Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic Strangers V - Kissing Friends - Final part 2

Sorry guys!! ISP was burping then I couldn't get back on the net. :grumblehusbandsgrumble:

Here's the happily ever after part!!

*****

The night was still and the moon was bright as Clark watched the stars above the buildings. He'd been waiting for a couple of hours now and was hoping against hope that she would show. It had been all he could do to give her the space that she needed and he seriously doubted that twenty-four hours would be enough time for her to process the information that Kal equaled Clark Kent.

He was having a bit of trouble knowing that Lois was ready to ditch the relationship with him as Clark in favor of Kal. That lasted for about an hour before he'd reconciled it in his mind. His mother had been quick to point out that Lois had been so torn up about her feelings for both of his guises – it had not been easy for her to reconcile that she was in love with Superman when she was very much in love with Clark. Lois clearly loved him in both his identities. There was no mistaking that she had been visibly upset last night at the fund-raiser.

Heck, he was still struggling to reconcile himself to the fact that Lois finally knew about both his identities and that even before that she had loved both of them. He winced as he thought of how visibly upset she had been the night of the fund-raiser, it had been all his fault for letting her think for so long that he was two different men.

So he had reconciled those doubts, and here he sat, waiting as more fears popped into his head. Now, he had doubts that she'd ever pardon him for all his deception, not with her previous track record with men, or at least her forgiveness would be a very long time coming.

He pulled the hat down on his face as a group of people walked by. They hardly noticed he was there, but their pace quickened as they glanced sideways at him. Smiling in irony, he recalled that just a couple of hours ago, the crowds had once again pressed forward to be near him. What a difference an outfit made.

On the other hand, what a difference a year had made in his life. One year ago tonight he had been ready to leave Metropolis and everything he held dear in his life in order to run away from being discovered. It had taken one small woman to turn his life upside down and set his life on a path that would make a difference in the world.

A tear slid down his face as overwhelming love for Lois filled his heart. No, he would never be the same again, not after meeting and falling in love with Lois Lane.

A taxi pulled up a few feet from the curb and a slim figure got out, arguing about the price of the fare with the driver. Finally, she tossed some bills in the cab and slammed the door, grumbling the whole time.

He rocked back on the palms of his hands and watched her every step as she approached, holding his breath in anticipation.

"Nice hat, stranger," Lois stated as she sat down next to him. "So, who are you, Kal or Clark?"

"I don't know. Who do you want me to be?" Clark asked apologetically, thinking Lois wasn't about to spare him any slack.

"I don't care what your name is or what you do for a living. I don't care if you're a superhero in tights, or a reporter in tasteless ties. I'm simply tired of being confused. I just want the man I love."

Totally disarmed, Clark turned to her. "I don't understand.. I thought you'd be mad and wouldn't show up here tonight."

"If I were still mad, I wouldn't be here," Lois said calmly, rather too calmly for Clark's state of mind.

"For your information, this is Kal, your best friend, and Clark, your partner who loves you more than words can express. Lois, I've wanted to tell you for so long, but so many things seemed to stand in the way. The night after the rescue from the warehouse, I did tell you who I was, but..."

"Yeah, I know. I fell asleep."

"Um, yeah. But then there was the time when I offered you my wallet to show you my real identity and..."

"I gave it back to you and made that stupid bet. Go on, you're not finished groveling yet."

Clark smiled to himself, then continued. "The nights we spent in the honeymoon suite, I wanted to tell you then, but..."

"I wasn't ready to hear any love declarations. I was still too scared of my own shadow."

"Are you going to let me take the blame for anything here? Give a guy a break!"

Tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm trying, Clark. In the past twenty-four hours, I've been mad and frustrated, confused and scared looking back on our history. I can doubt myself, our strange circumstances and even our future, but what I can never doubt is how you've stuck by me through thick and thin in the past year. For crying out loud, I broke up with you, and you still stayed my friend, even though I put my career ahead of our relationship. You've nursed me through my fears, stayed in the background while I've built up my professional reputation and have shown me respect in front of my peers. You've been there as my best friend and never asked for anything in return. Kal... Clark, whoever you are, I love you and need you in my life. Both of you. Do you still want me?"

"Still want you?" Clark choked back. "I don't know how you can even stand to be around me. I've lied to you about who I was, broken my promise to you, made you believe I was two different people and even let you think I was in love with someone else. I don't think..."

"That's the problem. You're thinking too much. Stop arguing with me and just accept the fact that you're forgiven. I may make you pay a bit later, but damn it! I love you."

"Lois..." Clark croaked, not believing her forgiveness had come so quickly. "I love you, too."

"Your outfit's perfect." Lois grazed her fingertips over the black cotton of his sweater. "This is the man I fell in love with. Not quite Clark and not quite Superman. This is you." She lifted her face and finally met his eyes "I don't care if you have hat hair, glasses or insecurities, I love you."

Feeling that he was finally able to touch her without her screaming at him, he reached for her hand. "You keep saying that – something about you loving me."

"Uh, huh. So what are you going to do about it?" she challenged, moving a bit closer.

Clark leaned in, his mouth close to her lips. "I think..."

"Think what?"

"I think I'm going to take you flying."

With a squeal from Lois, Clark scooped her up in his arms, and in an instant, they were flying above the city. Lois pressed her face against his sweater until they had slowed down to a reasonable speed.

"Wow! I can never get over how beautiful the city is from up here. Absolutely breathtaking!" she exclaimed once she'd caught her breath.

"Just what I was thinking," Clark answered, his voice low with emotion. "*You* are breathtaking."

Lois ducked her head in embarrassment, then leaned her head sideways against his shoulder to gaze into his eyes.

"Are we really okay?" Clark asked, his arms tightening ever so slightly around her.

Lois nodded as she reached up to touch his face. Her thumb smoothed his cheekbone in quiet exploration as she studied his features. Her hand wound its way around to the back of his neck, and she played with the hair peeking from under his knit cap.

"Yeah, we're okay. More than okay, in fact." Her fingers wriggled under the band of his hat, causing Clark to drop a few feet in altitude.

Clark smiled wistfully at the woman in his arms. "I can't believe you know everything after all this time. Is it safe to kiss you?"

Lois moved her hand from the back of his neck and dragged a thumb across his lower lip. "Let's just say it'll be a lot more hazardous if you *don't* kiss me, stranger."

That was all the invitation Clark needed. He closed the space between their lips and met hers soundly. The outside world faded as the fireworks in their hearts replaced the stars in the sky.

Their kiss was interrupted when Lois shrieked. Clark's eyes flew open to see the bay only a couple feet away from his face. Their passion had caused him to drop several hundred feet in the air, and now Lois' feet were dipping in the water.

"Kal-ark!" she yelled, pounding him on the back.

Clark pulled away and grinned at her. "Kal-ark? I think I like 'stranger' better, or 'hey you', or..."

"Okay, okay! We'll decide on what I'll call you later. Let's just get my feet out the bay before my shoes are ruined."

"Only if I can collect my bet."

Lois drew back and looked at him. "Your bet?"

"Yeah, I won, remember? You never recognized me. You lost; I won."

Lois mouth dropped open in surprise. He was right. Technically, he had won the bet. Then she smiled, "Well, what do you have in mind, flyboy?"

Clark floated them up to the sky slowly. "How about a trip to find the sunrise and then, who knows where we'll go?"

Lois snuggled against his chest. "Sounds perfect, stranger. I'm ready for anything, as long as it's with you."

"If that's the case, then how about this?" Clark tilted his head down and kissed her lips softly, his kiss slow and unrushed in its thoughtfulness. Her arms tightened around his neck in response as her soul reveled in the love she had found at last. Their lips clung sweetly together before finally pulling away, and the couple flew upward into the night in search of a new tomorrow.

THE END... or not!