Thanks to those of you who have taken the time to provide feedback thus far. I promise to respond to your comments soon. In the meantime, I hope this new chapter will suffice.
Missing, Part IV
Clark landed on his balcony just before dawn. He entered through the window and headed to the bathroom for a much needed shower when he was stopped short by a familiar sound. Surprised by its proximity, he swiftly changed into his regular clothes and crept silently into the living room.
In the dim light, he feasted his eyes upon the sleeping form of his partner and best friend. It was apparent that she had fallen asleep unintentionally, as she was lying awkwardly on the couch surrounded by papers. He approached her quietly, wondering why she had chosen to stay in his apartment. Had her family outing gone badly? Had someone threatened her? As he moved closer, he noticed that dried tears stained her cheeks. His heart ached for her, and he cursed himself for not being there when she needed him.
Careful not to wake her, he removed the papers from her hands and stacked them neatly on the table. Why had she been going through her old story files? Was she in danger?
Lois moaned in her sleep and settled herself more fully on the sofa. Drawn to her, Clark perched himself on the edge of the couch and took a moment to study her beloved features. Lois was disheveled, having clearly upset herself the point of exhaustion. She was also hauntingly beautiful, and he couldn’t stop himself from reaching out to cup her cheek. He loved this woman with every fiber of his being—her passion, her brilliance, her wit, her stubbornness, and the stark vulnerability that she rarely displayed to anyone. He was overcome with a desire to protect her and alleviate her pain. He knew that she was more than capable of taking care of herself, but he didn’t want her to have to shoulder her burdens alone. He wanted to be her partner in every sense of the word.
As his thumb gently wiped away the traces of her tears, she nestled herself more fully against his hand and whimpered softly.
“It’s alright, Lois,” he whispered. “I’m here.”
His voice and his touch brought her more fully to consciousness, and she sleepily murmured, “Clark?”
“I’m here,” he reassured her. “Go back to sleep.”
Despite his gentle command, her eyes flew open, and she launched herself into his arms. “Clark! Oh, Clark, I’ve been so worried.”
“Shh, Lois,” he cooed, trying to calm her with his voice and with his arms even as he wondered what had happened to upset her so. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
Lois pulled back to look at him, framing his face with her hands. She opened her mouth to speak, but seemingly thought better of it. Instead, Clark caught a glimpse of the famous Lane determination in her eyes just before her lips crashed down upon his.
Shocked by the move, he didn’t respond at first. Undeterred, Lois slid her hands into his hair and teased his bottom lip with her tongue until he managed to follow her cues. His lips parted under her sweet sensory assault, and his first true taste of her sent waves of desire cascading through his body.
Their kiss deepened immediately, as their tongues engaged in a sensuous game of rhythmic stroking. He could feel her delicate fingers teasing him as they skimmed lightly across his neck and shoulders. His own hands became more active, seeking to map out every hollow and rise on the plane of her back while drawing her closer still.
He was so attuned to her that he swore that he could feel the emotions that swirled within her and spurred her to action. Her passionate joy was tempered by a fear he could not name, but he could sense her heart opening to him. Her trust was a precious gift, and he tried with each touch to communicate the depth of his love for her.
Soon, she he found himself being pulled down to settle on top of the woman he loved. Her hands crept beneath his shirt and began to caress the bare skin of his back. He swung his legs upward to rest on the couch beside her, and she began sliding her foot against his calves provocatively.
Clark sensed the urgency rising within her, and it provided fuel for his own desires. He couldn’t believe that he finally had the chance to express his love for her openly.
“Lois,” he murmured against her mouth.
“Clark,” she responded between kisses. “Where have you been?”
He raised his head slightly to look at her. “Lois, I’m sorry I wasn’t here for you last night. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“Last night?” she asked, pulling away in surprise. “Clark, you’ve been gone for a day and a half.”
“What?” Shocked by her assertion, Clark moved himself into a sitting position. Had he really lost track of time? The rescue had been so intense that he hadn’t had a single moment to relax. If he had missed work without leaving her a message….
“Did someone knock you out, Clark?” she asked, running her hands over his head to search for evidence of trauma.
To his horror, he realized that he had been the cause of her pain. Looking into her eyes so full of concern, he realized that he needed to tell her everything. “No, Lois. I was in the Philippines.”
“With Superman? But, why didn’t you leave me a message?”
Taking her hands in his, he told her simply, “Lois, I wasn’t with Superman. I am Superman.”
Her eyes widening in surprise, Lois rose swiftly from the couch and moved toward the telephone.
“What are you doing, Lois?”
“I’m calling an ambulance.”
“You’re what?”
“You clearly have another head injury, Clark. I’m not taking any chances,” she told him, placing the receiver against her ear and dialing 911.
Moving at high speed, he removed the receiver from her hand, disconnected the call before she could finish dialing, and turned her to face him. Her face registered shock followed by recognition as she struggled to process the new information.
“I’m Superman, Lois,” he confirmed gently. “I’m so sorry I worried you.”
“Worried me?” she repeated defiantly. “You didn’t just worry me. I had half the city out looking for you, Clark. I was convinced that Baby Rage had made good on his threat or that you had followed up on some lead without me and gotten yourself kidnapped or worse. I wasn’t worried…I was terrified.” Her bravado crumbling, she continued in a softer voice, “You always call me, Clark. You always leave a message for me when you disappear, but there wasn’t a word from you.”
His heart went out to her. “I’m so sorry. I lost track of time, Lois. Believe me, if…”
“You lost track of time? What kind of excuse is that? Oh, but I guess you just expect us to buy all of your stupid excuses. I’m surprised you didn’t just say that you were returning a video. I can’t believe that I was stupid enough to care.”
“Lois, listen to me. This rescue was a bad one. I was just beginning to help the earthquake victims when the waters from the tsunami came rushing in. All I could hear was a chorus of voices begging for help. There were so many people…so many children. I went from rescue to rescue, trying to save them all. But I couldn’t, Lois. I couldn’t."
His voice cracked as he continued, "Every time I chose to save one person, I had to let another go. There was a mother who begged me to save her baby and her two young sons. I got them to safety and came back for her, but she had already drowned. Those three children are orphans because I couldn’t save her.”
As he became lost in the story, he felt Lois wrap her arms around him as she whispered, “No, Clark, don’t think that way.”
The vibration of her voice echoing through his chest brought his attention back to her.
With tears in his eyes, he told her adamantly, “Lois, I swear that if I had known that I was hurting you, I would have found a way to contact you. It kills me to know that I failed you, too.”
“You didn’t fail me, and you didn’t fail them. How many more people would have died without your help?”
“It doesn’t matter,” he replied bleakly.
“It does matter,” she responded fiercely. “You matter, Clark. I just wish I had known so that I could have helped you. Why didn’t you tell me?”
He shook his head as he tried to formulate an answer that would make sense to her. “It’s a long story. Would you like to sit down?”
She nodded, and he led her to sit beside him on the couch. “From the first moment we met, I was drawn to you with such a force that it took my breath away. I found myself imagining what it would be like to be able to share everything with you, but I knew that it was too soon.”
“You mean because I treated you like dirt and became infatuated with your alter ego?” she asked wryly.
He smiled. “That and the fact that I would have been a fool to hand over even a hint of a story to the best reporter in the city.”
“Quit stroking my ego, Kent. I still want the story even though it will never be published.”
“I lost that fear a long time ago,” he reassured her gently. “You are my best friend, and I trust you completely.”
“Not completely, Clark, or you would have told me your secret.”
“You’re right,” he conceded. Taking a deep breath, he plunged forward. “The truth is that I didn’t trust you to love me the way that I love you.”
Lois sat silently for a moment, her face unreadable. Finally, she asked, “And how do you love me?”
Not expecting that response, he sputtered, “You want me to describe it?”
“You are a writer, Farmboy,” she told him, her lips curling into a smile.
“Um, okay, but don’t edit my copy.”
“Stop procrastinating, Clark,” she commanded.
He smiled at her impatience. That’s my girl.
“At first, my love was an intense attraction. Actually, it was more like a memory or a strong feeling of belonging that surged through me whenever you were near. This connection I felt with you allowed me to survive your Mad Dog persona in the early days of our partnership. I knew you weren’t happy to be paired with me, but you kept leaving me these intriguing clues about the real woman behind the façade.”
Taking a moment to glance at her, he was rewarded with a shy smile.
Buoyed by her reaction, he continued, “Later, when you unexpectedly revealed a glimpse of that tender heart of yours by telling me about your broken rules, I was lost. I can’t even begin to tell you what you did to me when you kissed me on the plane or performed the Dance of the Seven Veils in my living room.”
Risking another peek at her, he saw a mixture of pleasure and embarrassment in her expression. He couldn’t hold back now—she deserved to know everything.
“With every day that has passed since the moment we met, my love for you has only deepened. Lois, I admire your strength, your courage, your fire, and your steadfast loyalty, and, as exasperating as you can be at times, I intend to go right on loving you for the rest of my life.”
Lois ducked her head, effectively shielding her face from view as she mumbled, “I see.”
Clark scrambled to put them on safer ground. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, Lois. If all you want is friendship, I can give you that. I….”
“Clark, you are an idiot,” Lois interrupted.
“What?”
She tilted his chin to look at her. “Why do you think I’ve been so frantic over your disappearance? Why do you think I kissed you just a few minutes ago? I’m in love with you, Clark. I have been for a long time.”
“But, you said you didn’t love me like that.”
“I was just as scared as you were, Clark. You think I didn’t feel that connection between us? It took me a little longer to recognize it, but I suspect that’s why I opened up to you almost from the beginning. I’ve never allowed anyone to get this close to me, and I was afraid to try for anything more than friendship.”
“And now?”
“We have a lot to work through, Clark, and I reserve the right to be angry from time to time. Right now, though, I’m exhausted, and all I want to do is this.” Lois wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his decisively. Clark responded immediately, matching her enthusiasm and deepening the kiss.
After a few moments, his mouth left hers to plant kisses along her jaw. He heard her moan as traced the shell of her ear with his tongue, and he whispered her name in response.
Yearning to get closer, he tightened his arms around her and pulled her firmly against him. Lois urged him onto his back as they resumed their explorations from earlier in the evening.
He was mentally debating about exactly how far they should go when Lois’ cell phone interrupted them.
“Don’t answer it,” he implored her between kisses.
“I would much rather continue kissing you,” she murmured against his lips, “but I need to get this.”
He reluctantly let her slip from his grasp, and he closed his eyes as her warmth left him. He loved her, and, miracle of all miracles, she loved him back. His body was pleading with him to throw her phone away and make love to her right now, but his better nature was glad for the interruption.
He didn't want the emotion of the night to carry them too far, too fast. She had been hurt before, and he wanted to her to feel secure in his love before proceeding any further. He had taken a crazy chance in stating his long-range intentions so openly, but the truths he had held so close to the vest all escaped of their own accord once he had loosened his grip.
He opened his eyes to drink in the sight of her, and he smiled at her animated intensity. She was in the midst of concocting an excuse for his absence, and he couldn't help but admire her quick thinking. So many times in the past, he had been mesmerized by her elegant leaps of logic, and he found himself wishing that she would relieve him of the burden of his secret. Today, with no secrets between them, they were on the cusp of a new relationship. Giddy at the prospect, he smiled at the woman he loved and silently promised to take care of her no matter what life had in store for them.
