Previously On Contractually Bound:
For the next hour, Kal showed Lois how to get the saddle and bridle on her new horse, how to mount, and how to use the reins to control the animal. He noted, with immense satisfaction, but no huge surprise, that she was an extremely fast learner. He felt confident that the next time they took out the horses, she would probably be able to keep pace with him and Chief without much of a struggle. And how he looked forward to that!
After the lesson, they continued their tour. Each time they left one of Kal's favorite places, he asked Lois if she wanted to do something else. He didn't want to make the day all about him. Each time, she refused. She admitted to enjoying the personal look into Kal's world, a look that she craved, now that she had come to trust him. And Kal couldn't deny that he enjoyed showing her such personal glimpses into who he was. He wanted her to know all there was to know about him. He needed her to see every nuance of his heart. And as he unfolded his world before her, he was rewarded with glimpses into Lois' heart and mind.
By the end of the day, Kal was certain of one fact. It made his knees weak, his head spin, and his heart pound. He'd never experienced such feelings in all of his life. He'd never thought that he ever would. But it was true. Impossible, perhaps. But true.
He was in love with his wife.
***
Sparks In The Dark
Late that night, Kal led Lois back to the gently sloping hill. He was carrying a large blanket in one arm and a small basket in his other hand. Lois matched him, stride for stride. She wondered at Kal as she threw furtive glances over to him. The weak moonlight was just enough to highlight his strong features. No weariness showed on his face, though she thought that surely he must be getting tired. He'd been up and about longer than she had been. And while she had taken a quick power nap after dinner in preparation for the long night ahead, she knew that Kal had not. He'd headed to Ching's rooms for a while to watch a game on the video screens. But Kal still looked as eager and alert as ever. She smiled in the dark.
They quickly reached the small hill. Kal set the basket down and unfolded the blanket. He smoothed down a couple of wrinkles and gestured for Lois to sit. As she sank down onto the faded blue blanket, Kal did the same. Lois sighed in contentment and looked towards the heavens. Above, the sky was a vast, deep black portal amid the surrounding trees. Stars glittered, innumerable, and with lights that rivaled the gem clasped at her neck.
"I...don't see anything," she said after a while, disappointment evident in her voice. She looked over at Kal and scrunched her brow. "Why aren't you looking?"
Kal chuckled. "It won't start for a little while."
"Oh."
"I thought that maybe we could make a toast though," the prince said.
He reached into the basket and pulled out a slender bottle of deep red wine. It was one of the most vintage bottles that he could get. In fact, it was of the same rare bouquet as the wine that his father had served him on the night when Kal had found out that he was to be wed. The prince had begged a bottle from his father after the game had ended and he'd left Ching and Zara's rooms. Jor-El had only smiled and happily had one of the bottles retrieved from the wine cellar. They had talked as they waited for the wine to arrive, and Jor-El had expressed how relieved he was that Kal and Lois were finally starting to get along. Now, Kal easily uncorked the bottle, even in the dim lighting, and poured two glasses of the strong, heady liquid. He handed one to Lois.
"What should we toast?" she asked.
"How about...new beginnings?" the prince answered with a grin. In the next moment, he'd turned serious. He stared intently into her eyes. "Lois, the fact that we've been able to overcome our rough start to this marriage means the world to me. The moment I first saw you, when you walked down that aisle towards me, I thought you were the most beautiful woman on all of Krypton. And I knew, in that same instant, that I wanted us to get along. I knew that I would do whatever I could to make you happy. Thank you, for giving me that chance."
He raised his glass and clinked it against Lois'. They both took a sip of the rich wine.
"Kal...I..." Lois' voice faltered and broke as she groped for words. "Today has been one of the happiest days of my life," she confessed after a moment. "Today, for the first time, I felt like I was worth something. Like I was someone special. Like I was something more than a tradable commodity. I know that my parents love me, but it was hard growing up in a household where my parents seemed more concerned with keeping score in their fighting than with what their daughters were up to. And, from a young age, I was more of Luci's mother than her sister. But you...you've treated me like a true person, for who I actually am. You've...encouraged me...to be who I really am, not who society says I should be. You've opened up my whole life for me, in a way that I'd given up hope could ever happen. Thank you for that. And for giving me another chance to make things right between us."
"Today was only the beginning," Kal promised her, his voice a solemn vow. "I will spend the rest of my life proving to you how special you are. I..." His voice trailed off.
"What is it, Kal?"
"Nothing." He was grateful for the darkness that hid his blush.
"Please?"
"It's just that...I don't want to scare you, Lois," he relented after a moment.
"Scare me?" she repeated. "I've been blindly thrown into a marriage. I've had to leave behind everything and everyone that I knew. And I've survived that. I don't think anything could possibly scare me now."
Kal took a deep breath and slowly released it in an effort to calm his nerves.
"Today was one of the best days of my life too," he admitted. "Lois, I think...I know...I've spent the day falling in love with you."
His words were quietly spoken, but they might as well have been a bombshell. Lois had to struggle not gape to in surprise. She blinked rapidly, trying to process what her husband had just said. But there it was, a naked, heartfelt confession that she could not - did not - want to ignore. She smiled gently at him and reached for his hand. They both felt a sudden jolt of warmth and electricity at the contact.
"I think that I spent the day doing the same thing," she finally said.
Kal's face exploded into a smile. Lois had the fleeting thought that his smile brought about the noonday sun to the night. She smiled shyly at him in return.
"Lois, you have no idea how happy I am to hear that."
"Oh, I think that I have an idea. Knowing how you feel...I'm just as happy to have heard that from your lips."
"Speaking of lips...would it be all right if...I kissed you?" Kal's voice was soft and uncertain. Was he pushing things too fast?
"I'd like that," Lois nodded.
Slowly, Kal set aside his wine and moved towards Lois. He desperately wanted to kiss her, to feel her lips on his own, now that he had surrendered his heart to her. But he was afraid. He'd never found a girl worth kissing before. What if he messed it up? What if he kissed too softly, or too roughly? What if there were no sparks to speak of between them when their lips finally met? What if Lois thought that he was a horrible kisser? Would she change her mind about him? Would he revolt her?
Stubbornly, he tried to push aside his doubts. He slid closer to his bride, and gently cupped her cheek with his hand. In an instant, her hand flew up to cover his own. Kal's heart stopped beating for second, until he realized that she wasn't going to pull away. Her touch was gentle and accepting, a simple gesture of encouragement. Feeling bolder, Kal leaned in, his lips seeking those of his wife. His eyes slid shut as the distance between them steadily closed, then vanished altogether.
Their lips touched, and all thought left the prince. He was aware only of the sensations that coursed through his veins. He'd worried about sparks. It was as if every firework on Krypton had suddenly been set afire and exploded in the night sky. His lips caressed Lois', and to his surprise, he felt her responding. What had begun as a shy meeting of flesh soon turned hungry and passionate. It was only when they were both in dire need of air that they reluctantly parted.
They were both flushed and breathing heavily. Kal felt as though his flesh, bones, and blood alike had been kindled with some wildfire. His heart was pounding so heavily that he felt like it might burst from his chest at any moment, and go flopping into the springy grass beyond the edges of the blanket. He felt lightheaded and giddy, as if he were drunk. The sensation staggered him. He'd never known before that a single kiss could be so powerful, so sensual, so soul-shatteringly beautiful, so utterly life-changing.
"Wow," Lois breathed when they parted.
"Wow," Kal echoed.
"That was..."
"I know."
"I never knew..."
"Me neither."
They both laughed a little, a light but slightly embarrassed and uncertain sound. They both knew that some invisible threshold had just been crossed. Neither one was quite sure where things would go from this moment. Each secretly hoped that things would only somehow get even better from there on out.
To give themselves something to do to avoid talking, they both reclaimed their glasses of wine and sipped slowly. Kal drained his glass, then set it aside. He lay back on the blanket, folding his hands beneath his head and looking up into the sky. Above, the twin moons were beginning their descent in the west and the stars lay scattered about like so many unreachable diamonds. Kal felt a deep contentment overtake his body. Ever since his childhood, the stars had offered him a sense of comfort and peace. Over the years and as he had grown, the constellations had become his friends. He enjoyed watching as each new season bid farewell to some of them and welcomed in others.
Beside him, Lois set down her empty glass. She, too, lowered herself to lay upon the blanket. She gazed up at the stars, only inches from Kal's body. She was content to lay there in silence, listening to the songs of the night frogs and crickets. She felt at peace, though Kal's kiss still had her blood on fire and her heart thumping wildly in her chest.
"Do you know the different stars?" Kal asked after a while.
Lois shook her head. "Some, but not many. My father wasn't interested in teaching me much about the stars. But I can tell you almost everything that he knows about Earth." There was a world of derision in her voice.
"You and your father...don't get along, do you?"
"It's not really that," Lois sighed. "It's just...I never really got to know him well enough to decide whether or not we got along. He was always so busy with his work. Luci and I never really got to see him all that much. And when we did see him, he usually wound up fighting with Mom or trying to enforce rules so that Luci and I grew up the way that he wanted us to. The few times that none of those things happened, all he could really talk about was his work and his fascination with Earth. I used to wish that I could find a ship that would send me to that planet just to get away from life here on Krypton."
"I'm glad that you didn't," Kal said. "Otherwise, I would have been robbed of the opportunity to get to know you."
Lois blushed. "Now that I know you, I'm very glad that I couldn't run away to Earth. Can you tell me about the stars?" she asked hopefully.
Kal nodded. "Of course."
For the next hour, Kal pointed out the various stars and constellations to Lois. He added in the old myths, the stories that he had memorized as a young child. Zarthax, the giant, after whom Jai had named his cat. Thalia, the warrior woman of legend, who Zara had named the kitten that Ching had rescued for. Harond, the blacksmith, who myth said made armor that could withstand any beating without taking dent or scratch. Ragnok, the stalking lion. Othon, the winged horse of Thalia. And of course, Fasa, the hunter-turned-hero, who was Kal's favorite since childhood. He pointed all of these constellations out, as well as some of the lesser stars that ruled the night sky.
With his free hand, he reached out to Lois. Fingertips met and heat was kindled. Lois' smaller, slender hand slipped into Kal's large one, and their fingers entangled of their own accord. Both smiled at the effortless contact and at how right it felt.
The first streak of light flashed across the sky. Lois squealed in delight, pointing excitedly. Kal laughed at Lois' childlike reaction, though inwardly, he felt the same excitement. More shooting stars followed the first. Soon the sky above was scarred with one white hot flash after another, each light flaring into life and dying into darkness again in less than a second.
"It's so beautiful," Lois commented after a time.
"I know," Kal agreed.
"Is it always like this? My father never allowed Luci or I out of doors after dark, except for rare, special occasions."
"No," Kal answered. "Showers like this happen only once a year. Why didn't your father allow you outdoors at night?"
Lois sighed. "He said it was for our protection. I think he wanted to ensure that we couldn't take advantage of the dark to run away from home."
"Would you have?"
"Part of me would love to say that I would have. But probably not. I wouldn't have known where to go or what to do. But my father only saw a willful, wild child who did whatever she wanted. So he tried to control whatever he could."
"Wild child?" Kal tore his gaze from the sky and looked at Lois. One eyebrow was arched in skepticism.
Lois nodded and smiled mischievously. "Mmm- hmm."
"Tell me?"
"I don't think you really want to know. The stories aren't that interesting."
"I really do. Come on. Please?"
Lois hesitated. "Okay. When I was five, my cousin got married. Ten minutes before we were supposed to leave for the ceremony, I found a patch of mud and destroyed my dress. When I was twelve, my dad invited your father to our house to share some research data. He called me in to say hello, figuring that your dad would be interested to see how his future daughter-in-law was doing. I'd decided that it was a fine day for climbing trees. I'd gotten a little stuck on the way down and tore my clothes. I think I even had twigs and leaves sticking out of my hair. I must have horrified your father. I know that my father was absolutely appalled."
Kal snorted a laugh. "It's pretty hard to shock my father. He's got three sons who'd sooner spend the day at a soup kitchen than attend a feast filled with decadent foods and wines."
Lois giggled a bit. She had no doubts that Kal spoke the truth. Another companionable silence fell between them. Their hands remained clasped, their fingers intertwined. Kal's thumb stroked the side of Lois' hand, as though it had a mind of its own. Above, the meteor shower continued, becoming even heavier before it began to taper off once more. After a while, only the barest hints of shooting stars still raced across the sky. Kal yawned and looked towards Lois.
"Kal," she said, her eyes leaving the sky and peering at his face. "Thank you for sharing this with me."
"Thanks for coming with me. It means the world to me that I can share this kind of stuff with you."
"Is that the end of it?" she asked, flicking her eyes back to the sky for the briefest of seconds.
"Yeah," Kal said. "Oh, there might still be a few that will continue until dawn, but the main attraction is over, so to speak. Are you ready to head back inside?"
"I think so."
They disentangled their hands from one another, both silently mourning the loss of the contact. They stood, and Kal quickly gathered up the wine and glasses. With nimble fingers and deft hands, he folded the blanket and tucked it under his arm. He grabbed the basket with the wine in the same hand. His free hand sought out Lois' as they headed back into the palace. Now that he'd made contact with her - had touched her, had kissed her - he craved as much of it as possible. Being apart from her, even by a scant few inches, set an aching, longing feeling in his heart.
The feeling surprised him, as did the fact that it had all happened so quickly. Not two days ago, he'd felt like his marriage had ended his life, destroyed his happiness, with no chance of ever reclaiming the person that he was. But now, he could not imagine his life without the woman at his side. He hoped with all of his being that she felt the same way about him.
When they reached their chambers, they reluctantly released one another's hands. Kal quickly put away the items that he carried, while Lois prepared herself for bed. She rejoined him in the living room, where he was tapping away at his computer. Fasa watched from a nearby chair, his yellow-orange eyes half closed. Kal looked up and shut the lid as Lois approached.
"What were you writing?" she asked, genuinely curious.
"Just...some personal stuff."
"Like a diary?"
Kal chuckled. "No."
A mischievous grin overtook Lois' mouth and eyes. "I'll bet it is! 'Dear Diary, today I kissed my wife.'"
"Watch it. Or I might have to do it again," Kal mock threatened.
"I might have to let you," Lois replied, her brown eyes twinkling.
"Be careful what you wish for."
"Oh, believe me, I am," she almost purred. She let the words sink into Kal's mind. After a moment she spoke again. "So...what were you really doing?" she asked, deftly changing the subject back.
"Just writing."
Lois raised one eyebrow questioningly. Kal felt all of his defenses melt away.
"I like to write," he said, by way of explanation. "Sometimes messages to friends, sometimes proposals that Ching and I want to present to the Elders. But mostly, I just like to come up with little stories. They aren't anything great, but I enjoy it."
"Can I read them?"
Kal 's face flushed in embarrassment. "They really aren't that good."
"I don't mind."
Reluctantly, Kal nodded. "Okay. Anytime you want, you can just access Kal Docs 2 on the computer. My password is Fasalot."
"Fasa...lot?"
Kal blushed a little again, his face going crimson. "One of my little nicknames for the cat." He paused and yawned widely.
"We should get some sleep," Lois said, letting him off the hook for the time being.
Kal yawned again, then blinked rapidly. "I guess you're right."
He stood and grabbed the blankets that he used for his makeshift bed on the couch. Lois came to his side and placed one warm hand on the bare flesh of his arm. Kal stopped dead in his tracks. He looked questioningly at his wife.
"What are you doing?"
"Making up my bed," he answered, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, though confusion clung to the edges of his words as well.
"Would you...like to...sleep in your own bed?"
"What about you?"
Lois smiled shyly. "I meant, would you come share the bed with me...like a normal husband and wife."
Kal's mouth opened and worked for a moment, but no words issued forth. After a minute, he tried again.
"I don't want to pressure you, Lois. I don't want you to feel like we've had one perfect day together, and that now I expect...certain privileges. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."
"It won't. Trust me, if I didn't want you to share the bed with me, I wouldn't have asked."
Kal had to admit that there was a certain logic to that. "Okay," he said after a moment. If anything, he looked forward to a whole night of having Lois less than an arm's length away. He'd been silently dreading spending the night in a whole different room from her.
It did not take him long to prepare for bed. His energy was fading fast, and he looked forward to climbing into the familiar comfort of his own bed. His couch was comfortable enough, but so far, in the three months that he'd been sleeping on it, he'd rolled right off it a good five or six times as he'd dreamed, one time smacking his arm on the coffee table so hard that he'd borne a large bruise on it for a week.
When he entered the bedroom, Lois was already tucked beneath the sheets. She smiled somewhat nervously as he approached, pulled back the blankets, and slipped beneath them. He smiled back, a self-conscious curving of his lips. He leaned over and kissed Lois again, and the sparks that flew were more impressive then the thousands of shooting stars that they had seen that night.
"Thank you for the perfect day, and the prefect night," Lois whispered to him as he shut off the bedside lamp.
"I love you, Lois."
"I love you too, Kal."
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Lois snuggled against Kal as she settled into her pillows. She sighed contentedly and sleep took her. Kal lay awake for a time, marveling at the feel of his wife's body pressed against him. His mind traveled back over the events of the day. With a tentative, trembling hand, he lay on his side and wrapped his arm around Lois. She murmured in her sleep, but they seemed to be happy sounds, and Kal took them as encouragement. He wished he could stay awake all night, basking in the warm, happy feelings that had replaced all of his prior sadness and despair, and which had suffused his body with a joy that he'd never known was possible. When sleep did finally take him, he had a smile on his lips, and in his dreams, he and Lois still lay beneath the starry sky in the gardens.
To Be Continued...
