Lois awoke slowly, not quite willing to give up the comfortable cocoon of sleep. Clark’s body lay stretched behind hers, the soft hair on his legs tickling her as he nudged her legs in an attempt to wake her. Her head rested on his bottom arm, while the other held her snug against him. The hand splayed across her stomach had found its way under her shirt, she noted with a smile, and he was stroking her skin gently.
“Wake up, sleepy head,” he whispered, nuzzling her hair aside and kissing her neck.
“I don’t want to move,” she mumbled. “I want to stay just like this.”
Clark’s deep chuckle sent waves of pleasure through her. “I won’t let go yet, I just want you to wake up.”
“I’m awake,” she said with a sleepy yawn, pressing back against him and closing her eyes again.
“Merry Christmas.”
Her eyes flew open and suddenly she was wide awake. She twisted in his embrace until she was facing him. She brought one hand up to caress his face. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”
He dipped his head and caught her lips in a sweet, tender kiss. When it ended finally, she rested her head on his arm, looking up at him. Her hand caressed his side lightly, his skin smooth and soft over the taut muscles.
“Are you ready to go downstairs and open presents?” he asked, smiling at her.
“Mmm, how about I open this present?” Lois slid one hand under the waistband of his boxers, inching them down, while one of her legs insinuated its way between his.
Clark groaned and captured her hand. “As tempting as that is, I can hear my parents downstairs making breakfast already. If we don’t hurry and get ready, it will be cold by the time we get down there.”
Lois sighed and retreated. “Fine,” she said, sitting up. “I guess I should go get in the shower.”
Clark’s eyes lit up, and she burst out laughing. “Don’t even think about it. Wait your turn.”
A half hour later, clean and dressed in jeans and casual long-sleeved shirts, Lois and Clark strolled into the kitchen.
Once they exchanged good mornings and Merry Christmases, they settled in at the table and Lois caught Jonathan smiling wryly at Clark.
“I see city living is having an affect on you,” Jonathan said finally, glancing at the clock. “Nine thirty. If you still lived on the farm, you’d have been up for five hours already.”
“Oh, leave him be,” Martha said, fussing with the heaping dishes of sausages, pancakes and scrambled eggs. “Besides,” she added, looking pointedly at Lois before turning back to her husband, “you can’t blame him for wanting to put off getting out of bed as long as possible.”
Lois blushed as Clark whined, “Mo-om.”
“I’m just saying....”
Lois shook her head, more amused than embarrassed. Besides, Martha had a point. It was always hard to tear herself out of bed mornings she woke up with Clark by her side.
They lingered over breakfast, helping themselves to extra portions of all the delicious breakfast foods Martha had prepared. Finally everyone was stuffed and they cleared the table quickly and moved into the living room.
Lois settled on the floor next to Clark, watching the lights on the tree blink. The Kents took their places on the couch, and Clark took turns ferreting gifts to people as they took turns opening them.
Martha was delighted when the set of paint and brushes that Jonathan had bought for her, and even more excited when he informed her that he bought them thinking they would come in handy for the art lessons for which he’d signed her up.
Jonathan in turn had been thankful for the new, warm winter coat Martha had purchased for him, noting that it would be a welcome trade from his ratty old coat that she hated so much.
Clark went next, opening the package from his parents and revealing a cache of dress shirts with matching ties.
“Now I know where he gets all those wild ties,” Lois teased.
“What’s wrong with my ties?” Clark asked, mock defensive.
“Nothing,” Lois said, reaching out to stroke the smooth silk of the tie he was examining. “I love them. They’re just so much more ... colorful than the ties most of the other reporters wear. Very you.”
Clark rolled his eyes and opened his other gift from his parents, revealing a new stereo for his living room. “Oh, you shouldn’t have,” he said, already examining the contents and specifics listed on the side of the box.
“We know how much you love listening to your CDs, and you’ve had that old stereo forever. We figured it was time you had something nicer,” Jonathan explained, clearly thrilled that Clark was happy with the gift.
Finally Clark set the box aside and motioned for Lois to go next. She picked up the surprisingly-heavy box from the Kents and set it in her lap, removing the bow, then prizing up the corners of the wrapping paper before sliding it off the box. She lifted the lid and gasped. Her fingers reached out automatically, stroking the soft fabric, her finger tracing the careful pattern of the bright shapes. She pulled the quilt out to examine it more closely, taking in the complicated pattern and eclectic mix of patters and solid colors.
“It’s beautiful,” she said finally. “Did you make this?”
Martha nodded, beaming. “I’m so glad you like it. When you were here for Thanksgiving, you mentioned really liking some of the quilts we have around the house. It’s been awhile since I did any quilting – since I’ve been working more on painting and sculpting in recent years. But I had a great time hauling out all my old supplies and sorting through the patterns again. This pattern is called Kansas Morning. It’s the same pattern as the one you were admiring, just different colors.”
“I love it. Thank you so much.” Lois hugged Martha. “Okay, now you have to open my gift!”
Lois pulled a small envelope from under the tree and handed it to Martha. Martha examined the envelope for a minute before opening it and pulling out two sets of tickets. “Oh! The Glass Menagerie! I love this play. I used to go see it every time it came anywhere near us, but I haven’t seen it in ages!”
“Clark told me it was a favorite of yours, so when I saw they were going to be doing it in Wichita, I had to get them for you.”
Martha looked at the next set of tickets. “Eve Zaremba? The name sounds familiar....”
“She’s made a name for herself creating art from trash, basically. She takes old, discarded items and makes sculptures out of them.”
“Oh, good lord,” Jonathan muttered good naturedly. “Don’t encourage her.”
Martha whacked Jonathan with the empty envelope. “Stop. You loved that sculpture I made you out of old tractor parts.”
“Yes, Martha. It was lovely,” he said before turning and shooting a pained look at Lois and Clark.
“Ignore him, Lois. It’s wonderful and I can’t wait to go. Looks like we’ll have to plan a weekend in Wichita.”
“Well, while you’re planning, you take a look at this,” Clark said, handing his father a large envelope. Jonathan opened it and dumped the contents into his lap – a pile of brochures about farming techniques, laws and trends all published by the Kansas Farmers Union. Jonathan thumbed through them, then pulled out the last contents of the envelope – a computer printout with his registration confirmation and hotel reservation information for the annual convention in late January.
“Wow, thanks, son. This is wonderful. I haven’t made it the last couple of years and I’ve really missed it.”
“I’ve already talked to Sam, and he said he wouldn’t mind the extra work while you’re gone,” Clark said. “The tickets Lois bought are for the weekend following the Thursday-Friday conference. We thought you could make a mini-vacation out of it. The hotel reservations are for four nights.”
“Oh, that’s perfect!” Martha exclaimed. “Thank you, you two. This is wonderful.”
“I love it,” Jonathan said. “We could use a vacation.”
Lois beamed at Clark, thrilled their gift had been such a hit. She’d agonized for weeks over what to get his parents, wanting to choose something they would love, something perfect. Everything she’d considered had seemed too impersonal or too extravagant. When Clark decided to set up the retreat, the idea of adding fun, cultural events had popped into her head, and she’d been thrilled with the idea. Clark had agreed that it was perfect and had helped her find exactly the right events.
A brightly colored package beneath the tree caught her eye, and Lois reached for it handing it to Clark. “Okay, you’re next. This one is from me.”
Clark hefted the weight of the package and looked at her suspiciously for a second, then ripped into the paper. He lifted the lid and found an assortment of kitchen supplies. He pulled out a set of spoons, spatulas and other utensils and found a pizza stone at the bottom. “Is this why you were asking me all those cooking questions?” he asked, laughing. Lois nodded and Clark began to laugh. “And here I thought you’d decided to take up a new hobby.”
“Me?” Lois asked, horrified. “No thanks. You cook, I eat. It’s a beautiful partnership.”
Martha and Jonathan began to laugh as well, and Lois couldn’t resist joining in.
“Thank you, sweetheart. I’ll make you a pizza when we get home. I promise.”
“Open the other one. There are no ulterior motives behind that one.” Well, not any kind of ulterior motive she wanted to discuss in front of his parents anyway, she thought with a small grin.
Clark ripped through the paper again and opened the box, oohing over the contents. “It’s feels great,” he said, pulling the black leather jacket out of the box and running his hands over the soft exterior.
He stood quickly and slipped his arms into the sleeves, tugging it closed. Oh yeah, Lois thought. It looked just as good on him as she’d imagined when she saw it on the mannequin at the store. He looked better in black than anyone had the right to. He knelt beside her and kissed her cheek. “I love it. Thank you.”
Lois reached out and stroked the sleeve. “It looks great on you.”
Clark wiggled his eyebrows at her and grinned, setting off a flurry of butterflies in her stomach. “All right. Your turn.”
Clark reached under the tree and pulled out the final package – a small rectangle. Lois took it from Clark and knew immediately that it was a book. Knowing her boyfriend the way she did, she knew it couldn’t be just any random book.
She tore the paper carefully and extracted a small book, bound in dull dark fabric. It looked to be in perfect condition, but it was obviously old. She flipped it over and smiled broadly when she read the title. Anne of Green Gables.
It had been a childhood favorite of hers, and she reread it at least once a year as an adult. She’d done so just a few weeks ago, and had been struck by the similarities between her relationship with Clark and Anne’s with Gilbert. As she’d lain in bed that night with Clark, she’d mentioned it to him and had been horrified to hear that he’d never read it. She’d elicited a promise immediately that he’d do so immediately. He’d kept his promise and had wound up loving the book as well, and they’d discussed it at great length, comparing favorite passages.
She ran her finger over the cover, then flipped it open. “Clark,” she gasped. “This is a first edition. Where did you find this?”
Clark smiled mysteriously. “I have my sources.”
“I love it,” she said, pulling him in for a hug. “Thank you.”
“I’m glad. Here, this goes with it,” he said, handing her a lighter package about the same size as the first.
She ripped through the paper and smiled when she realized it was a box of cookies. She studied the logo and discovered they were Green Gables cookies, sold at the Green Gables Bed and Breakfast on Prince Edward Island.
“I thought you might like to try them out ahead of time,” Clark said, earning a baffled look from Lois. “Then, if you like them, we can buy a couple more boxes while we’re there.”
”While we’re there?” she asked, a smile forming slowly.
“I booked us a long weekend in one of their suites. We have a couple of weekends we can choose from, so we’ll look at our schedules and find a week to go up there. We can tour the island and see all the sites from the books.”
“Oh, Clark! That would be wonderful!” They immediately began discussing possible dates for their trip while Martha began sorting through her art supplies and Jonathan pulled out the brochures on farming trends. Lois scooted over to sit next to Clark, curling up against him as he slipped his arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head on his chest, gazing at the tree while they continued to plan their trip.
She half-listened to Clark as she reflected on the morning. As simple as it had been, she’d had more fun than she’d ever had on Christmas. A part of her wished the moment would never end, while another part cautiously wondered what next Christmas would hold. Would she and Clark return to Smallville again? Or might the Kents come to Metropolis to visit Lois and Clark...in their own home. It was possible. She smiled a secret smile and snuggled back into his embrace. The future was fun to imagine, she thought, but for now she was content just enjoying the present.
*****
After opening their presents, the four of them had watched Christmas specials on television for most of the day, broken up only by phone calls to friends and family members. Then they had gorged themselves on a turkey dinner with all the fixings before returning to the living room for yet more Christmas specials. Finally, when Lois had thought they had seen every Christmas movie ever made, Martha had announced that she’d made a special dessert and they’d all returned to the kitchen for chocolate mousse.
The dessert had been exquisite, and Lois had grinned when she caught a heated look in Clark’s eyes as she moaned in satisfaction. Once everyone was done, Clark rose and began collecting the plates. Lois stood automatically to help him, but paused when Martha admonished them.
“Come on, Mom. You’ve done everything today. It’s the least we can do,” Clark insisted.
Martha finally capitulated and left them to their own devises. Clark filled the sink with soapy water while Lois transferred the leftovers into the plastic containers Clark had found for her. She stuck the containers in the refrigerator and watched Clark out of the corner of her eye. He hummed as he washed the dishes, looking totally at ease with the simple domesticity of the task. It was a sight she could get used to, she realized.
She grabbed a towel and began drying the dishes he’d already washed and rinsed, stacking them in the drainer. After a minute, the sides of her mouth began to twitch upwards. Clark gave her a funny look, but refrained from commenting immediately. But after another minute his curiosity got the best of him.
“What is so funny?”
“Nothing,” she said, trying to smother a laugh.
“Fine,” he said, rolling his eyes and resuming his task, launching back into his song.
Lois coughed to hide her laughter and was immediately nailed by Clark’s gaze. “What?”
She couldn’t resist any longer. “Clark, what *are* you humming? Every time I think I might be close to identifying it, it morphs into something else.”
Clark gave her a mock hurt look. “It’s Away in the Manger.”
Lois burst out laughing. “No it’s not. That wasn’t even on the list of possibilities.”
Clark laughed and splashed the water at her in retaliation, soaking the cuffs of her shirt.
“Hey!”
Lois splashed him back and suddenly chaos erupted. Lois smacked a small plate against the surface of the water, sending a stream across Clark’s chest. He looked at her stunned for half a second, then grabbed the sprayer and turned the water on her full blast. She let out a shriek and tried to wrestle the sprayer from him, succeeding in drenching both of them. When Martha entered the room a minute later, they were both soaked and there was water all over the counter and the floor. They both froze as Martha took in the disaster.
“Sorry, Mom,” Clark said, giving her a puppy dog look.
Martha’s gaze traveled from Clark to Lois who threw her hands up in the air. “He started it!” Clark didn’t bother denying it. Instead he turned into a blur, and when he came to a stop again, the rest of the dishes had been washed and dried and the mess had been cleaned up. “Show off,” Lois muttered, unable to keep a grin from her face.
Martha just shook her head and grinned then retreated to the living room.
Clark looked down at his sopping shirt. “Um, I think I need to go change.”
Lois laughed, surveying her own state of disrepair. “Yeah, me too,” she said, following him up the stairs to their room.
“Good grief, I’m soaked,” Lois said, peeling off her shirt. Clark stripped off his shirt as well and took them both across the hall to the bathroom where he hung them over the shower curtain rod. When he returned, Lois had slipped into a soft purple shirt.
He grabbed a flannel shirt from his drawer and slipped it on, buttoning it. When he looked up again, Lois was smiling at him tenderly. He reached out and took her hand, pulling her close. His hands locked around her waist and he brushed his lips across her forehead. She melted against him, slipping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest.
“While we’re up here, I wanted to give you the other part of your Christmas present,” she said, stroking his back gently through the soft flannel.
“Mmm, maybe we should wait until my parents go to bed,” he replied, kissing her neck.
Lois pulled back, mock exasperated. “I swear, you have a one-track mind. That’s NOT what I was talking about.”
“Could I talk you into talking about it?” he mumbled, pulling her back and nuzzling her neck again.
“You’re ridiculous,” she said, amusement sparkling in her eyes. She lifted her face for quick kiss, then pulled away, reaching into her suitcase and pulling out a large square gift, wrapped in Christmas paper.
“What is it?” he asked, taking it from her and sitting on the edge of the bed.
She followed his lead and sat down. “Just open it,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I’ve never understood why people ask what a gift is right before they open it.”
Clark unwrapped in carefully, and smiled when he realized it was a large photo album. The cover was a plain blue border with a framed picture of the two of them in the middle. He traced the picture with his finger, smiling.
“Open it,” Lois urged.
Clark did as instructed and smiled when he saw the inscription on the first page, written in Lois’ handwriting. She’d labored over the letter for a week, going through countless drafts before she found a version she thought sufficiently expressed the desire to showcase their relationship and her love for him in this scrapbook.
Sweetheart,
I don’t think I can tell you with words how much you mean to me. You’ve turned my life upside down and made me a new person. When I’m with you, I feel free in a way I’ve never been before. From the beginning, I’ve known you would change my life, I just never knew how much or how wonderful it would be. What I’ve gathered here are just a few reminders of the wonderful times that we’ve shared. As I compiled them, I remembered each wonderful moment and dreamed of all those yet to come. I hope you enjoy this walk down memory lane as much as I have, and I hope you look forward to adding more memories as much as I do.
Love always,
Lois
Obviously intrigued, Clark turned the page and smiled when he recognized his first piece published in the Daily Planet. Also on the page was a note from Lois telling him how impressed she’d been with the piece, although at the time she’d called it fluff. The next page was her article about Superman’s appearance a photo of Superman flying her through the Daily Planet window.
Clark flipped through the pages, lingering over each memory. He paused when he reached a spread of his Kerth victory. Laid out over the article that had won him the award was an announcement of his win and an array of pictures, both of him accepting the award and of the two of them afterwards. In the corner, she’d included a note that read, “I couldn’t have been prouder if I’d won it myself.”
“This is incredible,” Clark said, looking up for the first time. “How did you...?”
“I have my ways,” Lois said with a grin. “I’ve had Jimmy scouring his digital archives for pictures of the two of us for weeks. Sometimes it pays to have a wannabe photog tagging along all the time. The other stuff... mostly it’s stuff I’ve saved. A few of the articles I didn’t have, so I got them from the archives.”
“Amazing,” Clark said. “I love this.”
Lois smiled and leaned over for a quick kiss then pulled back. “Keep going.”
Clark turned the page and gasped. Next to a glossy press photo of Bijour Sur le Fleur, where they’d begun their charade for Paul and Jennifer, was a matchbook from the restaurant and a dried, pressed red rose. “Lois....”
Lois reached out and rested a hand on his thigh, happy he appreciated her hard work as much as she’d expected he would and getting caught up in the moment herself. He flipped silently past a spread of memorabilia from their time in Washington – stationary from the hotel, matchbooks from restaurants they’d visited, postcards featuring monuments they’d seen.
He flipped again and saw another Superman article, this one little more than a blurb, about a suspect apprehended breaking into Star Labs.
“That was the first time,” Lois said softly. “The first time I knew it was you.”
Clark met her eyes and opened his mouth to speak but didn’t say anything. He closed him mouth again and turned back to the album. He smiled as he turned the next page, finding receipts for take out interspersed with a handful of rose petals. She knew he was remembering the long weekend they’d spent making love after cementing their relationship. They’d ordered take out, unwilling to leave the apartment and the rose petals had been scattered across the bed when she’d come out of the shower one morning.
The next page was a collage of photos from Thanksgiving. Pictures of the two of them, of his parents, of him with his parents, of the turkey Lois had been so proud of helping with. He turned again found ticket stubs and matchbooks, memoirs of dates they’d gone on together, scattered with random pictures of them, professional and personal.
He turned again and found an empty page. “That’s the end,” Lois said softly.
“Not the end,” he said quietly. “It’s just the beginning.”
He set the book aside and pulled her close, covering her lips with his own and kissing her tenderly. “Thank you,” he said when he pulled away. “I wish I could tell you how much love it, but I can’t find the words. It’s the best gift I’ve ever received.”
“I’m glad you like it,” she said softly, running her fingers through his hair. “I really enjoyed making it. It was fun to reminisce. I thought we could make the Christmas pages when we get home. Once we get our film developed and everything.”
Clark nodded, leaning in for another kiss. They traded sweet, tender kisses until Clark finally pulled away. “What do you say we go for a walk?” Clark asked, standing and taking her hand, guiding her to stand as well. “It’s dark out but between the moon and the barn lights, it’s not bad as long as we stay close.”
Lois nodded in agreement and allowed herself to be led downstairs. They stopped in the living room and informed Jonathan and Martha that they were going on a walk. They listened patiently while Jonathan informed them that the temperature had dropped and told them to bundle up and Martha told them that she and Jonathan were planning to go to bed early and would probably already be in bed when they returned from their walk. Then they hurried out, buttoning their coats as they went.
Lois slipped her hand back into Clark’s quietly, reluctant to break the silent night air. They walked down the path toward the barn, the snow crunching under their boots, their breath puffs of white in front of them.
Behind them, the house was trimmed in beautiful white Christmas lights. The lights, combined with the light dusting of snow that covered the ground and trees, lent a storybook feeling to the night. When Lois had first noticed the lights, she’d wondered why the Kents bothered with the hassle of putting them up when few people would see them. “We see them,” Clark had replied.
That simple line statement said a lot about the differences between Christmases in the Lane and Kent households.
As they reached the gate to the pasture, Lois hesitated, looking up at the stars.
“It’s amazing. I’ve never seen stars like this before.”
“I know. They’re so much brighter here. That was one of the first things I noticed when I moved to Metropolis. I came back for dinner one night and sat out here with my dad afterwards, looking at the stars, and I told him the only stars you see in Metropolis are the ones getting out of limousines.”
“What else did you tell them?” Lois asked. When Clark looked at her quizzically, she explained. “What did you think when you first moved to Metropolis? What did you tell them about the city? About your job?”
Clark leaned back against the fence and drew her back against his chest, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. “I told them I loved it,” he said quietly. “I told them it was crazy: loud and busy and millions of people. But I told them I’d finally found the place where I wanted to settle down. That’s why I needed their help finding a way to use my powers without getting caught. My dad was none too thrilled with the idea at first, but he came around eventually.”
“You knew so soon that you wanted to stay? Superman appeared just days after you came to Metropolis. How did you know so quickly that this was the place you would settle down, after having lived so many other places? Surely your parents must have asked you that. What did you tell them? Did you tell them about your job?”
“Yes, that was partly it. It was a dream job. I’d been freelancing mostly, working for random English-speaking newspapers around the world. Working at the Daily Planet was a dream come true. It would have been an exciting opportunity for a seasoned journalist, for someone as rough as I was, it was a miracle.” He was quiet for a minute, rubbing her arms to keep her warm, then resting them at her waist where she covered them with her own. “But that wasn’t all,” he added quietly. “I told them about this amazing woman I met. How she stormed in during my interview and didn’t even see me she was so focused. She was famous, one of my idols. Meeting her was incredible.”
Lois snorted. “Yes, and I’m sure you were impressed by my dazzling charm.”
Clark ignored her and went on. “She didn’t exactly seem impressed with me, and she seemed less impressed when Perry read her the story I wrote. I told them I thought she was appalled by the fact that Perry hired me.”
“It was a good story, Clark,” she said softly, bringing one of his hands up to her mouth for kiss. “My personal feelings – then and now – aside, it was a good story and he made the right decision by hiring you.”
”Thank you,” he whispered, kissing her cheek. He held her like that for another minute, then resumed his story. “I told them that I wound up partnered with her by some miracle and that I was sure working with her was going to be amazing. I told them she was the most intelligent, passionate, beautiful woman I’d ever met. I didn’t tell them I was head over heels already, but I think they figured that part out on their own.”
“You barely knew me, Clark. And I was awful to you.”
“I saw past that.”
“You don’t really believe in love at first sight, do you?” she asked, turning in his arms to look at him.
Clark hesitated. “No. It wasn’t love at first sight. There was something there. I definitely felt something. I was attracted to you immediately, more attracted than I’d ever been to any other woman. More than that, I felt ... some kind of connection to you. I’d never felt it before, and I had – have – no idea exactly what it is, but it’s there. But, no, it wasn’t love. Not like I love you now. My feelings for you then, as sincere as they were, are so shallow compared to what I feel for you now.”
“How do you feel now?” she asked softly, bringing one hand up to caress his cheek, the other resting on his shoulder.
“I feel.... I can’t even put it into words, Lois. I love you so much. You’ve changed my whole life for the better. I’m so much happier now, so much more complete. You make me feel emotions I never knew existed. You are the only thing that gets me through the bad times, and you make the good times so much better. You help me forget about the past, when I thought I could never fit it, and you give me hope for the future. You are everything to me.”
“Oh, Clark.” Lois stretched up, closing the short distance between them and capturing his lips in a sweet kiss. Her heart felt swollen in her chest and her eyes pricked with tears as she battled to keep her emotions under control. When the kiss ended, it was a few seconds before she could speak. “I love you, too. I love you so much that it overwhelms me sometimes. I didn’t know a love like this existed. I thought it was only in fairytales and movies. You turned my world completely upside down. I thought I was happy. Or at least I thought I was happy enough to get by. I look back now on what my life was like without you and I can’t imagine living like that again. You’ve calmed me, taught me to trust again. I’m not scared anymore. You make me want to be a better person.”
Lois stopped, emotion clogging her throat. She held Clark’s gaze for just another second before tugging him back down for another kiss. Time stood still as they stayed locked in each other’s embrace. A gust of wind caused Lois to shiver and Clark pulled back reluctantly. “You must be freezing,” he said, cupping her cheeks in his warm palms. “Let’s go inside. We can continue this by the fire.”
Lois nodded, then shivered again. Clark immediately scooped her up into his arms and flew them to the backdoor. He set her on her feet again, and slid open the door.
Lois allowed herself to be ushered through the door, then waited for Clark to enter behind her and close the door. Once he was in, Lois smiled at him and ran her hand over his soft flannel shirt. “You’ve never done that before,” she said softly.
“What?” Clark asked. “I fly with you all the time.”
“Superman flies with me,” she said, emphasizing the differences.
“Lois, it’s still me, even when I’m in the suit. Or out of the suit,” he added with a chuckle. “You know that.”
“Oh, I know. But somehow it seems different when you fly without the suit. I like it. I feel.... I feel special. Like I’m the only person who really sees you like that. Millions of people have seen Superman fly, and tons of people know Clark. But no one else sees Clark fly. I love knowing that I’m the only one who sees you like that.”
“Only you,” he said softly, smiling then kissing her gently. He slipped his arm around her waist leading her into the now deserted living room where his parents had left the fire roaring and a Christmas CD playing. He left the lights off, settling into the couch and sighing as Lois snuggled next to him.
They traded kisses and touches for awhile, soft and sweet kisses that spoke more of love and devotion than passion. When they finally pulled apart, Lois smiled at him tenderly. “Thank you,” she said finally. “This whole day has been incredible. I always thought I wasn’t really a Christmas person, but after today.... I think I just didn’t really understand how wonderful Christmas could be. You’ve made me so happy. It’s been perfect.”
“Almost perfect,” he corrected.
Her brow furrowed and she reached up to stroke his cheek. “What’s missing, Clark? What would make it perfect? What do you want?”
Clark took a deep breath and slid off the couch onto one knee. “Marry me,” he said softly. “Tell me this will last forever, and then it will be perfect. I want to spend all the Christmases for the rest of my life with you. Forever. That’s what I want, Lois.”
Lois gasped, caught totally off guard. She’d known he intended to propose, he’d even told her so. But she hadn’t expected it to come so soon; after they’d been dating for less than two months.
“I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking it’s too soon. But whether I wait a day, a month or a year, it’s not going to change anything. You are the only one I want, the only one I’ll ever want. Tell me you’ll marry me. Give me forever.”
His eyes pleaded with her, overflowing with love and hope. As she looked at his expectant face, she realized there could be only one answer. The surprise that had filled her senses fled, taking with it all shreds of doubt, leaving only joy and hope.
“Yes,” she said, her voice soft but steady.
He looked stunned for a minute, as if he’d expected her to say no or at least need a little convincing. Then he rose to the couch immediately, slipping his free hand behind her head, tangling his fingers in her hair and bringing her in for a celebratory kiss. When he pulled back, his eyes were full of wonderment and hope. “Yes?”
“Yes,” she repeated, bringing him in for another kiss.
After a few moments of trading sweet kisses, Lois pulled back. “Let’s go upstairs.”
Clark’s eyes darkened with passion, then looked troubled. “I don’t know, Lois. My parents are right down the hall. What if...?”
“We’ll be quiet,” Lois said, leaning forward and kissing his neck. “Come on, Clark. I want to make love to you.”
Clark groaned and hugged her tightly. “I want to make love to you, too.”
Lois pulled away and stood, offering Clark her hand. He hesitated for just a second before taking it and allowing her to lead him upstairs. “Why don’t you go ahead and use the bathroom first. I’ll be ready in a minute,” Lois said when they reached the bedroom.
Clark nodded and disappeared into the hallway. Lois stood gazing out the window as she waited for Clark to return. The grin that had appeared the moment she said yes, still refused to leave her face. She knew she should be freaking out, but for some reason, she wasn’t scared at all. She was going to marry Clark Kent. Marry him. It wasn’t an entirely new idea. Clark had told her from the beginning that this was where he was heading. But it was so much more real, so much more final, now. And she was thrilled.
Clark reentered the room and Lois fixed him with a brilliant smile. Her eyes swept over his chiseled body, covered only by flannel sleep shorts. “Hey, handsome,” she said softly, extending her arm in invitation.
In a heartbeat, he was by her side, arms wrapped around her. “Do you have any idea how happy you’ve made me? Any idea?” he whispered, his voice unsteady. “The whole time I was in the bathroom, I kept pinching myself to make sure this was real. Then I was terrified I was going to get back here and you’d tell me you’d changed your mind and didn’t think this was such a good idea after all.”
Lois tried to swallow past the lump in her throat her heart aching at his earnest confession. “It’s a wonderful idea,” she said, bringing one hand up to caress his cheek. “I love you so much. I’m not going to change my mind, Clark. Not now, not ever.” He dropped his forehead to her shoulder, his arms encircling her waist more tightly to draw her closer. She stroked his hair gently. “I love you,” she repeated.
He pulled back, his eyes meeting hers. Love and adoration were mixed with desire and arousal. He started to speak, then stopped, capturing her mouth his own and plundering it gently. She sagged against him, allowing his strong arms to keep her upright as their lips and tongues danced together.
Finally she pulled away. She kissed him lightly one last time, then stepped back. “Just let me go use the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
Clark looked pained, but released her. “Hurry,” he said quietly as she disappeared into the hallway.
Lois felt her heart lurch at Clark’s simple, heartfelt request. She washed her face and brushed her teeth quickly, then ran a brush through her hair. As she surveyed her appearance in the mirror, she frowned, wishing she thought to bring some sort of lingerie with her to Smallville. Not that she needed it, she thought with a smile. Clark had told her a million times how beautiful she was no matter what she was wearing. But tonight was special.
Just then her eye spotted something hanging on the hook on the door. Her smile widened as she reached out and fingered the soft flannel, still warm with Clark’s body heat. She slipped out of her clothes quickly and into the shirt, unbuttoning the top two buttons and leaving the collar pulled wide to show off a generous portion of her chest. The shirt hung about half way to her knees, the sides cut higher, barely coving the essentials. She glanced at herself in the mirror and smiled. Perfect.
When she reentered the room, Clark was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at his hands. She paused in the doorway, watching him, then whispered his name. His head whipped up and the look in his eyes was so hot she could feel it as his gaze traveled over her face, then her body.
“Oh, god,” he whispered. He was on his feet immediately, pulling her through the doorway and closing the door softly. “You look.... Oh, sweetheart....” The rest of his compliment was lost as his mouth busied itself exploring hers. When he pulled back, he was breathing hard, his chest heaving. Lois reached out and ran her hands over his chest, tracing the muscles. He led her wordlessly to the bed and guided her to sit on the edge.
Lois followed willingly, then reached for him, expecting him to lay her back and cover her body with his own. Instead he slid gracefully to the floor, on one knee again. She smiled and reached out to stroke his cheek. “I already said yes,” she said softly.
Clark held her gaze for a second but didn’t speak. Then he opened his right hand and revealed a small black, velvet box. Lois gasped as he lifted the lid, revealing a beautiful solitaire diamond set in platinum. “Oh, Clark. It’s beautiful.”
“Marry me,” he whispered, a request rather than a question, as he pulled the ring from the box.
“Yes,” Lois replied, extending her hand so that he could slip the ring on her finger. She paused for a moment, staring at it, trying to make it feel real. Then her gaze moved from her ring to the face of her fiance.
“I had this whole fancy proposal planned,” Clark said softly. “I was going to take you to Bijour su le Fleuve when we got back to Metropolis. I was going to wine you and dine you and then take you out to walk by the water again. I was going to tell you how much I love you, and then I was going to sink to one knee and make the most romantic proposal ever made. I didn’t mean to propose tonight. I didn’t even bring the ring to Smallville – I had to fly home and get it out of my dresser drawer while you were in the bathroom.”
Lois looked up at him and smiled. “I like it better this way,” she said softly.
Clark leaned forward and kissed her, briefly but passionately. When he pulled back, his face was a mask of emotions so complicated she wasn’t sure she could interpret it. “What are you thinking, Clark?”
“I love you,” he replied automatically, without hesitation.
“I love you, too,” she said with a smile. “What else are you thinking?”
Clark’s eyes wandered down her body, then settled on her ring for a moment before returning to her face. “I’m not sure you want to know,” he said, a smile quirking at the edges of mouth.
Lois raised an eyebrow. “Try me.”
“It’s just, looking at you like this – in my bed, wearing my shirt, with that ring on your finger.... It’s like the answer to a prayer. You have no idea how many times I dreamed of this. I don’t think I ever really let myself believe it would happen, but I dreamed about it so many times. Even before I knew you, I think. I knew you were out there, I just had to find you.”
Clark’s soft words, thick with love, twisted in her heart, taking her breath away. “And you thought I wouldn’t like that?”
“Not that,” Clark said, shaking his head. “The way that makes me feel now that you are really here. Seeing you like this. I feel so...possessive. I want to claim you. I don’t even know what that means, really. I just know that you’re mine and I never want to let you go, and I want the whole world to know. I know that sounds terrible. I know you probably hate that. And trust me, I know you aren’t some object to be claimed. You know I don’t think of you like that at all. Part of what I love so much about you is your independence. I’d never try to change that. I’m not trying to control you. I just....”
Lois was quiet for a minute, grappling with Clark’s explanation. He was the sweetest man she’d ever met. She knew that he wasn’t possessive in a bad way. He’d never try to make her bend to his will or do his bidding. He wouldn’t try to control who she was friends with or what she did with her life. She smiled tenderly at him as he looked down, avoiding eye contact. She lifted one hand to his cheek, her thumb stroking his soft skin. “I’m not mad.” He looked up, obviously relieved and she could see that he was enjoying this feeling of possession more than he’d originally let on. “What do you want, Clark? This idea, this feeling of possession. Now that I’m yours, what is it you want?”
“I just want you. I want to love you. I want to make you happy. Right now I want to touch you and kiss and drive you crazy until you forget that my parents are down the hall and cry out in pleasure,” he said with a small smile. “But in the long run, I just want to be with you. I want you to come to me when you’re happy or sad or scared or lonely or just bored.”
“I already do all those things,” Lois said, trying to reassure him.
“I know,” he said confidently. “I just want to know that you’re going to keep doing that for the rest of our lives.”
“I think I can live with that kind of possessive behavior,” Lois said, sliding her hand around to the back of his neck and pulling him in for a kiss. The moment his lips touched hers, any concerns she’d had melted away.
*****
