Sue...awesome...awesome...awesome! You have the ability to render us powerless under the spell of your stries. How do you do that?
Anyway without further delay...here's my take...
"How could this happen?" she finally asked, nervously pulling her hand away from the hem of his shirt.
"I don't know. I don't think it was Kryptonite. That always makes me sick. This was just..." He shrugged helplessly. "One minute I was fine and the next I wasn't."
"Was it something in the truck?"
"No. I could see outside. I could hear them talking in the cab. I had my powers until we got out of the truck. And then, all of a sudden, I couldn't fly or do anything."
So what exactly was it that cost Clark his powers? What was in the dirt?
"I left your jacket at the mine," Lois said ruefully. It hurt too much to try and hug herself for warmth and she was exhausted from the pain.
"I'll just run back and get it for you," he answered.
She left out a soft snort. "Thanks. I'll wait here."
They listened to the breeze for a few minutes and then Lois said, "Hey, Clark? Those big round cactuses?"
"Cacti," he muttered.
She rolled her eyes and kept talking. "Couldn't we break one open with a rock and get water?"
"No." He shifted, stretching his injured leg out in front of him carefully.
They're trying to make their horrible situation light. He's even editing her copy...still.
Clark worked the cape free of his Suit and wished he had thought of the idea sooner. He draped the cape over her knees. "Take this."
"What about you?"
"I'm fine," he lied.
"I can hear your teeth chattering. We should share."
"All right." Clark had been hoping she would suggest it. She might be upset with him, but shared body heat was one way to ensure that she lived to make his life miserable later. He moved closer to her and pulled a corner of the cape across his lap.
"This isn't going to work," Lois said in frustration as his movements pulled the cape away from her. "Can we lie down? Or would that hurt too much for you?"
"No, that's fine."
Even injured, Clark is still trying to take care of Lois. But she knows that hr is being a lot nobler than he probably should be right now because he is just as hurt as she is.
"Is it so bad, being adored by the whole world?"
"Not everyone adores me."
"I did."
He felt a pang at her use of the past tense. "I know you did."
She heard the longing in his voice and added, "I still do, you know. Actually, it's somehow more heroic to know that Superman is a regular guy than this flawless god who flies around in tights."
"Flawless?"
She rolled her eyes, hearing the smile in his tone. "Well, he did have a few flaws, but those were mostly due to his inability to commit to me."
His hand reached over and found hers. "He was committed to you, Lois. He just didn't know how to tell you."
Okay, some feelings are expressed here. They are both wanting to relay that there is more to their friendship than just friendship. It's all just so complicated. It's almost as if one wants the other to know how he feel just in case they don't make it out. Lois is now admitting that she actually wanted to date Clark.
Deeply exhausted, she took a step back to lean against the rock. Only Clark was still there and it threw her off-balance when she bumped into him. She staggered to the side but caught her, pulling and turning her at the same time until she was safe against him. Lois closed her eyes and sagged gratefully against the warmth of him, forgetting for a moment that he was shirtless and she was wearing nothing on top but a lacy black bra and one of Superman's pant legs.
After a few seconds it occurred to her that she was wearing only those items and she pushed away from him to pick up her shirt.
"Sorry," she told him. "I, uh, I guess I should get dressed now."
Clark's cheeks grew heated. "I wasn't trying to..."
"I know," she cut in. "Neither was I."
They were both getting comfort and strength from each other...almost like recharging. It was an expression of love, just not sexual.
"Are you cold?" he asked as worry flickered through him. Then he told himself not to worry. It was cool in the canyon. She wasn't feverish, it was the shade.
"Yeah, a little."
"Me, too," he said, even though he really wasn't all that cold anymore. He gave her the cape and then sat down on her right side. "We'll rest here today," he said and she nodded. "We'll get hydrated and then we can finish walking out of here tonight. I think if I can lay in the sunshine today, it might help. I get my strength from the sun and it did seem to help yesterday. I could barely breathe when we left the mine, but I felt a lot better after a few hours in the sun."
Almost as if there was a silent truce, they're now being totally honest and open with each other.
Clark hadn't been much better off, he had been barely conscious and had asked repeatedly about how his wife was doing.
Clark's last dying concern was for Lois...because he loves her more than he loves himself. Even thought this is an incidental marriage, he has taken his vows to another level.
Thank you Sue for another fantastic chapter. Hurry back with more.
