Part 6

Clark paused before walking through the doors of the Snitch and hoped for the last time that he was doing the right thing with this fundraiser. After seeing Rose's Superman paraphernalia behind the bar the other day and believing that he'd be well received, Rose and Bobby Bigmouth seemed to be the logical choice for sponsoring this endeavor. He considered them good friends and he hoped that an event such as this would give their restaurant and bar more exposure to the public.

It was early in the morning and he could hear bustling going on inside as the workers prepared to open before the lunch hour. Clark knocked on the door loudly and straightened his cape at his shoulders.

A worker nearly dropped her stack of clean plates after seeing it was Superman, and opened the door to let him in.

Clark nodded amicably and took the plates from the waitress, and asked, "Is Rose or Bobby Cooper here?"

Her eyes grew wide as a sudden revelation passed over her face, then she dashed to the back. "Rose! You'd better get out here," the waitress's voice squeaked. "Rose!"

With his super hearing, Clark heard a voice from the back room pipe up and sound annoyed, "I'm busy. Can ya wait a few minutes?"

"I don't think so. There's someone here to see you," the waitress insisted.

"Unless it's the Health Department or Superman, they're gonna have to wait until I finish balancing the books."

"It's one of them." The waitress stalled, hoping to drop the bomb on her boss.

Rose jumped from her chair grumbling, "I'd just bet Bobby's trying to serve something stupid like alligator burgers caught from something in the Metropolis sewer. That man is gonna have the Health Department all over us."

After turning the corner into the main room, she stopped dead in her tracks and let out a tiny screech. "Superman?"

Clark gave her a friendly smile and held out his hand. "Rose Cooper?"

Rose stood stunned for a moment before reaching out a limp hand towards Clark.

"Hello, Ms. Cooper," Clark said amicably. "I was wondering if I could talk to you. I have a business proposition for you and your husband."


******

Lois was getting ready for bed a few nights later when Kal appeared by her window. He had not been by to visit ever since they shared that wonderful sleepy kiss the other night.

She didn't know what had happened right before that. All she remembered was she'd been having this most fantastic dream about kissing this someone, his face was a blur, and the next thing she knew, Kal was bolting out of her apartment without bothering to talk about what had happened.

At first she thought he was only shell-shocked and that was the reason for him leaving so abruptly, but it had been a few days since then, and now she was not so sure. Although she had been angry at first, she thought his actions had something to do with the tragedy he had gone through that same night and decided to cut him some slack.

Even though their relationship was only supposed to be platonic, anything resembling something other than being friends was getting in the way of her relationships again. The first kiss happened because she'd asked him to become sort of test subject, but she had been surprised at the depths of her feelings then. Maybe it was her fault that this whole snowball of emotion had started rolling. There was no going back, the kisses between them had happened and they would have to deal with the consequences.

Clark had been scarce since they had wrapped up their investigation. He had suddenly decided to take a few days vacation and had been very mysterious as to how he was going to spend the time. It had been very lonely in the newsroom without him, yet in some ways she was glad for the distance. Dealing with these new strange emotions she had just discovered for Kal was not helping her peace of mind. Add to that her burgeoning romance with Clark and it was enough to make her want to spend a whole week in the honeymoon suite just to unwind.

Perry had announced the other day that the Daily Planet was having a pre-Kerth party at a swanky restaurant for the people who had been nominated for a Kerth. It was coming up in a couple of days, and she only hoped that Clark would be there to celebrate with her.

At Kal's tentative rap on the window, she put on her robe and let him in her apartment.

"What? No video or food? Kal, you're slipping," she teased nervously, not wanting to scare him away.

"Come with me," he blurted. "I think we need to do something different."

Without waiting for her to answer, he scooped her up in his arms and hovered three feet above her floor. "Please, indulge me. Just this once," he pleaded.

She studied his face in the instant that they hung in the air. Could he be as concerned for their friendship as she was? How was he handling the death of the little girl? She nodded her head, and Kal flew them out of the window.

The night air was invigorating and immediately cleared any lingering sleep from her head. She was dressed for bed and had chosen casual sleepwear; flannel pajamas and large fuzzy slippers, her robe was warm and comfortable. She had long given up more intimate sleep apparel since Kal had begun his frequent visits at night, though lately she had been contemplating something a bit more revealing and sexy now that she and Clark were back on speaking terms.

The Freudian slip in her thought processes hadn't gone unnoticed by her. She secretly hoped that she and Clark could continue to patch together their relationship and regain what was lost: the magic and the complete sense of connection. A connection not unlike what she and Kal shared. She couldn't let that happen with Kal. If their friendship had been shattered because of her not being able to control her emotions, she would never able to forgive herself. His friendship meant too much to her.

Now he was here and whisking her off to some mysterious place. He set her on the ground located in some sort of woods and led her out into an open area. It was a small, intimate park completely surrounded by trees, completely hidden from the world. A child's playground stood nearby along with a couple of outdoor tables and benches. A picnic basket lay on top of a red and white blanket and a chilled bottle of wine sat next to it.

***

Clark stood next to Lois, grinning nervously, waiting for her reaction. He'd hoped this would get their friendship back on track. They really needed to talk after his leaving so abruptly the other night. He didn't want to be repairing his relationship with her as Clark as his friendship with her as Kal was failing. Ironically though, once she found out that he and Kal were one and the same, both identities' relationship could be doomed. But once he was on solid ground with Lois again, then he had to tell her. In fact, if the opportunity arose tonight, he would take it. That was one thing he had learned to past few days - life was too short and precious to put important things off. He couldn't keep leading Lois on for very much longer.

Lois looked at the set-up and half smiling, said to him, "This is lovely, Kal."

She was a bit apprehensive. Did Kal think that because they had kissed by accident the other night that there was something starting between them? Even though she was starting to feel something more for him than just friendship, she wasn't quite ready to admit it to herself yet.

No, it had to have something to do with getting their friendship back on the right track. After their kiss and his bolting out of her apartment, she was sure he was feeling uneasy. Besides, he was in love with that other woman. Friends shared wine and had lovely midnight picnics in the park, didn't they?

Deciding that she wanted to see what Kal had in mind when he had set this up, she widened her smile and sat down on the blanket. A small voice inside wondered that if Kal was this romantic to just his friends, then what would he be like to someone that he truly cared for - someone he was in love with.

At that provocative thought, she caught her breath before it became audible and immediately willed the swirling sensations in her gut to go away. No, it was not possible for her to feel anything like that for Kal. Her heart belonged to Clark.

Satisfied with her conclusion, she smoothed the blanket around her and then glanced up to see what Kal was doing.

He was smiling at her – a thoughtful, easy smile that turned her heart over.

"What?" she asked almost shyly.

"Nothing. I'm just glad you didn't protest too much when I kidnapped you." He sat down on the blanket Indian style, then reached into the wine bucket and with a tiny squeeze of his hands, popped the cork on the wine.

"Me too."

"I really enjoyed flying with you and going out the other night. I was hoping we could have more times like that. You were right. We need to do more things."

"So am I getting boring?" she asked, accepting a glass of red wine.

Kal swallowed his sip of wine hard. "No! Was that what you think this is about?"

"No, hardly. But I have been worried about you. Are you doing okay? You were so upset the other night."

"I think I am. When I can't save everyone, it eats away at me." He played with the cork from the wine, turning it over in his hand.

"You can't let it do that," Lois said sternly, sensing his feelings of guilt. "What you *can* do is enough. Please see that."

"I'm trying, Lois, but this time it hasn't been easy. I close my eyes and still see that child pleading with me to save her. My mom and dad have tried to help, but I guess it's something I'm going to have to get through. I think I've found a way as Superman that can benefit some children - a charity benefit. I've been soliciting several sponsors who will match all donations raised. It's the least I can do for little Jessie. That was her name. It's set to open tomorrow night."

"Oh..."

"I want to help sponsor a special pediatric trauma center. I've never done a charity event like this before. It's quite an undertaking."

"It sounds wonderful. Is that why you haven't been around much lately?"

"Yeah." He took another drink of his wine. "Frankly, I was too scared to come around after the other night and..." Suddenly Clark straightened up and held his hand out to Lois. "Come on, let's go play on the swings!"

Lois thought it was an odd request coming from him now, considering the topic they had been discussing, but then again, it could be his way of avoiding the conversation.

Clark gulped as he suddenly realized that they had been in a park when he and Lois had lunch in a few days before. And he had invited her to go swinging then also. What was he thinking? It had been as Clark, instead of Kal. Good grief, he was confusing his two personalities. Now that he and Lois were becoming closer, it was getting harder to remember what he'd said and done with her in each personality. Being distracted by the fundraiser wasn't helping him either.

"Um, we don't have to," Clark balked, reaching for the bottle of wine once more. "I guess I'm still embarrassed about kissing you the other night when we were supposed to have been sleeping."

Stuffing away any disturbing thoughts, she patted his leg awkwardly and gulped the rest of her wine. "No, come on. It might make it easier to talk about if we're doing something mindless."

Lois took his hand and was very aware that he still held it as they walked towards the swing set. She sat down on a swing and stuck her fuzzy slipper-covered feet straight out in front of her. "Push me," she commanded.

After stepping back a couple feet, he placed his hands on the chains and gave her a light shove. Lois swung back and forth a couple times, then leaned her head back and smiled up at him. "You can do better than that," she commanded. "Higher."

In order to comply with her wishes, Clark needed something firmer to push rather than flexible chains and the only thing more solid was Lois. He pushed lightly against her waist, sending her a bit higher than before.

Her stomach dipped and swirled, and she was aghast to realize that it wasn't from the motion of the swing but from the touch of Kal's hands on her body. No! This wasn't the way it was supposed to be!

In self-defense, she ground her feet into the dirt, coming to a halt. Dirt covered her fuzzy slippers, and she frowned upon feeling the grit trickle down inside.

Lois pointed to the swing next to her, motioning for him to sit. "Tell me what this is all about, I mean, really about." She gestured around at the park and the picnic blanket and waited expectantly.

Clark sat down next to her, his cape dragging in the dirt behind him and began to move nervously back and forth. "I'm really sorry about the other night."

"You left so quickly. Kal, and I was hurt that you didn't feel that you could stay. I mean, after all we've been through, I thought our friendship could handle anything."

"It was shocking to wake up and realize I was kissing you. I panicked." He paused, then tried to plow forward. "There's a reason I got confused and kissed you."

"You don't have to be embarrassed, Kal. I know you were dreaming about that woman you had mentioned the other night. Isn't that right?" she asked, hoping to quash her confusion with a bit of reality.

"Um, yeah. I guess you can say that," he replied hesitantly.

"Stuff happens, you know, and we can't always control our dreams, so let's forget about it," she answered, her feelings contrary to her words.

"Is that what you want to do, Lois? Forget about it?"

She couldn't answer him right away. Of course, she had to forget about the way she had felt when his mouth plundered hers so sweetly and the feel of his hard muscles beneath his suit. Of course, she had to forget the security and comfort of his embrace in the middle of the night, and the tendrils of something more lapping at her heartstrings.

She was in love with Clark, only Clark. That was the way it had to be.

"It's probably for the best. No hard feelings?" She stuck her hand out towards him.

Clark sighed inwardly as he grabbed her hand. Maybe Lois wasn't ready for their relationship to change. It sounded like she still wasn't ready to consider anything more between them. When he had brought Lois here tonight, he hoped that he could test the waters between them to determine if she was ready for the truth. Yet - as their hands swung easily between them - he couldn't resist touching her, in any capacity.

"No hard feelings," he agreed, but decided to press on. "But I was wondering, maybe it's time you knew the truth about me. Like what I do for a living, my real name, where I grew up. It's been almost a year since we met. I'd like to think that we're past the skittish stage."

"Wow, has it almost been a year? That's so hard to believe." She began to swing easily, moving back and forth with her feet still on the ground. He moved with her in unison, their clasped hands stretched out between them.

"Yep. In four days, it will be one year."

Lois swallowed hard and made a decision. If she had a deadline to work with, she could have everything sorted out and placed in their proper boxes. The Kerth dinner was coming up very quickly, and hopefully, she and Clark would have sealed their relationship. If all went well, she planned on telling him that she loved him. Big decision, she realized, but nothing that she hadn't known for quite some time.

Maybe by then, she would have gained perspective on her and Kal's friendship. She would know the details of his life, perhaps even meet the woman he was in love with, and these weird feelings would go away.

"Our anniversary. What do you think about the idea of going back to the stoop where we first met and you telling me the details of your life? It can be a first annual tradition for us. No matter where we are or what we're doing in life, we'll always meet on those steps. What do you say?"

Clark smiled. It was perfect. "I'll bring the Chinese."

"Little bamboo containers?"

"Yep."

"Wear those black clothes and knitted cap?"

"If you want."

"Can we fly and greet the sunrise?"

"If you're still speaking to me," Clark blurted.

Lois gave him a questioning glare. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing much. I just hope you're not disappointed when you find out my real identity." He turned her hand over and kissed her palm lightly, trying to send her a clue. "It's time you found out."

The tingle racing up her arm left her speechless, as well as Kal's boldness. Suddenly she was scared. Kal might not be as easy to let go as she first thought.

Clark hopped off the swing feeling lighter and freer than he had in a long time. He was going to tell Lois the truth, and in spite of the consequences, he knew he was doing the right thing. Four days. He had four days to prepare Lois for the truth. By the stunned look on her face and the race of her heartbeat from his tiny kiss on her hand, their date on the steps was probably the perfect time to tell her.

"Come on. Let's finish the wine."

Lois slumped in the swing and stared at his retreating figure, his cape swishing behind him. Nope! Kal wasn't going to finish that wine without her. She jumped up and raced after him, limping slightly because of the pebbles and dirt in her slippers.

"You just wait a minute, mister! No fair hogging the wine!"

Clark stopped and waited for Lois, a new plan budding in his mind. Somehow, he'd have to drop a hint here and there that he was Clark, and hope - no, pray hard - that she'd start putting two and two together. He had four days until they met on their steps. Four days...

He sighed nervously and offered Lois his arm.

******