smiled. “I’m fine.”

Lois pushed gently on his chest. Was she hoping to get him to sit back down? “I’ll get you a pillow and a blanket.” She headed for her closet.

Clark glanced around, noting once again, that she still lived in a studio apartment and that her couch was also her bed. No, he couldn’t stay. “Lois, I cannot stay. You only have one bed which also happens to be your couch.” His voice broke as he spoke.

She pushed the blanket and pillow into his arms. “You’re staying.”

Clark grinned. She was arguing with him about this? “Really, I’m fine to drive, Lois.”

Lois crossed her arms and stared at him for a moment, then she went over to her VCR. “Well, if you’re so awake, I’ll start the next movie. It’s hardly ten o’clock. Sit down.”

Clark swallowed. If he sat down and fell asleep again… “I’m really tired, Lois. I should head home.”

Lois raised a brow. “Absolutely not.”

He could see that she didn’t want him to leave. Actually Lois was refusing to let him leave. Clark chuckled. He would like nothing more than to stay with lovely Lois, but if he fell asleep in her presence again, if she took off his glasses, if he started to float… No, he should go. “Really, Lois. I’m okay to drive.”

Lois pressed her lips together and crossed her arms. “Well, which is it, Clark? Are you fine to drive? Or are you too sleepy to watch another movie? You can’t be both.

Clark smiled sheepishly. She wasn’t going to take ‘no’ for an answer. She really wanted him to stay. He wondered why.

“If you fell asleep on the drive home…” She gulped.

Lois was worried about him? He had to concentrate on keeping his toes on the ground for the first time since dinner.

“Really, Lois. I’ll be fine,” he tried to reassure her.

Clark watched as her determination faltered and her face fell.

“Oh. Okay. If you really need to go…” Lois glanced away, taking his heart with her.

Lois truly wanted him to stay. Was there another reason? Did she not want to be alone? Was she still being terrorized by thoughts of that mysterious stranger who took her home the night she fell into the street? Guilt overwhelmed him. He sat down on the couch.

“So, is this next one the one where Danny Glover sits on the explosive toilet?”

Lois looked over at him with a smile that radiated so much warmth, he felt rejuvenated by it. He would never be able to leave. Lois was his own personal sunshine.

She took the tape out of the VCR and put it back in its box. “I don’t know. I can’t remember,” she mumbled in response to his question. What had been his question?

Danny Glover. Toilet.

Clark’s eyes went wide. Had he really said that?

Yep.

“Do you need another cream soda?” she asked.

Clark shook his head and watched as she sat down right next to him. Closer than she had been for the first movie. She kicked off her slippers – when they had first arrived at her apartment, Lois had changed into something more comfortable, her sweats – and tucked her feet underneath her. She leaned against his arm. He swallowed. Much closer.

“Don’t worry, Clark. I promise, if you fall back asleep, I won’t invade your personal space again and try to take your glasses off.”

He released a breath, he hadn’t realized he had been holding. She promised and he believed her.

“Wow! My A/C must have gone into hyperdrive; it’s freezing in here,” Lois said, shivering.

Oops!

Clark grabbed the blanket she had given him and covered her with it. She lifted up the edge of the blanket and covered his legs with half, so that they were snuggled underneath it together. Of course, that would be warmer.

Basic survival techniques 101 – skin against skin…

Oh, this wasn’t good. His mind… imploded. He could no longer think, because Lois had slipped her hand into his. She rested her head on his shoulder and was holding his hand. He was glad he had decided to stay.

Instinctively Clark shifted his position and moved his arm around her shoulders. When he realized what he had done, he braced himself, waiting for her to snap, waiting for her to yell. Minutes passed and instead of screaming at him – like she usually would – Lois settled in against him. She let go of his hand – she had still been holding it? – and rested it against his chest. Soon her breathing was slow and regular. Lois had fallen asleep in his arms. It felt like she belonged there.

Clark sighed and rested his head against the top of hers. If he died at this very moment, he would have died a happy man. It couldn’t get any better than this.

Oh, yes, it could.

Clark smiled. Yes, he guessed it could, but for now this was enough.

A stray thought disturbed this happiness. Lois was still bothered about that night he rescued her. As soon as he had gone public, Clark decided one of the first things he would do was confess his involvement that night. Well, his alter ego would. The man in the blue suit with the red shorts and cape with the yellow ‘S’ crest on his chest.

***

Clark opened his eyes. A bright light had awakened him. He blinked and rubbed his eyes. He was still wearing his glasses. Lois was curled up against his chest. He had fallen asleep in her apartment again. This time he hadn’t minded. He could easily sleep every night with Lois in his arms.

Down boy. Where’s that light coming from?

Clark glanced around Lois’s apartment. The VCR clock read 4:02 am. The TV had gone to blue screen, but that had happened hours earlier and the light that woke him up was white light. It was almost as if it was calling to him.

There on Lois’s bookshelf! That intricately carved woodened box. Clark gently moved out from under Lois, laying her down on the couch.

He moved to the bookcase and to the box with the light emanating from inside. The box had a small lock, which he could easily break. Instead he felt around for the key; he found it lying on top of the bookcase. Unlocking the box, Clark found a glowing globe inside. Unexpectedly, the green continents of Earth faded and were replaced by red continents. Unable to resist, Clark reached out to pick up the globe. The instant his fingers touched it, the globe radiated a burst of energy filling the room for a moment with bright, pure white light. He took a step back and glanced at Lois. She was still asleep.

Suddenly a ghostly image of an older, white haired man stood before him. The man spoke. “My name is Jor-El. And you are Kal-El, my son.”

Clark’s heart was beating faster than he could ever remember it doing so before. Was this man speaking to him?

“The object you now possess has been attuned to you. That you now hear these words is proof that you survived the journey in space and have reached your full maturity.

Oh, God! It is speaking to me.

“Now it is time to learn your heritage. To that end, I will appear to you five times. Watch for the light. Listen and learn.”

Clark felt a chill go down his spine. He was finally going to learn where he had come from. He had wondered about this for so long. The image of the man was pulled back inside the globe. It was replaced with another image – a hologram perhaps – of the same man working inside some kind of laboratory, but not any kind like Clark had ever seen on Earth before. The surfaces were white and clean. The man started to talk again, this time as a voiceover to the image.

“Time grows short and we continue to search. The immensity of space is both a blessing and a curse. In that mere infinite variety there must be some place suitable.”

Clark’s brow furrowed. ‘Suitable?’ Suitable for what? He felt something slide into his hand and realized that Lois had joined him.

“Hope and desperation drive us in equal measure. Lara works by my side. She’s tireless and endlessly patient, considering what is to come. This is my greatest consolation. That we are together.”

The voice disappeared as the light of the globe faded and went out.

“Clark,” Lois whispered. “You’re shivering.”

Indeed he was. Truth be told, he noticed goose pimples on her arms as well. Clark reached over and picked up the globe. As he held it the green of Earth changed back to the red of Krypton. “Krypton,” he murmured. He didn’t know if it was a memory or knowledge given to him by holding the globe. He swallowed and glanced over at Lois. He had to ask. “Where did you get this?”

“My friend Pete and I found it in the creek at Rocky Cove, over by Shuster’s Field.”

Shuster’s Field? That was where his parents said they had found him inside the spaceship. Had this globe been part of his ship? Outside of this fog, Clark’s brain caught hold of something else Lois had said.

Pete? Who was this Pete fellow? How close was he to Lois? Was he an old boyfriend? Was he the man who would eventually steal her away from him? A growl emanated from deep inside Clark’s chest.

Lois chuckled. She must have heard his green-eyed monster. “I was five, Clark.” She trailed her fingers over his chest as she walked back to the couch. “Although, he did take me to his senior prom.” She grinned at him as his eyes formed slits. “Along with our other best friend, Rachel Harris.”

She was teasing him. And he had fallen into her trap. Realizing this Pete character had no hold over her, Clark returned his focus to the globe.

He wondered how long it would be until the next part would be revealed to him. Would the small sphere answer all the questions burning inside of him? The not knowing had been gnawing at him for years. He never thought he would ever learn about his past, his birth parents, only to discover it here, where his possible future lived. He pulled his gaze away from the globe, still sitting in his outstretched hand – he hadn’t wanted to let go of it – and over to Lois. What must she be thinking about all this?

Lois sat on the couch. Her arms hugging her knees to her chest. Her eyes were wide and stared into space, her mind deep in thought. The globe meant something completely different for her than it did for him. She now knew that life on other planets existed. No more doubt. No more question of what they might look like. She knew at some point an alien had not only come to Earth, but to her home town of Smallville, and she had evidence of that in her possession. What would she do if she knew that very same alien – Kryptonian – was standing here in her apartment? Would that scare her? Would it terrify her to know that this same alien was the man she kissed the other day? Would she be freaked out to know that same alien was head-over-heels in love with her? And wanted to do nothing more than hold her and comfort her? How quickly would she reject him if she knew all that?

“Lois?”

She turned towards him and held out her hand.

He gratefully took it in his as he sat down next to her. Clark cleared his throat. “Has it ever done that before?”

She looked him directly in the eyes. “No.”

It really was attuned to him. It had sensed his presence in her apartment and had called to him. Clark gulped as he looked back down at the globe. He couldn’t put it down. It was precious to him.

Lois grabbed the globe out of his hand and in anger lifted it to her shoulder as if she was to about to throw it against the brick wall of her apartment.

“No!” Clark gasped. He knew he could catch it before it hit, but Lois would see more than he was prepared to reveal.

Lois looked at him first in shock at his reaction and then with a profound amount of despair. She dropped the globe and sat back down on the couch. He easily caught the sphere before it hit the ground. She buried her face in her hands and cried. He thought that a strange reaction. It was as if she was taking the presence of the globe, and what it represented, personally.

Clark set down the globe on the coffee table and wrapped his arms around her. He had seen her eyes dotted with tears on several occasions. Once from fear of what had happened that rainy night, once in frustration, once in anger and once or twice with pain from yet another paper cut. But he had never seen nor heard her cry with so much hopelessness, like her entire world collapsed on top of her. He hoped she would never cry like this again. He wanted so much to fix whatever broke inside her and make her once more into that happy, smiling woman who had snuggled with him until she had fallen asleep and who had teased him about her old friend just minutes earlier.

When she finished crying, Lois pulled back and looked directly into his eyes. “Clark, can you do something for me?”

“Anything, Lois,” he replied, meaning it.

“Stay with me. I don’t want to be alone.”

Clark smiled as happiness filled him. He wasn’t going anywhere. “Sure.”

Lois took his hand in both of hers as she leaned against his shoulder. “Talk to me. I need to get my mind off of…” Her gaze shifted to the globe sitting on the coffee table. “… things.”

It was a lot to take in. The knowledge that Earthlings weren’t alone in the universe. He and his folks had lived with this knowledge his whole life. This was all new to her. “What do you want to talk about?” he asked.

“If you could fly anywhere in the world, where would you go?”

He had already traveled the world and seen historical and geographical sites, animals in their native habitats, and art at the greatest museums. He knew what he wanted to say in response, the truthful answer. Clark would go anywhere in the world Lois was, for he only wanted to be with her.

When he didn’t speak right away, she said, “I’d like to go to the beach. I have never seen the ocean. I’d like to go to the coast and walk with my toes in the sand and see the expanse of the water in front of me.”

“That sounds nice; I’d like that, too,” he replied, knowing that someday he would fulfill this wish for her.

“Then it’s a date.” Lois chuckled. It was a sad sort of chuckle as if she knew that what she was about to say would never come true. “As soon as one of us can fly we’ll go to the beach.”

Clark joined his laugh with hers. Although his was full of hope, knowing her wish would most certainly come true. “Deal.”

*** End of Part 9 ***

Part 10

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