Band of Blue TOCChapter 32Clark waited with baited breath. The two seconds it took Lois to react were the longest in his entire life. He’d wrestled with the decision to tell her throughout the cab journey, changing his mind from one moment to the next. It had seemed so clear back in the barn a few hours ago. He’d known it was right to tell her the moment he’d made the decision. But that was before Reeves Dam; before the fortress and his bargain with Jor-El. He meant to go back to the fortress, he truly did. But leaving Lois’s side was so hard, especially when she was hurt. And now that her touch was interfering with Jor-El’s call he couldn’t bear to say goodbye. Anyway, if he wanted to be able to come back to civilisation after seven years he needed to leave legitimately rather than just disappear. He needed to hand in a resignation or a request for ‘time off’ at work. He needed to let his family and friends know why he would be missing for so long. He needed to know that Lois would understand and that she would wait for him. Which is one reason why he finally decided to tell her ... and now he was waiting.
A smile appeared on her face instantly and lit up her eyes. She ran to him and leapt into his arms at such a speed that he toppled backwards. Thankfully the couch was behind and he ended up sinking into the soft cushions; Lois entangled with him. He looked up into her eyes and she lowered her head giving him the sweetest, most loving kiss he’d ever experienced. He brought his hand up into her hair and gripped tightly; never wanting to let go. He immediately began assaulting her mouth with his own, tasting every sweet molecule.
Coming up for breath after a few minutes Clark noticed a shadow cast over Lois’s eyes.
“We should probably talk about this, Clark.” He nodded. “I mean, what does it mean ... for us? How do we go forward from here?” She pushed herself up and sat next to him. He sat up himself and turned to look at her.
“Whatever you want Lois. This is probably a huge shock for you.” He looked deep into her eyes and saw no flicker of agreement at his statement. “This isn’t a shock,” Clark realised. When Lois didn’t speak again, just flicked her eyes away for a second he knew he was right. “You ...”
She held up her finger and pushed it to his lips. Looking at him very seriously she let a small smile come to her lips. “You need to be more careful with the bullets you stop.”
“Bullets?” he frowned. She reached down and into her coat pocket, drawing out a misshapen piece of metal.
“I found this in the alleyway where you saved me. It was the first day we were partners. I recognised the distortion, it matches the other bullet that Superman ... you ... stopped. That, plus a few other crazy-ass coincidences, helped me to figure it out.”
Clark, feeling a little embarrassed, looked away and asked, nervously. “How long?”
“About four weeks.” She spoke quietly. “It was soon after my Dad’s heart attack.”
“But that means you knew on our date?” Clark looked at her, surprised. “I thought ...”
“You thought I shut you out because I wanted Superman. I know you thought that. And you were right, but not in the way you think. I ... I worried that it would be too complicated.”
“So what made you change your mind?”
“I can’t help but love you.” She spoke from her heart and Clark was overwhelmed with emotion. He leaned in to kiss her and began unbuttoning her coat. She never let their lips part while she shrugged out of the red, woollen jacket. When her arms were free she brought them up to his neck and deepened the kiss. He reached out with his hands to grasp her arms and then he remembered her blouse. Pulling back from her he dropped his gaze to her blouse and recalled the horror of his actions earlier this evening. It was hard to believe it was only a few hours ago.
“It’s ok Clark.” She put her hands on either side of his head and made him look her in the eyes.
“Lois,” he took a deep breath, “there is an explanation for my actions earlier. There are things you need to know about me.”
“I know you are an alien, you told me in the Superman interview. It doesn’t change how I feel.”
He smiled in relief. “There’s more.” He knew she would need to understand about Kryptonite but it was also time to tell her about the fortress and his bargain with his father. She cut him off before he could start to explain.
“Clark,” she took her hands off his face and moved them to the two buttons on her blouse. Unbuttoning them as she looked at him he felt his breath catch. “It can wait.”
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He woke to absolute blackness.
What’s going on? Where am I? He felt something in his arm but as it was pitch black he didn’t know what it was. Feeling around he found what seemed to be a needle. He tugged on it, gently, and it slid out.
Good job I’m a Paramedic or I don’t think I would have been able to cope with that otherwise. Using his fingers to investigate further he found that the needle was attached to a line. In the dark he tracked the line back to a hole in the wall. Slamming his palm against the wall in frustration he realised it was metal; cool metal. He felt along until he came to a corner and then continued round. After less than a minute he had made it round four turns meaning he was back at the start.
I’m in a cell. A dark, metal, holding cell. Why? Is this to do with the blackouts I’ve been having? He gulped. I know I suspected that I was doing some ... bad ... things but ... No, this isn’t fair. He started pounding on the wall and shouting. “Help, anyone out there? Help. Can you hear me?”
He continued pounding and felt a rage and frustration start to build. “Help.”
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Laying in Lois’s bed with her asleep in his arms Clark thought he had never been happier. It was so hard to say the words he knew must come.
“I have to leave.” He spoke softly, tentatively; wondering what her response would be.
“Leave?” She propped herself up on an elbow to look at him. He turned his head to face her.
“I made a bargain with my father that I would train with him for seven years. I have to return to him soon.” He lifted a hand to Lois’s cheek and felt his heart breaking again. He frowned in frustration. “I should tell you more about where I come from.”
“Krypton?” asked Lois.
“Yes.” Clark turned away and climbed out of the bed, striding over to the window. He stood there watching the dark sky begin to lighten with the morning sun. “I gave the impression in my interview that I had just got here but that’s not true. My parents sent me here as a baby. Krypton exploded and they saved me by sending me here. My human parents found me and raised me as theirs. I only recently found out the truth of my heritage ... when my powers suddenly developed. I also discovered that the meteor rocks which litter the landscape in my home town are pieces of that destroyed planet.” He turned and looked back at Lois. She was sitting in the centre of the bed, listening intently.
He took a deep breath and began again. “Green Kryptonite weakens me, terribly. Blue Kryptonite makes me human and takes away my powers. And Red Kryptonite ...” he turned away again. “Well you saw the effects of that last night.”
He heard the bed springs moving as Lois climbed off. “That was Red Kryptonite?” She paused. “The ring you were wearing?”
He nodded. “It makes me lose my inhibitions. Not in the way alcohol would. I have no desire to hold back on my ... desires ... wants. I just do what I want; take what I want.” He felt a touch on his back and he turned to find Lois right behind. “Can you forgive me?”
“Of course I can,” she replied and lifted up on her tiptoes to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her and felt a return of the desire that had overwhelmed them both numerous times in the night. He had to fight to get in control but he managed it and pulled away from her.
“After the dance last night I was called to Reeves Dam to help put a stop to a dangerous experiment that Lex was involved in. Before arriving there our surveillance showed some worrying data so I went to visit my father.” Lois stepped back and frowned.
“Father, how ...”
“He exists as an AI consciousness in a piece of Krypton created at the North Pole.”
Lois shook her head. “Whoa. Hold it there buster. This is getting seriously Science Fiction now.”
“And it wasn’t before?” Clark asked incredulously.
“Hmm,” she chuckled. “I guess so.”
“Anyway, he revealed to me that Lex was possessed by a Kryptonian criminal named General Zod but the price for helping me to defeat him was to train with him, in the fortress, for seven years. He wants me to train to become a better hero, to embrace my destiny as the protector of the Earth.”
“But you are already a hero. You already protect us all,” she shook her head, unable to understand.
“That’s what I’ve already told him but he won’t listen.” Clark shouted a little in frustration. “Anyway, I made a bargain and now I have to leave. I’m going to hand in my notice at work and quickly visit some family and friends, but then ...” He paused. A hitch in his voice stopped him from speaking for a moment. “Then, you won’t see me again.”
Clark watched as silent tears spilled from Lois’s eyes and ran down her cheeks. “This is why,” she sobbed. “This is why I shut you out. Why I tried to stay a friend. Why I resisted for so long.” She turned away. “I knew you would break my heart.”
Clark sped to be standing in front of her again. “I never wanted to. Lois, I will be thinking of you every second I’m gone. Will you wait for me?” She raised her head to look at him. “I know I shouldn’t ask that of you and you can say no but I want you to know how I feel, how much I love you.”
She nodded imperceptibly. Clark wondered if that was her answer or not. “If you are willing to wait for me then I have another question to ask.” Knowing he had to do this right, there was only one chance to capture her heart and hold onto it for seven years without contact, he fell to one knee.
“Lois Lane, will you marry me?”
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