PREVIOUSLY IN BLIND (SUPER)MAN’S BLUFF...“I am leaving, Lois. I’m sorry if this seems sudden. But the last little while... I guess I’ve finally realized that I’m not cut out for big city life. I miss the farm. I’m going home. The editor of the Smallville Post is resigning and...” He hesitated slightly. “... my folks could really use the help.”
* * * * * * * * *
“What...” She had to lick her lips to try again. “What happened to Clark?”
“Nothing! Nothing! Or... well, not really.”
“What does ‘not really’ mean?” Lois said, her anxiety level rising with every passing second.
Martha’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Look, I’m using a public phone. I really can’t get into it now. But... Can you come out here?”
“To Smallville?”
“Yes. I’m really not sure what to do and... I need your help.”
* * * * * * * * *
“Martha, why am I here?” Lois finally asked, a slight tone of exasperation creeping into her voice.
“I’m sorry, Lois,” Martha began even as she pulled the pickup over to the side of the road. “It’s just... I’m about to tell you something I have absolutely no right to tell you. And if I am going to do this, I wanted to do it here.” She gestured to the field up ahead of them.
Lois looked around at the snow covered field before looking back at Martha expectantly.
“This is Schuster’s field. Almost thirty years ago now, while Jonathan and I were driving home one evening, we saw what we thought was a meteor...”
* * * * * * * * *
“Clark Kent, you get back here this instant!” yelled the familiar voice.
He cringed.
“Or should I call you Superman?”
Clark froze.
“That’s right. Your mother spilled the beans. Not that I wouldn’t have figured it out anyway after that little disappearing act of yours. Regardless of what you might think, I’m not galactically stupid! But you are if you think I don’t know you can hear me. I guess the question you have to ask yourself is whether you want to keep this conversation private - because we are going to have this conversation even if it means your parents hear every word. I would suggest we do it privately because you might not want your folks to hear exactly what I think of you for treating me the way you did - or what I think of this little moping act of yours.”
Moping act? What moping act? He was blind for pity sake! He had a right to feel a little sorry for himself. How dare she call it a moping act! Besides, it wasn’t a moping act. He was just being prudent - not causing damage while he worked on getting his sight back.
* * * * * * * * *
“Okay, Perry. I’ll check in again in a few days. But listen... Have you started interviewing for Clark’s job yet?”
“No. Why? Any chance the prodigal son might return?”
“I don’t know. But... is there a chance you might be interested if he wanted to return? I know the way he left was...”
“I’d consider it,” he finally said. “But I’d have to be convinced that he really did have a good reason for leaving the way he did.”
* * * * * * * *
“Clark, you still have your powers. What you need to do is figure out is how to use those powers given the fact that... at least for the time being... you’ve lost your sight. Life hasn’t ended. Your usefulness to the world hasn’t ended. It may have changed, but it’s up to you to decide whether you choose to embrace life... to be the best blind man you can be or if it’s all too hard.” She paused. When she spoke again, all her love for him was in her slightly trembling voice. “Fulfill your promise to me to be the best blind man you can be.”
* * * * * * * * *
Without conscious thought or planning, the kiss took on a life of its own, deepening almost immediately as passion seized Lois with a potency that was completely foreign to her. The plan to seduce him dissolved. The need to talk about her feelings dissipated in an all consuming blaze of heat and hunger.
When had she crawled under the covers with him? When had the remainder of their clothing disappeared? When had the decision been made to...
Anyway, when had any of it happened? A simple kiss and it seemed as if neither had been able to get close enough, one moment flowing into another in that all-consuming desire to become one, until, at last satisfied, they collapsed into each other’s arms, exhausted, a mass of mingled limbs and sweat.
* * * * * * * * *
“Lois, last night was incredible. And I guess I realized that it’s going to kill me to lose you.”
That earned him a quick kiss.
“But I’m not naive enough to think you could continue to stay here long term. You weren’t meant to be a farmer’s wife. I wouldn’t even ask that of you. So if I want you in my life... Want to see where this will go... I guess that means returning to Metropolis.” This time he was the one leaning in for a kiss.
“So, anyway... speaking of details...” Clark said.
They hadn’t been, but Lois let that particular detail pass.
“I gave up my apartment when I came back to Smallville,” Clark continued. “Do you know of any place I could stay, at least until I get back on my feet?”AND NOW...“Courage is not just one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” - C.S. Lewis
* * * * * * * * *
Episode Two
Testing Point
* * * * * * * * *The wind practically tore the door from Lois’ hand as she pulled it open. Fighting the unexpected gust of air, she held on tight long enough for Clark to follow her inside the lobby of her apartment building. When the door finally closed behind them, she stomped the snow off her feet and shook it out of her hair and coat. Surely the beginning of March should have somewhat more hospitable weather.
“The perfect end to the perfect day,” she muttered under her breath.
She felt Clark give her shoulder a comforting squeeze although he did not respond verbally. He was feeling it, too, she knew.
‘Time to spare; go by air.’ She wasn’t entirely sure where she’d heard that expression, but it certainly applied to their trip home today. They should have been safely back at her apartment hours ago. But storms were playing havoc with flight schedules throughout the country. Top that off with Clark’s irrational fear of flying - how could Superman be afraid of flying? - and his frustration with trying to find his way, even with her assistance, around the loud and crowded terminals, had made for one hell of a day.
She went to push the button for the elevator, but stopped in mid-motion when she saw the ‘Out Of Order’ sign taped to the door.
“Uggh!”
“What?” Clark asked.
“We’re going to have to use the stairs.” She hoisted her travel bag further onto her shoulder as she turned towards the stairway.
“Lois, wait,” Clark said. When she looked back at him, he reached forward, his hand finding her shoulder and then slipping under the strap he found there to remove the travel bag.
“It’s okay, Clark,” she said. He was, after all, already carrying three very large suitcases to her single, small travel bag.
“Lois,” he said softly.
“Oh, right,” she said, suddenly remembering who her travel companion was. Four suitcases wasn’t exactly a challenge for the man she’d seen holding up a collapsing stairway when the Daily Planet had been bombed or who had broken up an asteroid with his bare hands. Feeling almost foolish she surrendered her travel bag before pushing open the door to the stairway.
“I should bring you along to carry bags the next time Lucy and I go on one of our impulse shopping trips,” she said tiredly as she began the slow trudge up the steps, taking Clark’s arm to assist him in making the trip.
Finally arriving at the door of her apartment, she looked at it in dismay. Yellow police tape, clearly stating ‘Crime Scene Do Not Cross,’ was across the door.
She was certain that the tape must be left over from when the police had investigated after Griffin’s break in. What she should do was call Inspector Henderson, but at nearly one o’clock in the morning, it was highly unlikely that Henderson would be at the station.
She glanced briefly at Clark - Mr. Law and Order.
“What?” he asked when she hesitated.
“Nothing,” she decided, tearing the tape off the door.
“Lois?” Clark asked cautiously.
“Nothing, Clark,” she said again as she pulled out her keys and began unlocking the door. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him... or her in this case since he’d likely insist they go talk to her landlord, call the police, stay at a motel. And all because some rookie cop had forgotten to take down the police tape after their investigation.
She briefly wondered how Jimmy had got in, given the police tape, when he’d come over to clean up, before dismissing the thought. Undoubtedly, he’d just slipped under the tape. Or carefully removed one end, fastening it again as he left
She stepped inside and looked around. Two full garbage bags sat by the door, next to a broken frame and a broken chair. She sighed. It appeared that although Jimmy had tidied up somewhat, there were a number of things that simply could not be cleaned. She looked at the spot on the wall, clearly outlined by faded paint, where the missing picture had been, and sighed.
“What is it, Lois?” Clark asked, stepping in behind her, closing the door and then turning to tend to the locks.
She shook her head as she shrugged out of her coat and then sat down to remove her boots. “Nothing.” She couldn’t deal with this tonight. “I’m just tired.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind me staying here?” he asked as he pulled off his coat.
“What? No. Of course not,” she responded immediately, even if his comments gave her some second thoughts about this. Never had she lived with a man. And although she loved Clark and thought of him as her best friend, they’d only spent two nights together before now - and on both occasions, they’d spent most of the night using the bed for something other than sleeping. Wasn’t it a little too soon even to be contemplating living together?
No, she was being crazy. He was her best friend. And she couldn’t stand the thought of him not being here. She was just having some last minute cold feet. Nothing to worry about.
She took his coat and with hers, simply tossed both over the edge of a nearby chair.
But... how did this work when she wanted nothing more than to sleep? That was another thing she’d never done before - sleep with a man without having sex. Not that she’d spent the night with many men. Only one, other than Clark, in fact. And that man had used the occasion to steal her story and slip out in the middle of the night.
Not that Clark would do that. Still, it felt funny knowing that Clark would be spending the night without... Well, just without.
“I could sleep on the couch,” he suggested as he removed his boots.
Her eyes immediately went to the piece of furniture in question - almost as if hoping that it had magically transformed into a hide-a-bed during her absence. “No, that’s crazy,” she said emphatically. She waited until he had removed his boots before taking his hand to bring him further into the apartment. “We’ll work everything out tomorrow,” she said. “For now... Do you want a quick tour of the place so that you can find your way around?”
He let out a breath of relief. “Yes, please,” he said, seeming to relax.
She smiled slightly. It seemed he’d been as tense as she about this new situation. Realizing he was nervous, too, seemed to help somehow.
She gave him the nickel tour, helping him with figuring out where everything was. As he continued slowly working his way around the walls, mentally committing the room to memory, she took a seat on the couch.
Bang!
“Damn!” she said when the couch crumpled beneath her weight, leaving her sitting on the floor amidst the ruins of her sofa. Griffin must have sabotaged her couch, too.
“Lois, are you okay?” Clark asked, spinning towards her.
“Fine. Absolutely dandy.”
* * * * * * * * *
Clark sighed when, after finishing up in the bathroom, he appeared in the doorway to Lois’ bedroom only to hear her heart rate speed up. He briefly wondered what it was in her heart rate that told him that she was tense as opposed to excited by his return. Maybe it had more to do with the increasing agitation he’d noticed the closer they got to her apartment.
Okay, so he had also heard her muttering about feeling violated when she discovered that someone - probably Victor - had been rummaging around in her underwear drawer. He supposed that would be upsetting.
He had hoped that by wearing a t-shirt with his sleep shorts, she’d realize that he wasn’t expecting anything tonight. The long, frustrating trip home had hardly been conducive to romance. He knew she was tired. He was, too, in point of fact.
He just wished she wasn’t quite so uncomfortable. Maybe if he just tried to act natural, as if they had slept together for years, she’d relax. The only problem was...
“Which side of the bed are you on?” he asked. Without her talking, it was difficult to get a read on her exact position and, in this situation, he didn’t want to guess wrong - afraid of making her more uncomfortable.
“What?”
By the way the bed suddenly creaked, Clark could swear she had jumped slightly on the question.
“Oh, the right side,” she continued before he could ask again. “I guess I’ve just always slept on the right side of my bed. But I did sleep on the left side when we were at the cabin, so maybe you prefer the right side. I mean, it’s not a big deal to me. So if you want the right side, I’m okay with that. Here, just let me get moved over so that you can...”
“Lois!” he said, interrupting her nervous babble. “How about I take the left side?”
“Oh. Oh, okay. Good. That’s good.”
Now that it was quiet again, he carefully shuffled around the bed, feeling his way along the side until he touched the pillow with his hand.
“I’ll get the light,” Lois said, suddenly jumping out of bed to tend to that task.
Damn. He should have thought of that. But given the fact that he didn’t know if the light was on or off in the first place, it simply hadn’t occurred to him. With another sigh, he pulled the covers down and crawled into bed.
A moment later, Lois joined him.
They lay there in silence for a long moment. Suddenly curious about something, Clark stretched his hand over to Lois’ side of the bed. She wasn’t there. He inched it over further. Still, no Lois. Yet he could tell from her breathing and vibrations it was causing that she was in bed with him. So where was she? She had to be practically hanging off her side of the bed.
“Lois?” he asked.
“Yes?” Her voice was strained.
“Are you okay?”
“Fine.”
She was anything but fine.
He let out a breath. “Would you roll over and look at me?”
She was silent for a moment. “How do you know I’m not looking at you?”
“Something about the way your voice echoes,” he responded, before returning to his previous subject. “Come on, Lois. Look at me.”
He held his breath until he felt her finally roll over. Then he also rolled onto his side so that they were facing each other.
“Talk to me,” he said softly.
“In particle physics, the Higgs mechanism is the process in which gauge bosons in a gauge theory can acquire non-vanishing masses through absorption of Nambu-Goldstone bosons arising in spontaneous symmetry breaking.
“Argg!” Lois yelled. “These stupid Faraday leaks. They’re really starting to bug me! They happen at the worst possible times. Why did Faraday have to stick this stuff in my brain when I have no way of accessing it? What point is there in inventing a device that gives me information if I can’t use it? At times I almost feel possessed. I can’t stand it anymore, Clark. I just can’t...”
“Lois,” he said softly, automatically reaching out to touch her face. He drew in a sharp breath when she actually seemed to flinch.
“I’m sorry,” Lois said, her babble broken instantly by the realization that she had the hurt him. Immediately she reached out, grasping his hand as he tried to pull it back. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” As she spoke, she moved his hand to her cheek, holding it there.
“Do you want me to leave?”
“No. I want you here. I really do. If you were back in Kansas, I’d be miserable. And if you were at a hotel or something... I’d just sit here fretting about how you were doing. I just...” Her voice trailed off as if she couldn’t find the words. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how to explain what I’m feeling.”
“Why don’t you let me give it a try?”
“Please,” she said, almost sounding relieved.
“You love me,” Clark began.
“I do.”
“But this is all so new. You don’t know what I expect and you’re afraid of disappointing me. It’s only been two days since we admitted our feelings for each other and suddenly, we’re living together. And you’re feeling... unsure.”
“Not about us. Never about us. But...”
“Lois, under normal circumstances, we wouldn’t even be talking about moving in together, let alone doing it. You haven’t had time to get used to the idea yet and you’re afraid that we’re pushing things too fast.”
“Yes! That’s it exactly. How did you know?”
“Because I feel exactly the same.”
“You do?”
He nodded. “Lois, we’ve never even been on a proper date. You know, where we change our clothes a dozen times before the date even starts. I’d finally show up wearing...”
“... a charcoal suit,” she completed for him.
He smiled. “And you’d be wearing... burgundy,” he said at the same moment she said...
“Violet.” Then, realizing what he’d said, she continued, “Burgundy? That’s what you’ve always dreamed of seeing me in? I don’t have much in burgundy, but I suppose I could go shopping for... Not that you would actually be able to see it so maybe I could just pretend I was wearing burgundy. Oh, wait! That sounded insensitive, didn’t it? I’m sorry, Clark, sometimes I talk before I think and...”
“Lois,” Clark said softly, interrupting her babble. “So do you want to hear about the rest of our date?” he asked. When he felt her nod, he continued, “Well, let’s see... we’d probably go out to an expensive restaurant or something.”
“You wouldn’t take me to a show or concert or something first?” she asked.
He began to breathe easier when he heard the whimsy enter her voice. “I don’t think so. After finally getting you to agree to a date, I’m not sure I’d want to be stuck in some noisy environment where we could hardly hear ourselves think - let alone each other.”
“Like a Pearl Jam concert?”
“Exactly! No, I’d want something quiet, intimate. A place where we could just relax and get to know each other better. Besides, I’d probably end up getting the tickets for a Pearl Jam concert from a scalper who would likely gouge me for a small fortune only to have to give them to Jimmy because we’d have to work that evening or something.”
“So instead you’d take me out somewhere for supper.”
He nodded.
“Would you fly me there?”
“Well, no. You wouldn’t know about Superman yet, so it would have to be local.”
She nodded. “But after you finally told me about Superman?”
“Then we’d have gone... anywhere you wanted.”
She sighed. “Paris in the spring. I would have liked to see Paris in the spring.” She sighed again.
“I’d like to be able to take you there,” he said wistfully.
“Oh, no, Clark. I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad. I was just... Besides, there’s no reason we can’t go to Paris sometime. It just means we’d have to save up for it - the way ordinary people do - the way I always imagined I’d have to do with Clark.”
“You imagined us taking vacations together?”
“Where do you think all those great fantasies I had about you took place - in exotic locations, of course.”
He smiled, not daring to pursue that tantalizing remark - not when she had been so skittish when he’d first climbed into bed.
“Okay, so you’re taking me to an expensive local restaurant. What would happen then?” Lois asked.
“Well... after eating our meal, you’d decline dessert because you wouldn’t want me to know about your sweet tooth. Of course, I know you far too well to be fooled by that.” He could feel her smile under his hand. “So I’d order something sinfully chocolate only to have you wondering why they didn’t bring two forks. Maybe I’d get bold and actually offer you some off my fork - and then break out in a sweat when you’d close your eyes and moan the way you always do when you consume chocolate. Then I’d walk you home and kiss you at the door before saying goodnight.” He stroked her face tenderly as he spoke, more in a reassuring manner than in any way that was remotely sexual.
“Knowing me, I’d probably panic and slam the door in your face,” she said.
“You forget who you’re talking to. I’d probably not realize the door was closed and walk right through it,” he responded.
Under his hand, he could feel her face transform into another smile as she began to relax.
She commandeered his hand to kiss his fingers. “So what do we do? How do we not... ruin this thing between us?”
“I’ve got a couple suggestions.”
“Which are?”
“Lois, you have to realize you always have the right to say no.” He brought her hand over to his lips, confident now that she wouldn’t pull away, and kissed it softly before continuing. “It’s important that you understand that. Just because we’ve already passed that... particular intimacy threshold doesn’t mean that we ever have to again.” His hand returned to her face and he could tell that her eyebrows had gone up. “Don’t get me wrong,” he rushed to add. “I’m hoping with all my heart that I’m just speaking in theoretical terms here.”
She giggled.
“But I never want you to feel as if you have to make love to me because somehow it’s expected or to please me.”
“So if I say I’m too tired tonight...”
“I’m going to say it’s been a long, stressful day.”
“You’re not going to be mad or disappointed.”
“Well, I can’t say I’ll never be disappointed, but I won’t be mad.”
She let out a long, slow breath. “Thank you, Clark.”
“Hey, don’t thank me. It goes both ways. Sometimes I might not feel like making love.”
“But I still have the right to try to get you to change your mind, right?”
He crinkled his eyebrows together. “Why do I think there’s a definite double standard here?”
“Because there is,” she said with a girlish giggle that came close to getting his blood to boil.
He suddenly had a disconcerting feeling that she was probably right. Changing his mind was not likely ever to be much of a problem for her.
“And second?” Lois asked.
“What?” he asked, trying to force his mind back from where it was slowly stripping every scrap of clothing from her body.
“You said you had two ideas about how we could make this work.”
“Right. Lois, what are you doing with Lucy’s old room?”
“I’m using it for storage. Why?”
“What would you say if we cleaned it out and I moved in there for now?”
“But...”
“It would give you some space and yet, at this point in time, until I get my bearings, staying here would really help me. I’d chip in with rent and stuff.”
“So we’d be... roommates?”
“Sort of.”
“I don’t understand. Are you saying you don’t want to live with me?”
“No! No, that’s not it at all. But it would allow us to sort of... ease into it.”
She was silent for a long moment - so long he was starting to worry him. “Lois?” he asked.
“So we’d sleep in separate rooms?”
“Only when we choose to.”
“And when we don’t choose to?”
“Then we wouldn’t have to.”
“No, Clark. That’s crazy. It might be strange... thinking about us living together. And I might not always react to everything appropriately, but I really do want us to live together.”
Clark smiled. “Then that’s what we’ll do.”
“But you do have a good idea about Lucy’s old room. We could move her old dresser in here and put my desk in there. Maybe we could even get you a desk. There’s a storage space in the basement that goes with the apartment. We could move the stuff in Lucy’s room down there. Maybe it would make this place seem more like our place instead of you moving into my place. But that doesn’t mean we couldn’t go on dates and stuff, does it?”
“I promise... we can go on as many dates as you want. However, if you do slam the door in my face, I should warn you that I’ll just take out my key and come in anyway.”
She shifted closer, reaching out to play with his t-shirt, sounding suddenly playful. “You would, would you?”
“Absolutely.”
She giggled, even as she slipped her hands under the edge of his t-shirt.
“Lo-is,” he warned as her hands began sliding over his stomach.
“Yes, Clark?” she asked, her voice a mixture of playfulness and sexuality. Gone completely was the skittish woman he’d climbed into bed with.
He pulled in a breath through his teeth when her hands became even more daring. Unable to resist, he pulled her to him, her body soft and receptive in his arms as his lips found hers. For some reason, all of a sudden didn’t feel tired - nor, by the enthusiasm with which she was responding, did she.
‘Welcome home,’ he thought to himself as his hands slipped beneath her nightie. Because one thing he was learning very quickly was that wherever she was, that was home. Whether it was his cabin in Kansas or her apartment in Metropolis.
* * * * * * * * *
Lois woke to the smell of coffee as the early morning light seeped through the window of her bedroom. A smile crept across her face as she realized that Clark must have woken up before her and was currently in the kitchen, ensuring she had her favorite morning stimulant.
“Morning,” Clark said from the doorway. She looked over to see Clark standing there, holding a cup of coffee.
“Morning,” she responded. He began walking towards her, carrying the coffee. When she’d first arrived in Smallville, that was a sight that would have made her nervous. Her mind flashed back to the difficulty he’d had when she’d handed him a cup of coffee on her first morning in Smallville - fumbling around to find the table, causing her to flinch at how close he was coming to spilling the coffee. Now his steps were sure and his grasp on the coffee secure.
She sat up in bed, fixing the sheet around her, not entirely certain why since he couldn’t see her, as he arrived next to the bed. “Thank you,” she said, reaching out to take the coffee from him. He leaned over and gave her a kiss, lingering slightly.
“No, thank you,” he responded when the kiss broke.
She didn’t misunderstand him, or the sexual undertones in his voice, as evidenced by the increase of color in her cheeks.
“You’re so cute when you blush,” he said.
“Okay, there is no way you could possibly know that,” she objected.
“I know you,” he responded before turning back to the door.
She could hardly argue with that - especially since he was right.
“Intimately,” he added when he arrived at the door.
The color in her cheeks increased. He’d been a terrible tease before they had become lovers, often leaving her off balance. He was bound to be even worse now. It was new - being with a guy who was not afraid to tease her, especially in such a personal way. She was sort of enjoying this. Grabbing his pillow, she threw it at him.
Her eyebrows flew up in surprise when he reached out and caught the pillow. He grinned at her, tossing the pillow back on the bed before turning to leave the room.
Now, how had he done that? She’d have sworn that pillow had been silent as it flew through the air. Obviously not since Clark had heard it. Her mind flashed back to when they had been investigating the Metro Club. When he’d dropped her into a dumpster, she’d thrown something at him then, too. She couldn’t remember exactly what. A cabbage, she thought. He’d caught it in much the same way - without even seeing it. Still, he really had come a long way in the past couple of weeks. Give him time, and he might be able to fool people into thinking he could see. That could be handy in any undercover work they did in the future.
She took a sip of her coffee, prepared just the way she liked. Everything fat free and artificial. Not that she was surprised. He’d been bringing coffee for her for almost two years.
“Oh,” Clark said from kitchen. “I called Perry this morning. Told him we were back in town. He said he’d meet with me this afternoon about possibly getting my job back.”
“Good, but, Clark, when I spoke to Perry, he made it pretty clear that you’d better have a good explanation for why you quit the way you did.” As she spoke, she reached over to where her robe was laying across a nearby chair. Picking it up, she slipped it on and padded softly into the kitchen.
“Yeah, he made that clear when we spoke,” Clark responded. “I think, though, that article we submitted about the capture of the Prankster did a lot to smooth his ruffled feathers.”
She stood in the kitchen doorway, sipping her coffee, watching as he made toast. He must have found the half loaf of bread she’d stuck in the freezer to keep it from going moldy when she left for Smallville. “So have you thought about what you’re going to tell Perry?”
Clark sighed. “I’ve decided to tell him the truth.”
She was silent for a long moment before responding with a simple, “I see.” For reasons she couldn’t quite articulate, even in her own mind, his response bothered her. Not that she didn’t trust Perry. She did. But... She bit her lip to keep from responding, simply because she wasn’t quite sure what was bugging her so much.
“Do you have a problem with that?”
“Why would I have a problem with it?” she asked in response, even though she had no doubt that he could tell she was having a problem.
“Lois?”
“It’s nothing, Clark.” She turned to leave the room. “Anyway, I better have my shower. I don’t want to be late for work.”
“Lois, please. Talk to me,” he said causing her to turn back around.
“What’s to talk about? You’ve decided to tell Perry. That’s your decision, I guess. So it’s fine.” She knew her voice was stiff and formal, but she could hardly help that.
“Are you upset because I didn’t talk this over with you before deciding to tell Perry?”
Suddenly what had been bugging Lois about his pronouncement crystallized in Lois’ mind. “Yes, Clark, actually I am.”
“Do you have a better idea?”
“No, I don’t, but that might be because you never discussed it with me. You simply decided. What does Lois’ opinion matter? I’ve made a decision. End of discussion.” Her voice had risen slightly during the final sentences.
“So what are you saying?” Clark asked, his voice sounding slightly agitated now. “That because we’re...” He gestured between the two of them.
“Together, Clark. I think that’s the word you’re looking for. That is... if we are together.”
He refused to take the bait. “That because we are together,” he said firmly, “I have to discuss everything I do with you.”
“I don’t give a damn whether you put peanut butter or honey on your toast, Clark. You can put both on it for all I care. But when you make decisions that could affect us, then, yeah, I want to be consulted.”
“How does me telling Perry my secret affect us?”
“That’s just it, Clark. If we’re together, then it’s not just your secret anymore. It’s our secret! Don’t you get that? If the world finds out, it will damn well affect me, too.”
“So are you saying you don’t want me to tell Perry?”
“That’s not what I’m saying at all, and you know it! I’m saying I want to discuss it.” She let out a frustrated growl. “Now, before I say something I’ll regret, I’m going to have my shower.” She turned and left the room, abandoning the half consumed cup of coffee on the table behind her.
TO BE CONTINUED...ML
