I know it's been a while, but RL had been bound up. I really want to get this done, but RL is going to continue to busy over the next few weeks. We have to get our stuff together for school, we take our vacation next month, and the usual hum of life. I'll try to keep up some kind of regular posts though.
Thanks to everyone still reading and commenting. It's greatly appreciated.
Enjoy!
++++
Work called the next day, so Clark hurried around the city chasing down leads. More of the aftermath from the stories about Luthor and Delconto managed to make it back to print in preparation for the Monday edition. It would probably be months before they could all put that behind them enough to move on.
Clark was winding down things to head home when Jack dropped on the edge of his desk. "I found out where Lois' things are."
He looked up at the younger man. "Yeah?"
"In the wine room of the penthouse. There was a storage room with boxes in it. Some of them contained her things. Her furniture was in another room next to it. My bet is Luthor put 'em in there and forgot about 'em."
"Somehow I don't see that man forgetting about anything," Clark said as he stood up.
"How's Lois doing with the twins?"
Clark stopped gathering his things and smiled as he remembered her expression when Perry and Collin whispered 'goodnight, Mommy'. "They've figured out she's their mother."
"I'll bet she was a little stoked."
"Right now, Jack, I think that's the best therapy she could have." He clapped the younger man's shoulder and finished shutting down his computer. "See you later."
"You got it."
Clark had every intention of heading back out to Kansas, but Superman was needed first. As soon as he was done, he called out to speak with Lois. She assured him that she was okay, so he decided to head home to get some sleep.
Monday dawned clear and bright, albeit busy as hell. Clark was chasing down a lead at dawn. He'd barely made it back to the office when Mayson called to tell him the bank was ready to close on his house. By noon, he had the keys to his new place, had contracted a moving company to pack up his parents' things on the farm and move them across the country, and another piece written for the front page. He ducked out of work early to head over to the house and make plans to start renovations on the garage apartment for his parents. With a clear direction and something to look forward to, Clark couldn't wait to get his family to the city.
****
"So, we're set then?" Clark asked as he polished off the pie on his plate. He and his folks had decided that as soon as he was done with the renovations, which he estimated to be by the weekend, the moving company would gather them up and haul them eastward.
Martha looked around and sighed.
"Mom, you don't have to do this," Clark said as he saw the expression on her face.
"Yes, we do," she told him. "Collin and Perry need you and Lois and we need them." She stood up and gathered up the dirty dishes from the table. "We've just been here a long time, son. There's a lot of memories in this house."
Jonathan reached over to cover her hand with his. "We're taking those with us." The couple exchanged a look before Martha finished her task. "Now, are you two set?" They were alone at the table because the kids had already gone to bed.
"Not much for me to do," Lois said as she stood to carry her coffee cup over to the sink.
"Actually, I do need you to do something," Clark announced. "Mom, Lois is going with me tonight." He stood up as if he was ready to go.
"I am?" she asked as she turned to look at him.
"Yeah. Well, please. I need you to look at something."
Lois was sure he'd practiced that expression. The one that looked like a hurt puppy dog. If he'd look at her like that, she was sure she wouldn't be able to deny him very much. She knew now where Collin picked up that particular art.
"I'll have you back bright and early for breakfast," he went on.
"Go on, honey," Martha told her.
Lois glanced at Martha, then looked to Jonathan, who grinned. "All right, but no funny business," she warned Clark in a teasing tone.
"Ha, ha," he crooned as they headed toward the door. "Thanks, guys," he told his parents and led Lois out into the yard. Before she could take three steps, he scooped her and took off. Her arms automatically wrapped around his neck, the gasp returning from his surprise take-off.
"You didn't change tonight," she pointed out.
"Not tonight," was all he said as they headed toward Metropolis. He landed in the backyard of the new house in the shadows and set her on her feet.
"Why are we here?" she asked.
"I need you to pick out the room you want." He grasped her hand and tugged her along behind him toward the house.
"Clark, any room would have been okay. You're being good enough to let me stay..."
"Just come on." They walked across the patio and up onto the back porch. He unlocked the door and flipped the lights on in the mudroom.
"You've had time to get the lights on?"
"Good friends," he stated. "Jack made some calls for me. All of the utilities are on, the phone will be on tomorrow, and hopefully I'll have most of my stuff in here by Friday."
She stopped just inside the large den and looked back at him. "You're gonna move in before us?"
"Well..." He stopped when he saw the expression on her face. "Maybe just my stuff," he went on. "I can come out and stay in Kansas until we can all stay here together." The flash in her eyes told him that was exactly the right thing to say and do. This was another of those things Lois felt she needed. And he wasn't about to deny her.
Lois drifted through the large house, clicking on lights as she went. Upstairs she went from one room to another, then back again. "This place is great, Clark," she finally decided as she stopped in the hall outside the two biggest rooms. One was obviously the master bedroom because it had a bathroom. Of course, the other one had a bathroom, too, although with just a shower stall in that one.
"I was thinking we could turn the third floor into storage and a playroom."
"Good idea, but they can't be up there alone until they're much older."
"Yeah, I know." He walked over and peered into the large, master bedroom. "So, which room do you want?"
"Clark, I'm not taking your room away from you." She could tell by his posture that he was indicating the master suite.
"If you weren't moving in here, my folks would have had this room." He shrugged as if that should explain everything.
Lois folded her arms across her chest and sauntered over to the doorway where he stood. She peered inside, then grinned at him. "You know, we could always share."
That glint was back in her eyes, indicating she was in a teasing mood. "We could," Clark replied as he stepped so that he was straddling the threshold and leaned back on the frame. Of course, we'd have another decision to make then." Her arched brow asked him to explain. "We'd have to pick out a bed."
She felt good tonight, more than willing to play this game. "What's wrong with yours? I happen to think it's comfortable."
"Yeah, but wouldn't you rather have a king-sized bed? I kinda' like to stretch out when I work and my bed is a bit confining."
Her smile faded, the teasing glint gone as well. She turned and stepped into the room, walking over to look out of the window. It was on the side of the house next to the empty end of the cul-de-sac. Perfect for a balcony so Clark could come and go in super guise.
"Hey, what did I say?"
"Nothing," she lied. The room also boasted a fireplace. It was the perfect room for... "You're right. We'd have to choose a new bed. I only work on clean surfaces."
As she walked over to inspect the fireplace, or pretend to, dawning flashed for Clark. She was curious about his past. More precisely, his bed's past and the women he'd had in it. Of course, the only women who'd been in that particular bed was her, his mother, and Lana slept there once. He'd purchased the bed when he'd moved to the city and nothing had ever taken place in that bed more exciting than sleep. A fact that painfully reminded him just how long it had been since he'd...
"You know, we could always just use your bed."
Lois' head snapped around so she could look at him. "What?"
"Jack found your things, furniture included." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked over to look out of the window. "And I have to tell you, your bed is really nice."
"Yeah," she said, heading toward the closet. "Nice and clean."
He walked over and stuck his head in the door of the closet. It was large enough to be a room on its own. There were shelves and drawers as well as plenty of room to hang a wardrobe.
"My bag of rags would get lost in here," Lois commented as she stepped over to a full length mirror that had been installed in the middle of one wall.
"I have a feeling you could find a few more things to fill the space." Clark pulled out a drawer in a section designed for jewelry. His mother had declared the closet extravagant.
"The closet in the other room would probably be more my size," Lois declared as she started back that way. "Damn!" she mumbled when she stepped into the other storage space. It was almost as large as the other one.
Clark chuckled at her. "Every closet in this house is huge." He'd followed her into the other room. "So, which room do you like?"
"The one with you in it," she said under her breath as she inspected the bathroom.
His smile widened as he sat down on the window seat. This room offered a smaller version of the storage space like the one in his apartment. As he sat there, Lois came out of the bathroom and walked over to click the light off. She's already clicked the one off in the other room. Enough moonlight was shining through the window to see Clark clearly enough. She walked over and sat down beside him.
"You know, if you *really* want to share a room..." he teased, but she didn't smile. He reached over and smoothed his hand across her back. "Is it that important?" he asked her, meaning her apparent need to know about his love life.
She obviously understood what he meant because she shrugged. "Crazy, huh? To wonder about something like that when I'm so damned messed up." She laughed softly, a humorless sound. "I have no idea what you've done to me, but I can hardly think of much else. I mean, yeah, I think about the stuff that's happened to me, think about getting through the next minute. It just all comes right back to you at the end of the day. For the past few days I've been thinking about us living together." She stopped and stared across the room, silent for a long moment. "And that makes me think about your bed." Her eyes came around to meet his. "It also makes me a little... nuts thinking about who might share that bed with you," she whispered.
"I thought that's what we were talking about," Clark said, his eyes dancing in the light.
"Clark," she whined, obviously not back to the teasing mood of earlier.
His hand reached over to grasp hers. "I thought I told you I'm not involved with anyone."
"Not right now."
"And the only person I see myself being involved with in the near future is you." His thumb stroked the back of her hand. "Besides, it would be way too kinky for me to share my bed with someone else if you're already in it."
"Dammit, Clark!" she barked at him and pulled her hand away from his. "You'd feel funny as hell if I really wanted to do that."
He chuckled softly, rubbing her back again. "I'd probably feel..." He grunted when she elbowed him. "Okay, okay. I'll stop." He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to his side, ready to put her mind at ease a bit. He wasn't sure why she felt she had to know, but he was quickly getting to the point where he'd tell her anything. Hell, she already knew his biggest secret. "Lois, I have been in a very serious relationship."
"With Lana?" she asked, not looking up from a spot she found interesting on the floor.
"Yeah. She and I *were* intimate. Even after we decided to separate, we would... sleep together from time to time when we saw each other." He shrugged helplessly. "We knew each other and you tend to be comfortable with people you know."
"Explain us." They'd said these same exact things before.
He laughed softly as he pulled her closer and reached out with his free hand for one of hers. "I guess it's like my mom says... when you find your true best friend, your heart and soul will know long before your mind does." She hadn't said best friend, but he wasn't about to tell her that Martha had said soul mate. He was sure that might cause her a bit of unease.
Was that what Lois was? His soul mate?
"You think we're true best friends?" she asked, looking up at him.
"I hope so. You know way too much about me not to be."
"Oh, please. Quite a few people know you're Superman."
"Yeah, but they don't know what color my underwear are," he said softly. He wasn't really sure Lois knew either, but she had been living with him. So...
That caused her to laugh out loud. "That might make a difference," she said when she'd calmed, reveling again at how his laugh and smile affected her. His eyes squinted nearly shut and his whole face lit up, making him even more beautiful than he normally was- if that was possible. "Did you sleep with Mayson?" She asked that question directly, no smile on her face at all. She hadn't meant to be so direct, but she'd been wondering about it for a while and well, she wanted to know.
"Yes," he answered just as directly. "Once." He looked down as his thumb stroked the back of the hand he was still holding. "In her bed."
Did that mean he hadn't slept with anyone in his bed? Or just that particular bed? Or...? When she looked up and his eyes met hers, she received her answer. He hadn't slept with a woman in the bed at his apartment.
"I had a single bed until I moved to Metropolis," he went on.
"Must have made... work difficult."
"It made work nonexistent," he clarified. "Lois, I had a life, even a love life, but I've never been... promiscuous either. I think you should... feel something before you share an experience like that."
"I would hope you'd feel something," she joked, feeling like the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders by his revelations.
He laughed again, rubbing his hand up and down her arm. "That might make a difference," he repeated what she'd just said to him.
"You felt something for Mayson?"
"I did, and I still do. I wasn't... in love with her, but I did care very deeply for her. She's become a dear friend, and I love her that way now. Does that bother you? Will it bother you when she moves next door?"
"Actually, there's something about Mayson that makes you want to be her friend," Lois confessed. "I've never had a female friend before," she said softly.
"Then I hope you two become closer."
They sat in silence for a long while, Lois staring down at the floor, tons of different things whirling around in her head. "So how kinky are you?" was what popped out of her mouth.
Clark wasn't the least bit shocked by her question. He was quickly learning to expect the unexpected with Lois. Her mind jumped off on all kinds of wild tangents and most of the time, she asked exactly what was on her mind. "Oh, I don't know. Sex on the ceiling is good."
Her eyes automatically glanced up at the ceiling. "It would definitely be interesting," she commented as she stood up.
"Where you going?"
"To look at the ceiling in the other room. I want to see which one looks more comfortable."
Clark laughed, partly because her comment was funny and partly to cover the electric current that shot through his body. He got up to follow and sure enough, she was standing in the middle of the master bedroom looking up at the ceiling.
"Just pick a room already," he said as he reached out to tickle her sides.
"Don't you... do... that," she said and moved to get away from him.
"Why? I want to hear you laugh." And he backed her against the wall where he could tickle her relentlessly. Her laughter echoed throughout the empty room. "Say uncle," Clark said as he continued his assault.
"What if I turned the TABLES?" She finished in a breathless grunt because she'd grabbed him by his shirt and with one swift move, he was the one in the corner laughing.
"Mmm, a woman who can handle her half of the work," he teased, his eyes dancing with mischief.
Lois' hands stopped attacking him and she stared up into his eyes. "Lex threw me up against the wall so hard once, I bled for two hours. Still have the bump." She demonstrated by reaching back to touch a spot on her head.
Clark's smile vanished and he swallowed hard. Why did she feel like she needed to tell him that now?
"He liked making me submit with the lights on. Said he... performed better when he saw the fear in my eyes. He gave new meaning to the word kinky. Only with him it wasn't kinky. It was sick and disgusting and painful and..." She stopped and glanced down at his chest. "Oh, God! You're not wearing a muscle shirt tonight." He had on a button down shirt, but he'd left his muscle tee off. Before he knew what she'd done, his shirt was wide open. "Wow! Look at that."
Absolutely not! he thought, closing his eyes and dropping his head back against the wall. Please don't touch me, he chanted mentally. She was grasping the sides of shirt, but if she touched him...
Her eyes finally left his chest and drifted back to his face. "What's wrong, Clark?" she whispered. Her hands loosened just a bit on his shirt.
"You know what's wrong," he told her, taking a deep breath through his nose.
"Would you ever do me like that, Clark?"
That caused his head to snap up and his eyes flew open. "What?"
"Would you toss me around like that? Would you want to see my eyes? Would you want me to stand up? Would you want me to please you no matter how much it hurt me in return?" By the time she finished her string of questions, tears were rolling down her cheeks. And even before she asked them, she knew the answers.
He lifted his hands and cupped her face, wiping her tears away with his thumbs. "You have big, expressive eyes that would definitely be worth watching. But I'd never want to see fear in them. I'd never put fear in them. Excitement maybe. Anticipation is nice. Never fear." He'd wanted to say more. He'd wanted to say he'd give anything to see desire in her eyes. This wasn't the time though. He dropped his hands to grasp her hips lightly. "I'd never want you to do anything you didn't want to do."
Her large, expressive eyes searched his for a long moment before they glanced back down at his chest. A second later her hands went up and she reached out to touch him. "You are *so* beautiful," she told him softly.
His fingers squeezed reflexively on her hips. "So are you," he replied. His body felt like it was vibrating with pent up desire as her warm hands branded him. She smoothed over his pecs, stopping directly over his nipples to squeeze ever so slightly. She ventured on, moving her hands down over his stomach and back up his sides.
"You have caused me to rethink everything."
"Like what?"
"Not all men are slimy, manipulative pigs." He smiled. "Attraction is definitely something I can still feel." The smile faded. She swallowed as they continued to stare at one another. "Sex might actually be something wonderful again," she said softly. "Instead of some dark, twisted act used to control others."
Clark lifted his hand back to her face, then leaned his head over to touch hers. "Lady, you have no idea what you do to me," he whispered, then pulled her into a hug. His hands smoothed over her back, his body humming from the contact between their bodies.
"I think I do," she mumbled against his chest.
He laughed softly and splayed his hand over the side of her head. She drew away from him and moved her hands down to grasp his. "Are we gonna stay here all night?"
"I don't know. I was thinking we might try out the pool. The bank sent out a crew to clean it this afternoon."
"We don't have suits."
"Sure we do," he said, his eyes flashing devilishly. "Our birthday suits."
She swatted him on the chest. "You are terrible."
Laughing again, he wrapped his arm around her and guided her toward the door. "Come on. I'll buy you a sundae at the fudge castle."
"I knew there was a reason I liked you."
Clark grasped Lois and swung her up into his arms before floating them down the stairs. She protested mildly, but her giggles told him she was having a good time. Clark buttoned his shirt after depositing her on her feet in the den. They cut all the lights, then they headed toward the city. A deep understanding had been established between them tonight. Both knew about and accepted the other's attraction. Both understood it was strong enough that they would act on it should either indicate that's what should happen. And both accepted that to rush this attraction, to rush this friendship would cause irreparable damage.
****
Life had a way of bogging down to a near crawl, making you incredibly miserable. It also had a way of flying by in the blink of an eye, until you feel like you've missed everything. This was one of the fast weeks. Lois was in conference with Mayson two different days as well as on the phone with Henderson another day. The prosecutor was rolling quickly with his case against Lex, hoping to work out a plea bargain long before the case could go to trial, a situation that wouldn't hurt Lois' feelings one bit. She was not looking forward to testifying against him.
Clark had rushed to work each morning to tackle his stories so that he could get to the new house to work on the garage. Superman was on a limited-rescue basis; he didn't go out unless it was for major emergencies.
And he talked to Lois every morning and every night, if he didn't fly out to see them. She told him she understood he wanted to get done with the renovations and would be okay if he didn't visit much.
"Damn, Clark, this place looks phenomenal," Jimmy said as they stood in the middle of the new living room in back of the garage.
Rather than cutting the space in the original garage, he'd expanded behind the building. There was an entrance into the new space from inside the garage as well as a separate entrance with a large covered patio that extended out into the backyard. There was a small living room, a kitchen, and a laundry room with a half bath. The expansive, open space on top of the garage was now two bedrooms and modern bathroom. The area above the new addition was a covered, screened porch so that his parents could sit outside on nice nights. It boasted new patio furniture and a fire pit. With the help of Jimmy and Jack, the aid of low visibility at dusk, and the fact that the lot was fairly secluded, Clark was able to complete the outside in three days. It would have been done in mere minutes if he'd been able to use true super speed. But with the possibility of being seen forced him to work at a slower pace. The inside was done much quicker, aided by the fact that Mayson pushed all of the permits through in record time.
"Your folks are gonna love it," Denny told him. He'd come along with Jack to help with final clean-up.
"I think so," Clark said as he looked around with a smile. The only thing missing was the furniture, which he was going to let his folks decide what furniture from the farm should go in. New stuff could be added later if it was needed.
"So, Lois is really gonna stay in the house with you?" Jack asked, a grin quirking his mouth.
"In her *own* room," Clark pointed out as he gathered up the vacuum he'd used to give the floor a final once-over.
Jack shook his head, clicking his tongue. "Clark, my man, let me talk to you." Clark stopped and looked at him. "I need your man card. No horsing around this time. Hand it over." He held out his hand to his friend. Clark just chuckled at him.
"Leave him alone, Jack," Jimmy spoke up. "Lois is in a bad place right now."
"Yeah, I know. But come on, Jimmy. You have to admit- she's hot!"
"Lois has always been hot. You should see her dressed in a business suit. Wow!"
"Would you two stop?" Clark said as he stepped out the door of the new house. The others followed behind him and he locked up.
"I'm just saying," Jack continued. "If the mother of my kids was moving in with me, and she looked like Lois, she would never have to ask for a shoulder to cry on."
"She doesn't," Clark said under his breath as he headed for the back door of the big house.
Jack jogged to catch up with him. "Did I hear that right? My man isn't as blind as I thought he was?"
Clark stopped at the bottom of the stairs and sighed. "I have x-ray vision," he pointed out.
A knowing grin spread across Jack's face. "You know, that ignorant, blissfully unaware attitude works for you."
"So, exactly what *is* going on with you two?" Jimmy wanted to know as he walked up and grasped Clark's shoulder.
"Nothing," Clark breathed, immediately feeling ashamed of himself for how he felt. While he would love to have an intimate relationship with Lois, he wasn't about to put his desires ahead of her needs. And right now she needed something much deeper than just a physical relationship.
"By the way you said that you want more," Jimmy said.
"I shouldn't have said it quite like that," Clark began to explain. "We're friends, can't help but be, considering we have two kids together." He glanced back toward the pool where Denny was sitting on the diving board. "Jimmy was right though. Lois has a lot going on and more than anything, she *does* need that shoulder to lean on." His eyes moved to Jack. "And yes, I can see how beautiful she is." That's all he was giving them. "Grab your suits, would you? I'll drop the steaks and we'll see how cool that water is."
Jack and Jimmy exchanged a knowing look, then headed inside behind Clark. They were going to test out the pool and grill some steaks- it was part of the deal. They help Clark, they get food. Playing a while was an added bonus.
For the remainder of the evening the guys ate, passed around insults, and swam. Lois was mentioned once or twice, but they seemed to respect Clark's unspoken request to respect her by not turning her into fodder for gossip. And by not talking about her, it kept Clark from dwelling on the fact that he was so incredibly attracted to her.
****
Clark had finished moving all of his things into the new house. He'd also helped Jack and Denny settle in his apartment. They were stoked to be out of the one room efficiency they'd lived in for entirely too long. But Jack had chosen to stay in the less expensive place in order to save some money. It had paid off, too. He told Clark that he hoped he'd have enough money to buy Denny a really nice car by the time he graduated. Denny was on track for a scholarship and his big brother insisted he'd have to have a car for college. Jack was banking on Denny getting into a good school. He also wanted to reward the younger brother for a job well done.
With everything done on his end, the only thing left to do was wait on the moving truck bringing his family home. Martha and Jonathan had rented a small motor coach to bring the twins out from Kansas, insisting that the experience would not soon be forgotten. The truck would get in later today, but his family wouldn't make in for three more days. They were having a good time on the road and weren't in much of a hurry.
Sitting on the porch of the house, Clark was waiting on the truck. The movers had called earlier to say they should be there by six. He looked up when a sleek, silver sedan pulled into the driveway. A dark haired woman wearing shades climbed out and smiled at him.
"Lois?"
"Hey, flyboy." She pulled her sunglasses off as she approached him.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm supposed to move in," she replied as she stepped up the stairs and sat down beside him.
He chuckled at her answer. "I thought you were with Mom and Dad."
"I hopped a plane from somewhere in someplace a while ago so I could surprise you. Are you surprised?"
"Yeah." He glanced at the car. "How did you get a car?"
"It's a rental."
"I meant the fact that you don't have a license."
She smiled and reached into the bag she'd dropped beside her. Flipping open her wallet, she showed him her new driver's license. "Landed in Alton and hit the DMV in Glover. Was in and out in two seconds. Well, not really, but..."
"And where did you get a car for the driver's portion of the test?"
"Jimmy's mustang is still a sweet ride."
He smiled at her satisfied grin. She'd accomplished something on her own and she was proud of herself. "It's good to see you," he told her as his smile faded a bit. He hadn't been able to get to Kansas in three days. They'd talked on the phone, but this was much, much better.
"It's good to see you, too," she said and leaned over to bump her shoulder against his.
Clark's eyes moved from her face to her hair. She'd had it trimmed and dyed it back to its natural color. And it was as amazing as he knew it would be. "The hair..." Clark lifted his hand and slipped his fingers through the long locks.
"Like it?"
"Oh, yeah," he breathed. His eyes bored into hers as heat simmered between them. Would it be like this every time he saw her?
"I won't promise I'll keep the length long. It's hot as hell with all of this hair." She smoothed her hands over the length hanging down by her face.
"I'm glad you let me see it like this." His hand was still buried in the back of her hair. It was so soft and felt...
More precisely, it made him feel... glad to be a man. She looked so much different with the dark brown than the red. Gorgeous either way, but the natural color took his breath away.
They continued to stare at one another a moment, then Lois reached out to slap his knee. "What do you say we have dinner after the movers get here?"
"If they can manage to get the truck unloaded before midnight."
"If the time starts getting away from us, I'll go pick us up some take-out."
"Sounds good." He finally smoothed her hair down and let his hand drop away from her. He was about to say something else when the truck rolled up out front. "To be continued," he uttered as he stood up.
"In its entirety," she put in as she went after him. She'd thought of little else but this man the last few days and couldn't control the overwhelming urge to see him. Martha had suggested she call him, ask him to come see her.
How was it that woman knew how she felt? She and Martha had become the best of friends since she'd been in Kansas. The older woman's insight into life, love, and healing was what she'd needed most. She was glad she'd gone out to the farm.
Martha also knew how Lois felt about her son, even if Lois didn't know herself. When she'd insisted she couldn't call Clark and ask him to stop what he was doing to come to her, Martha suggested flying out the rest of the way. Both she and Jonathan understood Lois' need to be with Clark, so she hugged the kids and booked a ticket to sanity.
That's exactly what she felt like. That she was hovering just outside the realm of sanity and being with Clark grounded her, made her feel that she could wake up again, face the challenges ahead of her. He made her feel safe and gave her direction she so desperately needed. She didn't understand it; she didn't want to. All she knew was that she needed Clark Kent.
****
Lois froze when she walked past the doorway of the master bedroom. Her stuff, her bed and other bedroom furniture that had once been in her apartment was there. A few boxes sat around, too, and her clothes were in her closet. She hurried to the other bedroom and gasped. Clark's bedroom was completely arranged. All of his things that had been in his bedroom in the apartment were there. A few of his mementos that had been in his former living room had been placed on a bookshelf that looked new. His clothes were hanging in the closet and his toiletries were in the bathroom.
He'd chosen for her. He'd given her the biggest room. This was his house, but she had the nicer space, the biggest closet.
The fireplace.
Tears filled her eyes as she leaned against the frame and stared at his bed. This man was unbelievable. Easily the most compassionate, generous soul she'd ever met, Clark Kent was also the only man she'd ever met that made her feel like this. Would he be there when she decided she was ready for a deeper relationship with a man?
"Hey, that box goes in the twins' room," Clark told her as he stepped onto the top floor landing. He was headed toward one of the other bedrooms when he noticed her wipe her face. He stopped next to Lois. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she said with a smile as she faced him. "Nothing at all." She shifted the box she held so her hand could go up to cup his cheek for a second before she continued toward the other room.
Clark glanced inside the room and grinned. There had never been a question which room he'd give her, but he'd asked which she wanted. When she'd been indecisive, he reverted to his first choice. It looked to be the right one.
Thankfully the moving company sent over four more local guys to help unload the truck. It was Saturday afternoon and they didn't want to have to pay out any more overtime than they had to. With so many hands, and Martha having marked everything clearly, the furniture was inside the houses by ten. Lois had run out to grab Chinese take-out and when Clark found her, she'd set up the table near the pool, complete with candles and a bottle of wine. The torches surrounding the area were lit to ward off the bugs, casting a warm glow.
"Wow! This is great," Clark said as he dropped on a chair at the table. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." She sat down and lifted her wine glass. "Here's to... our new life."
"May it be full of healthy, happy babies. Or two anyway," he said with a grin.
She laughed and sipped her wine, but pulled the glass back and made a sour face. "I just can't help it. Wine doesn't taste the same anymore. Lex drank it religiously."
"I can slip out and grab something else," Clark said and made a move to stand up.
"Cold beer or cream soda?" she asked as she leaned over to open the top on the cooler beside her.
He chuckled as he grabbed one of the food containers. "You choose. I'll drink whatever you have."
Lois tossed him a soda and popped the top on her own. "I thought you might like the wine."
He shrugged as he stuffed part of an egg roll into his mouth. He chewed, then swallowed. "I can drink it or not. I prefer a cold beer if I drink alcohol."
"I used to love wine, but..." She glared the bottle on the table. "Did you see the cellar?"
"Luthor's?" She nodded. "Yeah."
"He collected wine from all over the world. When he was searching for a particular bottle, he was more of a nightmare than usual. God help everybody if he didn't find it." She shook her head and turned up her soda. "Luckily there's cream soda," she said as she set the can down on the table.
"Absolutely," he agreed as he took a drink from his can. They exchanged a glance, then dove into their food. Talk was mostly about the kids and what they'd been up to since Clark had seen them last. They discussed putting them in the same room for now, which both agreed was a good idea. They were still too young for their own rooms. And besides, they'd always shared a room. One would be lost without the other anyway.
"Mayson says that there will be a hearing next week," Lois said as they cleaned up from their late dinner.
"She told me," Clark said as he walked over to toss the trash in a can just over the pool fence.
"Will you come?" Lois wanted to know when he stepped back over to the table.
"I will," he told her. "Want to come watch me unpack?"
She glanced at the pool. "I was thinking we'd go for a swim."
His eyes drifted to the blue water glistening in the dancing lights. "We do have suits tonight." He looked at her. "Or I do."
"I have one." And the surprise was evident on his face as she quickly peeled her shirt off. Lois was wearing a bathing suit underneath her clothes, which caused the air to leave Clark's lungs in a rush. "What's wrong, Kent? Did you think I'd be... naked underneath?" She tossed her shirt in his face and turned around to slip off her shoes so she could finish undressing.
"The thought did cross my mind," he mumbled as he watched her lower her pants. He was behind her and had a perfect view of...
His eyes flashed back up to her face when she whirled around to face him. She quirked a brow at him. "Nice... suit," he commented. She was wearing a one piece that looked like it belonged on a diver. He guessed she chose the modest clothing because she needed the security it provided. But it didn't matter. To him, she looked incredible.
"Uh huh," she said as she looked at him. "Are you going to change or wear your underwear?"
"Maybe I like the suit I was born with," he tossed at her, a gleam in his eyes.
"Suit yourself. I'm going in." She walked over to the steps leading down into the water and was only in to her knees when a second wind indicated Clark was back. She watched the water bubble and he surfaced near the rope.
"Thought you were coming in."
"Show off," she said and eased further into the water. "Some of us don't have super skin. We like to ease in." She sank down so that the water came up to her neck. "This feels nice."
"This is nice," he clarified, then disappeared under the water. When he came up, he was in the deep end. He shot up and grabbed the diving board. With one swift move, he was standing on the end, looking back at Lois.
"No cheating," she said. "And I want a flip."
"One flip coming up." He bounced and executed a perfect flip without using his powers.
Lois lifted her arms from the water and clapped. "Nice."
He disappeared under the water and came back up two inches from her. "Your turn," he said
"I haven't dived since college." But even as she said it, she swam toward the ladder at the other end. A moment later her head came up after she'd performed an equally graceful move as Clark.
Clark clapped the same way she had. "A perfect ten." He watched as she swam underwater, surfacing in front of him.
"I think I'm gonna enjoy this pool," she said as she moved toward the steps in the shallow end. She sat on the bottom one which kept her submerged up to the top of her chest.
Moving over to sit next to her, Clark leaned back, ducking his head to wet his hair. They sat in silence for a while before Lois looked over at him.
"I've been writing." She waited until his eyes met hers. "About everything. I felt like I needed to... *do* something. And once I started writing and it made me feel better..." She sighed, a sound that meant she was satisfied with whatever she'd written. "I think I'll keep writing. Maybe turn it into something readable."
"A novel?"
"Maybe," she answered with a shrug. "What do you think?"
"I think if it makes you feel better, I'll buy you a truck load of paper or flash drives to save it on."
She smiled at him. "That's not what I meant."
"I know." Clark shifted to face her. "Write it, Lois. I'd love to read it."
"I will," she said and shoved Clark backwards. "You're it." She was off and swimming as hard as she could.
Clark chuckled softly and followed. He even did so at normal speed, prolonging the fun as long as he could. Of course, they played for nearly an hour before deciding they'd had enough. Wrapped in towels, Clark took Lois to see the new apartment. She raved on and on about how good it looked.
"I wish I'd had parents like yours," Lois commented as they stepped out of the little house a while later. "To want to do things like this for them."
"I do what I can," Clark said as he leaned against the post holding the cover over the patio up.
"And how about tonight? You've stayed all night. No one yelling for Superman?"
"I've been working overtime tonight." He held the towel around his neck on either end, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"Then dry me off, would you?" She opened her towel for him to dry her suit. "I'm getting cold."
His eyes glossed over as he swept the length of her body.
"You need a girlfriend," she said in exasperation.
"What I need is for you to stand still." He managed to control himself long enough to shoot a blast of heat vision over her body, drying her suit.
"You know," she said as she tucked the towel back around her shoulders. "That vision thingy could be just as kinky as the ceiling."
"Dammit!" Clark mumbled under his breath as she walked away. Every time he thought his traitorous body would cooperate with his rational mind for a minute, she went as said something that sent him soaring right back to that place where he could easily get himself into trouble.
Shaking his head to clear away the naughty things rattling around inside, he went after her. He chose to deliberately steer the conversation toward safer subjects for the next few minutes. Then he purposely begged off, claiming exhaustion from everything he'd been doing the past week. She seemed to accept that and closed herself off in her room. He sighed heavily and went to bed- alone. It wasn't what he wanted to do, but if he didn't, he might do something he'd regret. And he'd never forgive himself for that.
