I totally wasn't expecting this part. ANY of it!
You surprised me, left and right. /BTW: I didn't notice any Britishisms, either, but I grew up watching Canadian television so it might be ingrained in my DNA./
Firstly, yea! Superman caught Lois. Wasn't expecting that. Although, she probably could use a cool dunk in the water after all her recent work-distracting thoughts about her partner.
Lois lifted her head to look at Superman when she heard the unexpected, and rare, teasing tone, but instead of meeting his eyes she focussed on his neck, directly in her line of sight.
Her mouth dropped open and she completely forgot to answer.
Blue pen.
A short stripe of blue pen, just behind his ear.
Out of sight to anyone.
Total bait and red herring switch and bait again. You got me!
"Just … um … just take me home please … Superman." That final word escaped her lips in a croak. It almost felt a lie, to call him that. In fact it was a lie. It was no more his name than … the name she currently doodled when lost in her dreams.
So, if he isn't Superman, and he isn't Clark... that makes him...
Chuck! /ooops, sorry. Wrong Story. - whistles innocently/
"I …" She swallowed in nervousness. "Superman …" There was that name again. "Home."
My mistake. Superman's real name is "James" and he's a chauffeur. (As in "Home, James." )
Actually, on second thought, "James" is a GREAT name for Superman, because of all the interruptions he causes between Lois and Clark...
When she'd slipped he'd almost screamed in horror. Reaching her 'just in time' was another thing that seemed to have become a habit for him, just like 'checking up' on her.
So, she would have been a little soaked in the cold water.
It would've done her some good. Love Clark's habits.
She slipped so easily into his arms. The crook of his elbow cradled the back of her knees. His other arm supported her back. She slid her arms around his neck. It was all so familiar. It was the feeling he liked to recall at night, when alone in his apartment. Being allowed to hold her close was such a gift. He cherished every time. Oh, he held her as Clark. They hugged often. But there was something about this particular position. It meant so much more. It meant that he was her hero. It meant that she trusted him. It meant that her mouth was only inches from his. If he turned his head …
I love it. From rescuer, to friend, to hero, to more.
A quiet sniff beside his ear had him slowing again. Was she crying? His pulse increased in concern. Was she hurt. Maybe a ragged piece of wood had slashed her on the way down. Panic began to overtake him. Surely she would have said something if this were the case. Then again, Lois Lane was never one to admit she was a mortal human. Getting her to hospital was a skill all in itself.
Indecision overtook him for a moment. Lois' safety was the most important thing in the world, to him. Well, second actually - her happiness being the first. He needed to take her to the hospital. But he was probably blowing this all out of proportion. All he had heard was one, barely audible, sniff.
Phew! *That* would have been totally embarrassing.
LOIS: Why are we at the hospital, Superman? I told you to take me home.
SUPERMAN: You sniffed.
LOIS: I sniffed? You've got to be kidding me?
He was her best friend. He was her dream. He was her fantasy.
Awwwwww.
She used to weave fantastic stories about Superman declaring his love. She'd briefly relived one when he caught her at the dock. But that was shot down not so very long ago. Instead, she now weaved fantasies that ended in cosy, romantic embraces on a comfy couch. She loved him so much that, sometimes, all that got her through the day, was a desperate hope that Clark would offer to see her home and then kiss her goodnight. Really kiss her.
Awwwww.
He walked her home often enough. But there was never a goodnight kiss.
Now she knew why.
and ummm... does it have to do with her shooting him down in the park last summer and then confessing that she loved his alter-ego?
She'd suspected, many times, that Clark was not interested in her … romantically. Sometimes, something would happen and she'd question that belief. Maybe he did hope for more with her, But then she'd return to that conversation, outside the Daily Planet, where he told her that all he wanted was friendship. Adding into the equation the fact that her best friend had chosen to keep this secret from her … plus that particular evening when Superman rejected her …
Yikes!
Wasn't expecting that turn.
Superman wasn't looking down on us, he lived among us. When he looked down from up here, it was as someone who understood life, lived it, struggled through it, wanted to make life better for everyone, wanted to make the world better. But, he was still set apart - she knew that, she felt it in the way he acted emotionless, aloof, when in the costume. He was separate. He was distant. Flying up here in his arms she knew that he felt … alone. He hadn't chosen to set himself apart, as a god. He was forced to be apart. Forced by his own self-image, his morals, his beliefs and his abilities. They separated him from the very people he lived among. And it explained why he'd never told her his identity.
And now, the idea of being the one female to capture the heart of the Man of Steel ... strangely enough, it seemed even more impossible now. He had no romantic feelings for her. He didn't even want her to know who he was.
But, Lois, he hasn't told ANYONE!
Argh! She can be so frustrating sometimes.
What a great twist!
And definitely not one I've seen before. Totally not expecting it. Can't wait to see what happens at "The Apartment".
