Previously on Seed of Doubt...



Clark rose into the sky and streaked away, just enough to cause a sonic boom to mark his departure. Then, at a slower speed, he circled back to the park. As before, he found a secluded place to change, this time donning his civilian clothes. He had to pass through a section of vendor booths in order to reach the place where he'd left Lois. As he made his way through the crowds, one particular booth caught his eye.

Necklaces of every shape and size hung from display racks or lay nestled within display cases lined with black velvet. The extra lighting in the booth made each of them sparkle and shine. But it was one particular necklace that had drawn his attention. He stopped to take a closer look.

"Can I help you?" the shop owner, an elderly Asian woman, asked.

"I couldn't help but notice this snowflake pendant," Clark said. "How much?"

"Ah! That one is the only one I have. Those are genuine Swarovski crystals. A hundred."

Clark bit his lower lip in thought, the knowledge that Lois was looking for him pressing heavily on his mind and making each second fly by with supersonic speed.

"Can you go any lower?" he asked. "I don't think I even have that much on me."

The lady looked him over, silently appraising him. Clark threw a nervous glance backwards, hoping, for once, not to see Lois approaching. She wasn't. At least, not yet.

"For a certain young lady?" the shop owner asked knowingly.

"Yes," Clark said with a nod. "Our first date is tonight."

The woman smiled. "For young love? I'll take off twenty-five dollars. That's my best offer though."

Clark looked again at the necklace as the woman placed it in his hand. It was the most elegant, stunning snowflake he'd ever seen, the entire thing white and ice blue crystal, with the barest hint of silver holding everything together. It hung from a slender silver chain that he estimated would settle the snowflake just an inch or two above Lois' breasts.

"Take a moment to think about it," the owner urged him as she turned to ring up another man's purchase.


As soon as she took her eyes off him, Clark slid his glasses down and checked the internal structure of the pendant. He was pleased to find it to be of top quality. He pushed his glasses back up, just in time. The owner turned back to him.

"I'll take it," he said.

The woman smiled, took the necklace, and got it boxed up for him. He refused a bag as he counted out money from his wallet, making a mental note to stop at an ATM on the way back to work. Once he was done, he slipped the slender box into the inner pocket of his suit jacket, then pulled his winter coat tighter around himself.

"Thanks," he said, smiling widely.

Lois is going to love this, he thought, already allowing himself to feel pride in the smile he knew he'd elicit from her that night.

He left the booth and continued on his way to meet up with Lois. He found her not far from where Miranda's evil plot had been foiled. She impatiently waved him over. He jogged a little to get to her that much faster, his breath misting in the freezing air with every exhalation.

"Clark! Where have you been?" she asked when he finally reached her side.

He feigned confusion. "Looking for Miranda."

"Superman caught her already. He found her messing with the snow machines. The police arrested her."

"That's great," he said. "Was anyone...affected?"

Lois shook her head. "Thankfully, no. Superman got to her before the machine could start pumping out that witch's brew."

Clark breathed a sigh of relief. "Great."

"I got us the story," she said, waving her notebook for emphasis.

"Then let's go get it written. After all, we have a date to get to tonight," he said with a conspiratorial smile. "And this time, I refuse to miss it."


***


"Here we are," Clark said as they pulled up to Lucia's.

He parked the car behind a small red Chevy. Luckily, this block didn't have meters, so he didn't have to worry about finding quarters. He gave Lois a smile. She looked absolutely stunning in her wine colored dress, which boasted long sleeves but a tastefully plunging neckline. When she had emerged from her bedroom, back in her own apartment, Clark hadn't been able to stop staring or complimenting her.

She'd complimented him as well. He hadn't felt like the charcoal suit was anything special, but Lois had confided in him that she'd always liked him in charcoal. He'd made a silent vow to buy more in that color. Still, Lois' compliments had quelled some of the lingering fears and doubts he'd had, giving him his confidence back.

"Clark, before we go in, I just want to say something," Lois said as he cut the engine off.

"Okay," he said cautiously.

"Thank you."

That surprised him. "For what?"

"For giving this a chance, even after...everything. For not getting mad when I suggested Lucia's instead of Chez Reynaldo's. A lot of guys are too insecure to allow the woman to make any kind of demands on the first date. Especially when they'd been planning things. But you took it all in stride."

"Lois, your comfort matters more to me than any half-formed fantasy I might have had about our first date. Believe me, if you're happy, then I am too."

"It's always been that way, hasn't it?" she asked as they exited the Jeep. "I say I want Chinese takeout, you almost always go right along with it. Once, you went along with my need to have hamburgers for three days in a row without objecting at all."

Clark shrugged. "I like burgers," he said with an air of innocence.

Lois saw right through his playfulness and laughed. "Yeah, who doesn't?"

Clark reached the door to Lucia's and opened it, allowing Lois to step inside and out of the cold first. Once she was inside, he followed her and went directly to the hostess stand, where a young redhead was standing.

"Hi. I have a reservation, for Clark Kent."

"Kent...Kent...Kent..." she said, skimming her list. "Ah, yes. Party of two, correct?"

"That's right."

"Marcus?" she asked, throwing a glance one of the wait staff, a short, thin black man. "Can you bring these folks to table eleven, please?" She handed him two menus and a wine list.

"Right this way," he replied with a genuine smile. After a brief walk through the restaurant, he announced, "Here we are folks. Enjoy."

He set the menus down at a secluded table nestled in corner of the restaurant. A candle blazed merrily in the center of the table while the night beyond the window they were up against deepened. A light snow had once again begun to fall in a lazy, haphazard way. Clark pulled out Lois' chair and pushed her in against the table once she was seated, then sat himself.

"So...here we are," Lois said, looking around the place as if seeing it in a new light.

"Yeah," Clark agreed. "Here we are."

Funny, how being in the restaurant suddenly made the date feel real in a way that it hadn't before. It was as though stepping through the front door had magically transformed their evening from two friends having dinner to the date they had planned on. Clark swallowed nervously.

"I'm glad we're finally getting to do this," he said after a moment of studying the menu.

"Me too."

"I hate to admit it, but I guess I'm a little nervous," he confided, knowing that she'd probably already guessed as much.

"You too?" she asked, then laughed. "I thought it was just me."

Clark chuckled. "I guess we're both a little out of our comfort zone," he said with a smile.

"Yeah." She touched a free strand of her hair, which she'd curled and placed into an elegant up-do with a few tastefully and specifically placed tendrils hanging down. "It's funny. We've been to this place what? Dozens of times, I'm sure. Tonight it just feels so different."

"I had the same thought," Clark admitted. "Maybe we're more in synch than we realize."

She gave him a private smile. "Maybe."

Their waiter appeared then, a pitcher of ice water in his hand. He swiftly filled their glasses and set down the basket of freshly baked bread in the center of the table. A moment later, his notepad appeared.

"May...I...take your...order?" he asked in halting English.

"Lois? Do you know what you want?" Clark asked.

"I do," she said, shutting her menu. "I'll have the shrimp parm with the angel hair pasta, please."

But the poor man looked lost. Clark looked at the badge with the man's name, which was pinned slightly askew on his black vest. It stated that the waiter's name was Angelo.

"Is it easier if I speak Italian?" Clark asked, hoping to be helpful.

Angelo looked relieved. "Please?"

Clark nodded. "Two orders of the shrimp parmesan with the angel hair pasta. And a bottle of the rose zinfandel, please," he said in flawless Italian.

"Very good, sir," Angelo replied. "Anything else I can get for you?"

Clark looked down at the menu for another moment before replying. He knew Lois loved the restaurant's flourless chocolate torte. "Yes. We'll have a flourless chocolate torte to share for dessert," he said. The dessert was much more than any one person could eat on their own, even with a Kryptonian appetite.

"Very good," Angelo repeated. "I'll get this in for you right away."

"Thank you," Clark said, handing over both menus and the wine list.

"Wow," Lois said, impressed, once Angelo had moved on from their table. "I didn't know you spoke Italian, especially not so well."

"I've picked up a number of languages on my travels," Clark said, shrugging.

"A number?" Lois asked, arching an eyebrow. "How many?"

"I...uh..." He looked down at the table, slightly embarrassed.

"Clark?" Lois asked in mock impatience.

Without looking up, he answered. "Three hundred. And forty-seven."

He could all but hear Lois' jaw drop. "That's...uh..." she sputtered. She picked up a slice of thick bread and buttered it in an effort to give herself a task.

"It's no big deal," he said, brushing it off. "Most of them I only know the basics. How to ask for directions, how to order dinner, where the nearest hotel is. That kind of stuff."

"Still, that's pretty impressive. Most guys I've dated can barely speak English, let alone any other languages."

Again, he shrugged. "I guess it just comes easily to me. It's not something I've ever had to work too hard at. A lot of it I've just picked up by listening to others speak. I never really thought about it."

"I took French and Latin in high school," Lois said. "It was trying enough to keep the two of those straight in my mind. I can't imagine throwing any other languages into the mix."

"Latin?" Clark asked, grinning.

Lois laughed. "One of the 'perks' of being an honor's kid." She rolled her eyes.

With that laugh, the tension between the two seemed to dissipate. They spoke easily with one another, swapping stories of their childhoods and talking of their families. Lois expressed how she wished her parents could have been like Clark's, and told him about the horrors of her own family.

"Lucy was the one saving grace for me," Lois said after a while. "She always understood me. She never judged my decisions. Until we got older. Did you know, when we first met, that she was pushing me to go out and date? She couldn't understand that I wasn't interested in pursuing any of the guys I'd met. I mean, what did I have to choose from? A hypochondriac, a guy with a foot fetish, a lawyer who was a compulsive liar? No, thanks."

"I'm sure she just had your best interests at heart," Clark said, taking a sip of his wine.

Lois swallowed a bite of her shrimp. "I guess. But she wasn't exactly understanding when I kept blowing off her 'helpful' lectures."

"Well, with any luck, she won't be bothering you about that anymore," Clark said with a soft smile.

"I don't imagine that she will," Lois said, returning the smile. "So, what about you? Your parents ever push you to date? Although, having met them, I doubt it."

"Not really," Clark said. "Oh, they expressed interest in seeing me happily in a relationship with someone, but they understood that I was really looking for the right woman. Someone I could share everything with. They supported that."

"Your parents are so wonderful," Lois replied, putting down her fork and taking a bite of her bread.

"I got really lucky," Clark said. "Of all the people who could have adopted me as their son, my mom and dad were the ones to do so."

"Well, to be fair, it seems like they got a pretty great son out of the deal."

"I like to think so," Clark said with a wink.

Lois put her napkin down and pushed her plate away. "That was delicious."

"It was. Great pick. This was a much better choice to come to."

Lois smiled. "I'll be back in a minute," she said, standing.

Clark nodded and watched as she breezed through the now-emptying restaurant towards the ladies' room. Angelo came over with the torte and Clark had him bring two cups of coffee as well, which he prepared in their preferred ways. When everything was ready, he slipped the box with the snowflake pendant out of the inner pocket of his jacket and placed it next to Lois' dessert fork. Satisfied, there was nothing else to do but wait for her to return, which she did a minute later.

"Hi," she said, as she stepped to the table. "Sorry, there was a bit of a line."

"No problem," Clark assured her. "I took the liberty of ordering dessert. I hope that's okay."

Lois saw what his choice had been as she sat and grinned. "With choices like that, you'll never get rid of me."

"Good. Because I don't intend to ever be rid of you," he replied with a smile.

In the next second, she noticed the box next to her fork. "Clark? What is this?"

"What's what?" he said, playing dumb.

"This," she said, holding up the box.

"That? Oh. I guess you'll have to open it up to find out." He was toying with her now and she knew it. He gave her a wolfish grin for good measure.

Lois opened the box, doing as he had asked, then sucked in a shocked gasp. "Clark, it's gorgeous!"

"You really like it?"

"I love it. But...why?"

He shrugged. "I saw it today at the Winter Fest in a vendor's stall and I just couldn't help myself. It was so unique and it stood out so much that it reminded me of you. It's just a pretty great coincidence that it happens to be snowing tonight."

"Clark, this is too much."

"No, it's not," he said, dismissing her concerns. "Lois, even if we hadn't been going out on a date tonight, I still would have bought it."

"Thank you," she breathed, looking down again at the crystal that was cradled in the palm of her hand. "Would you mind putting it on me?"

"Absolutely." He stood and went around behind her, taking the necklace as she offered it to him. He clasped it gingerly around her neck, then returned to his seat so that he could see how it looked on her. "Just as perfect as I imagined it would look," he declared.

Lois pulled a compact from her purse and admired the gem as well. "It's stunning."

"I'm glad you like it. And, in case you're wondering, I still had my eyes peeled for Miranda the entire time," he said with a wink.

That made her laugh. "Good," she said, attempting to be stern, but unable to hide the smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. "I can't have my partner going soft on me, especially when so much is at stake."

Clark nodded and picked up his fork. "Shall we?" he asked, motioning to the still untouched torte.

"Please," she said, seemingly grateful to have an excuse to dig into their dessert.

"So," she said after a couple of bites, "what made you want to go into journalism? You told me about your travels, looking for work, and how important it was for you to make a name for yourself in the field."

"I've always wanted to help people," Clark said, shrugging.

"You could have been a police officer or a fireman to do that," Lois said teasingly.

"True," Clark responded, taking a sip of his coffee. "But it didn't have the same appeal to me. I've always loved writing. And looking beneath the surface to get to the root of the problem always made so much more sense to me than simply reacting to a situation. Who set the building on fire and how can I help prevent that person from doing it again, as opposed to just getting the people out of there alive. Know what I mean?"

She nodded. "I do. There's nothing quite like the feeling of seeing our efforts help bring a guilty person to justice, is there? Except for maybe winning an award or two for the investigation," she added with a playful grin.

"It's a nice perk," Clark agreed, thinking of his own Kerth award back in his apartment. "But what about you? Why'd you pick journalism?"

"At first, it was all about proving my family wrong. My mom was hoping I'd get into medicine or law. And my dad...well, he never really talked about what he hoped I might pursue. He might have once said how being a teacher was a good job for a woman to have. I think I picked journalism just to get as far away from their dreams as possible."

"So, you built a name for yourself," Clark said.

Lois nodded. "I did. I was determined to be the best."

"Once you did, why didn't you quit?" Clark asked.

"Because I'd found out that I really love being a reporter."

Clark smiled softy. "I'm glad you decided to stick it out. I mean, how else would I have met you?" Then, seeing her eyeing the last bite of cake, "Be my guest." He slid the plate an inch closer to her.

"Oh, no, I couldn't," she protested.

"Please," Clark said, putting his hand to his stomach in an "I'm full" manner. "I can't, really."

"Well," she said, dragging the word out, as if torn in her decision, "if you insist."

But Clark speared the torte with his fork, then carefully fed it to her. He'd been itching to do that from the first moment they'd begun to eat the chocolate treat, but he'd needed some time to work up the nerve. Lois' eyes slid shut as her lips closed around the fork's prongs. Clark's heart started to hammer. It was incredible how sensual Lois looked in that moment. Carefully, and regretting that there was no more to feed her, he guided the fork back while Lois chewed and swallowed.

"Another cup of coffee?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I couldn't even if I wanted it."

"Did you want to try for a late movie or something?" Clark asked.

Lois checked her watch. "I don't think we'd make it. The multiplex usually starts the final showings right about now. Can we just head back to your place?"

"Sure," he said with a nod.

"I'm still not sure I want to be alone in my place," she added as an explanation. "Do you mind?"

"Of course you can stay. I told you, my place is yours for as long as you want."

Angelo came over at that moment. "Anything else, sir?" he asked in Italian.

Clark responded in kind. "No, thank you. Just the bill when you get the chance."

"Of course." The man produced the bill in a thin folder from the pocket of his apron. He flipped it open to ensure that it was the correct one before handing it to Clark.

"Thank you," Clark said, taking it.

As Angelo breezed away to refill another table's drinks, Clark opened the folder, skimmed the bill, then reached for his wallet. It was easier just to leave cash, so he did so, calculating a generous tip in his mind. He put the bills into the folder and placed it at the corner of the table.

"Ready?" he asked Lois.

She nodded and pulled on her coat before Clark could help her into it. "Let's go."

He took her arm and guided her back out into the cold night air. The snow was coming down thicker than before, and a plow rumbled past, scraping the roadway clean. Lois looked up at the sky once they reached the Jeep, a look of joy on her face.

"Pretty, isn't it?" she asked Clark.

But he was looking at her. "Gorgeous," he agreed.

"I've always liked the snow. Oh, it can be annoying, especially big storms. But it's so pretty, on quiet nights like this." Then, crossing her arms against the chill wind, "I just wish it didn't have to be so cold out."

Clark chuckled. "Your carriage awaits."

Lois grinned back. "Home, Jeeves."

Again Clark laughed. "Your wish is my command."

It didn't take long for them to return to Clark's apartment. He found a spot as close as he could, but it was still more than a block away. It seemed like everyone had already returned home to hunker down and wait for the snow to end. Again, Clark offered Lois his arm and held her close when she accepted it.

"Well, this is a first," he joked as they mounted the steps to the door of his apartment.

"What is?"

"Bringing a date home with me at the end of the night." He looked over and smirked at her.

She responded by playfully slapping his chest. "And I've never gone back to the guy's place at the end of a date either."

They reached the door and Clark unlocked it before allowing Lois inside first. Once inside, he took her coat.

"So...what now?" he asked, at a loss.

"Now...I think I'll get changed, if you don't mind. Maybe we can find a movie on the TV to watch."

"Sounds great," Clark said. "You know," he added as Lois disappeared into his bedroom and he flopped onto the couch. "It was nice of Perry to tell us to take tomorrow off."

"I think he suspects that there's something going on between us," Lois said, her voice muffled as she dug through her luggage.

"I think you might be right," Clark agreed as he picked up the remote control and turned the television on.

"Still, he did kind of owe us one, since we were supposed to be off today."

"Just don't tell him that," Clark laughed. In his best Perry voice he said, "The world doesn't stop just so we can sit on our laurels."

He could hear Lois laughing. A moment later, she reemerged from his room, now in soft black fleece pants and a thin, but matching, top. She sat cross-legged on the couch next to him.

"Find anything good?"

"Blazing Saddles?" Clark asked. "Or there's Indiana Jones, or Die Hard."

Lois shrugged. "All of them sound fine. Which would you prefer?"

"I guess Blazing Saddles. It's been a while since I last watched it."

"I like that one," Lois said.

"You want some coffee? Or some tea? I might have some hot chocolate as well."

"Oh, nothing for me," Lois said. "After that meal, I may not want anything for another week."

"That's unfortunate," Clark said. "I was really hoping we could go out again tomorrow night."

She smiled at him in a sweet way that he'd only rarely seen before, but had seen often enough over dinner that same night. "I'd really like that."

Clark couldn't help matching her smile. "I'm glad to hear that."

"You sounded like you expected me to turn you down."

"I couldn't be sure," Clark said, heading into his bedroom now. "It looked like you were having a great time, but...well...you never really know, I guess."

"You really didn't have great experiences dating in the past, did you?" Lois asked gently.

Clark sighed. "That's an understatement. But none of that matters anymore. Because I'm dating the only person in the world that could possibly be right for me."

He ducked into the bathroom and changed swiftly into navy pajama pants and a white top. Then he rejoined Lois on the couch. He hadn't missed much of the movie, he saw. But he was more interested in the woman next to him. He settled down and after a few minutes, Lois snuggled into his side. His arms moved seemingly of their own volition, and came up to encircle her, holding her close. He heard her sigh in contentment and mirrored her with one of his own as he leaned his cheek in rest on the top of her head.

"Clark?" she asked sleepily as the movie came to an end and the credits scrolled across the screen.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For the best date of my life," she answered, stirring in his arms to look him in the eyes. "I mean that. I really had a great time. I usually hate first dates. They're always so awkward and uncomfortable. But tonight was different. I don't know if it's because we came into it as best friends, but, whatever the reason, it just felt so natural, so right."

"I felt the same way," Clark confided. "Only, I have dated a friend before. Lana, from high school. And, well, it never felt as comfortable as this. Being with you...it fits, you know what I mean? It's like...like it was always meant to be this way. You and me together, not as friends or partners, but as a dating couple. So, maybe I should be thanking you instead."

"You know," Lois said thoughtfully, "the date's not really over yet."

"Oh?" Clark asked, playing along though he didn't know what Lois was getting at.

She nodded. "You still haven't kissed me goodnight."

A goofy grin spread across Clark's features, and he was completely powerless to stop it. "A huge mistake on my part," he said. "Allow me to remedy that oversight."

Lois leaned in a little closer. "I'm waiting," she breathed, enticing him in for the kiss.

Clark closed his eyes as he also leaned in, allowing his lips to seek hers. As contact was made, fireworks shot off in Clark's mind.

It wasn't like he'd never kissed Lois before. It was simply that none had ever been this real before. Most had been ruses to fool and distract others. A few had been bittersweet ones, times when Clark had thought he'd needed to move away from Metropolis or had had other such dark and heavy thoughts on his mind. Sometimes, he'd even kissed her while wearing the guise of Superman, but those had always been as chaste and restrained as he could manage. Even the ones he remembered trading with Lois while under the pheromone spray's effects hadn't been real. He hadn't been in control then, not really. It was as if someone else had been directing those kisses.

Now, however, each of his senses were alert. He could hear the rapid beating of her heart. He could smell her rose scented perfume. He could feel the way her arms encircled him, the way she pulled his head in closer to hers, the way her hands riffled through his hair. Now, he didn't have to hold back his passion, his love. He could finally give himself over to her, fully, completely. He could show her just how much he loved her with his kisses.

Judging from the way she responded, Clark had the impression that she was feeling similar things. Never before had she kissed him with such passion, not even when they'd both been victims of Miranda's spray. Those kisses had been more hungry than loving, more designed to turn him on than to show him how she felt.

When they finally broke from their kiss, Clark rested his forehead against Lois'.

"Wow," she said.

"Yeah," he agreed breathlessly.

"Who knew that mild-mannered Clark Kent was such a great kisser?" she said, cupping his cheek in her hand.

"Only for you," he said in a soft voice. "But, maybe we should run that experiment again, just to be sure," he teased.

Lois answered by locking her lips with his. All thought left Clark. He was aware only of Lois and the way that her lips caressed his. His heart was flying and he leaned forward, over Lois, so that she was laying back with her head on the arm of the couch. It was a struggle not to float above her and to remain completely grounded. It just felt unnatural not to float when he was feeling so great.

"I'd call that another successful experiment," Lois said, some time later.

Clark nodded, at a loss for words. Slowly, he got up, so that Lois could sit up. When she was upright, he snaked an arm around her waist.

"Tonight was perfect," he said.

"It really was," Lois agreed, leaning against him. She yawned a little. "Sorry," she apologized.

"It's been a long day," Clark said. "Why don't we turn in for the night? Tomorrow we can do whatever you'd like, even if it's just sleeping in and lounging around."

"Okay," Lois said.

They both rose from the couch and hugged warmly. Clark placed a kiss on Lois' brow, cupping her cheek in his palm as he did so.

"Goodnight, Lois."

"Goodnight, Clark."

He watched her move into his bedroom before he made up the couch with the extra blankets and pillows he'd been keeping out ever since she'd started staying with him. Then he laid down and pulled the blankets over himself, the biggest, goofiest grin of his life on his face. He'd been on a date - a real date! - with Lois. And, better still, it had gone better than he could have ever imagined.

I love you, Lois, he thought with a happy, mental sigh.

Then he closed his eyes and waited for sleep to claim him. For once, he looked forward to the promise of what the morning would bring. He had the entire day to spend with Lois, doing whatever they wished. Lois. His girlfriend. The woman he was dating. The woman who, given enough time, he would ask to marry him. The woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, and raise a family with.

He heard Lois tossing and turning in his bed, most likely trying to find that perfect, comfortable position that even he, alien though he was, also sought out every night. After a moment, her movements lessened and he heard her breathing even out. Then, and only then, would his mind slow down and allow sleep to wash over him.

For the first time in a long time, all of Clark's dreams were pleasant ones.



To Be Continued...







Battle On,
Deadly Chakram

"Being with you is stronger than me alone." ~ Clark Kent

"One little spark of inspiration is at the heart of all creation." ~ Figment the Dragon