Previously on Seed of Doubt...
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.
***
"Morning, Chief," Lois said as Perry passed by her desk.
Clark looked up from his computer screen, where he'd been intently conducting some research. "Morning, Perry."
"Can I speak to you two for a minute?" Perry asked, looking troubled.
A nervous flutter started in Clark's stomach. This could not possibly be good, he knew. But he nodded anyway.
"Sure," he said, speaking for the both of them.
Perry led them back to his office and gently shut the door behind them. Lois and Clark both opted for the red plaid couch in the room, as Perry sat on the edge of his desk, facing them. Perhaps he felt that it was less intimidating to not have his desk as a barrier between them. He didn't speak right away. Instead, he contemplated the carpet, as though looking for a way to say whatever it was that was on his mind. He cleared his throat, then finally spoke.
"I'm not sure how to go about saying this," he said slowly, "so I'm not going to beat around the bush. I'm just going to say it."
"Say what, Chief?" Clark asked.
"That I know about the two of you. That you two are...well...somewhat of an item now."
"How did you...?" Lois began to ask.
Perry gave half a laugh and a partial smile. "Nothing goes on in my newsroom that I don't know about."
"Yeah, but we never even..." Lois tried, searching for words.
"You didn't have to say or do anything," Perry said, again stepping in and cutting her off before she could finish, his hand raised slightly as he interrupted. "I could tell just from the way you two have been acting toward each other the last few days."
"It's not a problem if we date, is it, Chief?" Clark asked. It hadn't crossed his mind before now that it might actually be against the Planet's code of conduct to date a coworker.
"You tell me," Perry said, spreading his hands in an almost helpless looking gesture. "Can I assume that you two will continue to be completely professional?"
"Absolutely!" Clark said.
"Perry!" Lois said at the same moment, indignant.
"Look, Lois, you know I hate to ask," Perry said, hands up, almost as if warding off a blow. "But you also know that I have to keep the best interests of the paper in mind."
"This isn't going to be another Norcross and Judd," she said, steamrolling over Perry's explanation. "From what you've told me of them, they really weren't suited to the task of handling a professional life along with a personal one."
"Norcross and Judd?" Clark asked.
"Billy Norcross and Serena Judd. Two of the best damn reporters I'd ever had. Almost as good as the two of you," Perry explained. "They were partners, like the two of you, and started dating. When that went down the drain, they were never able to work together again. Just like that, the Planet's best reporting team at the time was destroyed." He snapped his fingers in emphasis.
"What Perry is leaving out is that Serena had a good reason for dumping Billy and breaking up their partnership," Lois added. "The way I hear it, he was playing her for a fool the whole time. He never told her about his secret families, from his two broken marriages. Personally, I don't blame her one bit for high-tailing it out of that relationship."
"It was one broken marriage and a former mistress," Perry corrected her. "But the real point is, I can't afford to sacrifice my best reporting team. Now, I can assign you two to different partners if you feel like the pressures of dating and your work might be too much."
"Perry, we'll be fine," Lois assured him. "We're complete professionals. And besides, Clark and I have a different relationship than Norcross and Judd did. We've always been honest with one another. Right, Clark?" She looked to him for an answer.
Clark swallowed hard. "Uh...right."
"See?" she said, not noticing the slight hesitation that had been in his voice, bringing her gaze back to their boss. "We'll be fine."
"Okay," Perry said after a quiet moment of studying the two of them. "But the moment I see that this isn't working out in the Planet's favor, I'll have to separate you and either assign you different partners or send you solo. Got it?"
"Got it," Lois and Clark said together.
"Good. Now, go on. Get out of here. Find me a story."
"Can't say I expected that," Clark said once they were back in the bullpen.
Lois sighed. "I can't say that I didn't. Remember how I told you about Claude? The guy who slept with me and stole my story? Perry wound up firing him for that and told me that he never wanted to be in that position again. That's when I first heard the Norcross and Judd story. I think it was also the first time I'd heard him tell a story that didn't involve Elvis somehow."
"Well, like you said, we're not Norcross and Judd. And I am certainly not Claude. We'll be fine."
Until you find out that I have a secret life too, he thought unhappily.
"CK! Lois!" Jimmy called, racing toward them and calling out over the din of the bullpen.
"What's up, Jimmy?" Clark asked as they drew closer to him.
"Thought you might want to know, a couple of floaters washed up by the docks."
"Any IDs yet?" Lois asked.
Jimmy shook his head. "It just came over the police scanner."
"Thanks," Clark said, putting a hand on Jimmy's shoulder briefly. "We're on it."
"I'm coming too," Jimmy said as he grabbed his camera bag off his desk.
"Let's go then," Clark said, grabbing his coat and tugging it on as he moved.
Lois drove them to the dock in a manner that left even Clark white-knuckled. She pulled into the closest spot she could find and they all piled out of the Jeep, eager to get the story. Many of the other news outlets in the city had already arrived and more were pulling up even as they stepped foot in the cordoned off area. Lois and Clark split up, to cover more ground. Clark headed to the police officers and Lois to look for witnesses to the bodies washing up. Jimmy broke off to snap as many photos as he could.
"Geez, you caught this one, Keith?" he asked the officer in charge.
The lanky, young, blonde cop turned to him and nodded. "Yeah."
"What can you tell me?" Clark asked, as he peered over at the bodies.
They were bloated and what was left of their skin was pasty white. In a few places, the nibbles of fish and other sea creatures had feasted down to the bone, exposing it to Clark's view. The clothes looked expensive - suits that had once been tailored to each of the men's bodies.
"Well," Detective Stone said, "we got a call about forty-five minutes ago." He double checked his watch. "More like an hour," he corrected himself. "The guy says he jogs the same path, rain or shine, year round. Anyway, he saw the bodies and thought they were just hurt. When he got closer, he realized they were dead and called us from the payphone across the street at the seafood restaurant." He pointed with two fingers pressed together at Dockside Delicacies.
"Mmm-hmm," Clark said, jotting down notes, rapid-fire, into a small notepad that he kept in the breast pocket of his suit jacket.
"We haven't had a chance to ID them yet," Keith continued. "But, whoever they were, someone wanted them dead."
"What makes you say that?" Clark asked, prodded for further details.
"Both were shot in the side of the head, execution style. It's hard to see now because of the level of decay, but our forensics guy is sure."
"Donny?" Clark asked.
"Yeah."
Clark nodded. He was familiar with the man and knew he was always right about the manner of death. "What else can you give me?"
"Not much. They had no identification on them. No wallets. Nothing. Donny's still working on a window for the time of death."
"No wallets," Clark repeated. "That's definitely suspicious. Guys dressed in suits this expensive never leave home without a wallet full of cash and their trusty credit cards."
"Exactly," Keith said. "We're working on a few theories. We won't know more until we know who these guys used to be though."
"Well, when you do know..."
Keith laughed. "Don't worry. I've got your number."
Clark chuckled. "Thanks."
When he finally met back up with Lois and Jimmy, only the photographer was in good spirits. He'd been able to get a number of shots that he felt would be helpful in their investigation, and other good ones that Perry could use in the evening edition. Lois and Clark, however, were frustrated. There was simply not enough information yet to start the beginnings of their investigation. The best they had was that two unidentified men had washed up on shore.
For once, it would be nice if things could be a little easy, Clark thought as Lois fiddled with the radio while waiting at a red light.
She found the classic music station and Jimmy began to sing along to "Piano Man" until he realized that no one else was joining in with him. He broke off after four lines and went silent again, his face red with embarrassment. Clark heard him changing out the roll of film in his camera so that he would be ready to immediately process it when they got back to the office. He heard the clink of plastic on plastic as Jimmy dropped the roll in the camera bag along with the other spent film, then heard the man load a fresh roll into the camera and snap the compartment shut.
When they arrived back at the Planet, Clark immediately began a search through the recent missing persons list, hoping to strike it lucky and find a match to the two floaters. He was halfway through the list when Jimmy came over, several pieces of paper in his hand. He held them out so Clark could take them.
"CK? This came for you over the fax."
"What is it?" Clark asked as he reached for the papers.
"Something from a Captain Gregory Marsh."
"Oh! I've been waiting on those," Clark said.
"Who's Captain Marsh?" Lois asked, bringing him a cup of coffee. "Here. I thought we could both use a cup."
"Thanks," he said gratefully. He took a sip before continuing. To his delight, it was absolutely perfect. "Superman told me about Captain Marsh. He's the one...I told you about the fishing boat, right?"
She nodded. "Yeah."
"Superman promised him that we would help him find out who had sabotaged his ship. Looks like he found the information about the men who offered to buy his business. Thanks, Jimmy. Hey...how much longer before the photos from the docks are ready?"
"Shouldn't be more than an hour or two. I made them my top priority."
"Great," Clark said.
As Jimmy moved on, Clark studied the papers before him. "Nicholas Parsons and Brian Greenhorn," he read aloud, scanning the page quickly. "Representatives of...the Magnus Corporation."
"Magnus? Is that one of the shell companies that used to be linked to Lex Corp?" Lois asked.
Clark nodded. "It hasn't been affiliated with them in three years, but, yeah." He flipped to the next page and his mouth opened a little in shock.
"Is that...?" Lois asked, peering over his shoulder.
"He's got a little more flesh here, but yeah," Clark said, nodding.
There on the page, in a crude but unmistakable pencil drawing, was the image of one of the men that had been found washed up on shore. Clark flipped to the next page, only to find a similar drawing of the second man that had been found dead.
"Well, that makes our job a little easier," Clark said with a sinking feeling in his gut.
"Why do I get the feeling the names Nicholas Parsons and Brian Greenhorn are about as real as the company they worked for?" Lois asked.
"Let's find out, shall we?" Clark asked.
***
"Let's hear it for Lois and Clark!" Perry exclaimed as the two reporters entered the bullpen, hand in hand.
A round of applause broke out from their co-workers. Lois and Clark both blushed and ducked their heads in acknowledgement. After a week of chasing the only lead they had on the two bodies that had been found, washed up on shore by the docks, they had finally found a connection to Intergang. With that connection, they had proven that Lex Corp had dealings with the notorious crime syndicate. The police had worked with Lois and Clark, finally finding the man responsible for killing the two floaters.
That had been two days ago, when they had finally seen Trevor Moore arrested. Word was now that he was willing to testify against Intergang and swear before the court that Luthor was the head of the organization. It had been Henderson that had made the call to both of their apartments, wanting to be the first to congratulate them and thank them for their help.
"Nice work, you two," Perry said as they finally came within an arm's reach of their boss. He lightly put a hand on each of their shoulders. "Now, I want you two on this when the trial starts. Got it? Unless, of course, you don't feel up to it, Lois."
"I'm okay, Chief. Really, I am," she assured him.
She had broken down and told Perry everything about what had happened with Lex the day after the billionaire had assaulted her. Recently, she'd gotten the phone call that the District Attorney's office was fast tracking the trial. Mr. Clemmons had always disliked Luthor, so it hadn't surprised Clark in the least that he'd want to nail the case shut and have Luthor formally sentenced as soon as possible. In just a week and a half, Lois would testify in court.
Clark's heart bled for Lois. He knew it had to be tearing her up inside, knowing that the public would soon be privy to the assault she'd endured. He wanted nothing more than to protect her from every harm the world could throw at her. Of course, he knew it was impossible, but that didn't squash the desire to do so at all.
"You sure?" Perry prodded.
"Absolutely. I'm a complete professional, Perry."
"Okay then," the editor nodded. "If you change your mind, however..."
"Don't worry. I won't."
"You've got one heck of a woman there, Clark," Perry said, shaking his head but smiling with approval.
"Don't I know it," Clark said, returning the smile.
Perry patted Clark's shoulder in response, then moved on, barking for Jimmy. Clark turned to Lois.
"Feels good," he said. "Putting the final nail in Luthor's coffin, I mean."
"It does." She sighed.
"What?"
"I just wish I'd listened to you all along, is all." She sighed again, then took a deep breath that she let out slowly. "Anyway, I'm just so thankful that I've had you by my side this whole time. I'm not sure I could have made it through the last week and a half without you."
"I'll always be there for you, Lois. I promise you that. I'll be right there, by your side, the whole time the trial lasts."
"I know. I was thinking though. I think I might try...going back to my place for the night. It's not that I haven't appreciated or loved being at your place this whole time. But I feel like...like it's something I need to do. I can't hide out forever. At some point, I have to resume living at my apartment. After all, I do pay enough in rent." She smiled at him as she cracked her joke.
"Are you sure? You know I'm not kicking you out or anything."
She nodded. "I know. But I'm tired of being scared. If Lex was going to go after me, he would have done so already, don't you think?"
Clark said nothing. He wasn't sure he agreed with Lois' reasoning.
"I'll be fine, Clark. You don't need to babysit me forever." She touched a hand to his chest.
"I know..." he began to protest.
The truth was, he feared for Lois' safety. But he also knew that he would miss her terribly. Despite the difficulties involved in keeping Superman's true identity under wraps, he would miss having her sharing his apartment with him. He loved cooking her breakfast in the morning. He loved settling down on the couch at night to sleep, knowing that Lois was snuggled down into the sheets and pillows of his bed. He loved cuddling up on the couch with her after work, watching television or going through research together, without worrying about how late it was getting.
Lois smiled at him. "Are you going to miss me?" she guessed.
Clark blushed and dipped his head in a nod. "Yeah, what gave it away?"
"Oh," she said, smiling wider and playing with his tie, "just the look on your face. Like someone ran over your puppy with a tractor trailer."
"Is it such a crime for a man to enjoy having his girlfriend living with him?" he asked sweetly.
That made her laugh lightly. "No. It makes him cute."
"That's me," Clark said playfully. "Mr. Adorable."
"I said 'cute,' not 'adorable,'" she corrected him.
"I know. I was fixing your mistake," he joked back.
"You are always editing my copy," she mock complained.
"I know." He shot her a huge grin.
The rest of the day dragged by. It was a slow news day in general. Lois and Clark spent most of the morning doing research for some of the stories they were working on, as well as organizing all their research on Lex Luthor, in preparation for his trial as a part of Intergang. That way, once the trial completed, they would be that much closer to writing up their expose on him. Clark did most of the work on that, knowing that it was still sometimes difficult for Lois to focus on Luthor for too long a stretch of time.
They took a long lunch just after noon, extending their stay at the quaint corner deli as they talked about their next date. They finally agreed on bowling and mini golf at the new indoor recreation center in the heart of midtown. The place also boasted several restaurants, shops, and even an indoor ice skating rink for year round fun.
Lois' pager began to beep as they were picking up and getting ready to head back in to the office. She glanced at it after digging through her purse to find it. She looked up apologetically as she tossed it back in to the depths of her purse.
"That's Jimmy. I'll be right back."
She headed out of the deli to where the closest pay phone was. Clark watched her through the floor to ceiling windows, just for a moment, before he resumed his task of clearing the tiny round table they had been sharing. He took the orange plastic tray they had both used to the trash and allowed the contents to slide into the opening of the garbage container, then placed the tray on the shelf above it. Figuring he had a minute, he ducked into the men's room to use the facilities and wash up. By the time he was done, Lois was hanging up the phone.
"What does he have for us?" Clark asked as he exited the deli.
"Shooting." Her breath misted in the frigid air as she exhaled.
"Where?"
"Prescott and Harvard," she replied.
Clark's eyebrows crawled upward to his hairline. "Rich area," he observed.
"That's what I said," she said with a nod. She got to the curb and whistled sharply as she waved. A passing cab stopped short and she opened the door. "After you," she told Clark.
Clark good-naturedly rolled his eyes, but he got into the cab anyway.
"Where to?" the cabbie asked, peering at them through the rearview mirror.
"Three-thirty-one Prescott, at the corner of Harvard," Lois said as she pulled the door closed.
"You got it." He had to half yell over the Reggae music blasting from his radio.
Clark held on as the cabbie put the gas pedal to the floor and began to swerve through the usual midday traffic of the city. Once, he came inches from flattening a bike messenger, and Clark couldn't be certain that a pigeon with ill timing had actually escaped the vehicle's path as it swooped down to peck at something in the roadway. He kept one arm safely curled around Lois' waist in an attempt to keep her from flying all around the back seat. Both breathed a sigh of relief when they finally arrived at their destination. Clark paid the fare, giving a modest tip. He usually gave more, but he didn't usually feel like his life was in danger despite his invulnerability.
"Here we are," he said, stating the obvious. He saw Henderson and waved to get his attention.
"Hey, Kent," the inspector said by way of a greeting.
"Hey," Clark replied.
"Must be a slow day if they called you two in for this one," Henderson said.
"What makes you say that?" Lois asked.
Henderson shrugged. "It's a pretty standard murder-suicide. Nothing out of the ordinary." His walkie-talkie crackled to life. He pulled it from his belt. "Go on up. Third floor. Number five." Then, into the walkie-talkie, "Say again, Steve?"
Lois and Clark entered the building, grateful to be out of the cold, but dreading what they would find. They'd both covered their share of shootings before, but there was something particularly gruesome about murder-suicide scenes. For Clark, he couldn't imagine ever wanting to take his own life. How could someone decide to do that? And worse, how could they make the decision to take others with them as they exited this life?
The right apartment wasn't difficult to find at all. Several police officers were in the hallway outside the door, shooing away passersby, most trying to peek in to satisfy their own morbid curiosity. But one of the policewomen knew Lois and Clark well from several other recent stories, and she waved them through the barricade. They nodded their head in thanks to her as they passed by.
They entered into the apartment, where a reporter for LNN was already on the scene. At first glance, the apartment was cheery and bright - a pale pink living room with cream colored chairs and couches alongside chestnut colored bookshelves, tables, and coffee table. A child's toys lay scattered about the floor, except for one neat area where a blanket had been laid out for a tea party, several baby dolls and stuffed animals all sitting in wait. Everything looked perfectly normal, except for the police activity and the bodies.
The police were already packing up their gear. Two of them were zipping a body bag up around a woman's unmoving form. A third removed the handgun from where it had fallen by her right hand. Sticky blood clung to it from the pool where it had leaked out of the woman's head. Nearby, a blonde headed little girl - probably five by the look of her - lay chest down on the floor, her blank eyes wide and staring. Her face seemed to be a permanent mask of shock. A black bear doll was still clutched in the crook of her arm.
And against the wall, furthest from the bodies, a man was on his knees, his head in his hands. He was unashamedly weeping.
"My girl. My baby girl," he sobbed, over and over. "Caroline. Oh, God. Why?"
Clark saw Lois visibly shudder at the man's grief. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Then he moved on to speak with one of the officers, to get the facts on what had happened. He saw Lois move to speak with the woman who was standing by the distraught father. He guessed she was a family member or a neighbor.
Henderson had been right. It was a straightforward murder-suicide. The wife had been caught having an affair with the husband's best friend. The husband had claimed to have confronted her with the knowledge and had told her that he'd wanted a divorce. He'd gone to work that day the same as any other day, until the neighbor had called saying she'd heard gunshots that had sounded like they'd come from across the hall. She'd tried knocking but there had been no response. The husband had come home to find his daughter and wife both dead from gunshot wounds to the head.
Lois and Clark both left the apartment with heavy hearts. It would be a simple story to write up, but the image of that little girl laying there would stay with them both for a long time to come. For Clark, he knew he would always remember the way she looked, right down to her pink sweatshirt paired with a sparkly purple tutu and jeans. He also knew that, given time, he would be able to shove aside that image, as he had always been forced to do, both as a reporter and a superhero.
Clark handled writing the article, while Lois handled the one for the car accident they witnessed on the way back to the office. At last, the day finally ended, leaving them free to go home. Both were still in quiet moods, so they opted for a quick burger at their favorite diner before Clark saw Lois to her apartment. After checking it out thoroughly, he deemed it free from threats. He stayed for a short while, then kissed Lois goodnight and took his leave.
Back at his apartment, however, he felt profoundly lonely. He missed having Lois there. He missed the way she made the place light up with her laughter and her smile. He missed snuggling on the couch with her. He missed kissing her goodnight moments before they closed their eyes and went to sleep. To give himself something to do, he made a slow patrol over the city. But it seemed that the inactivity of the day had seeped into the darkness of the night. Metropolis was quiet, almost sleepy in a way. He circled around Lois' building several times, carefully scanning the area, but all he saw was the occasional neighbor that he recognized either returning home for the evening or popping out to smoke or walk their dog.
He made a second patrol, being too unwilling to face the lonely silence of his apartment. But nothing had changed since he'd finished the last patrol, and he found himself flying back to Lois' building. After a few moments of indecision, he allowed himself to descend from the clouds to the level of her window. Her lights were still on, or he would never have ventured to disturb her. Her heavy curtains were pulled back, allowing him to see in, though the view was obscured by a second set of curtains - these sheer white. He could see that she was watching television, so he gently rapped his knuckles against the glass.
She was up in an instant, though he judged by the way she moved that he'd startled her. She came to the window, peeked out, then undid the locks and opened the window when she saw who it was.
"Superman!" she said, surprised.
"Hi, Lois. I hope you don't mind my stopping by."
"Not at all. Come in, please."
Clark entered through the open window. "I was in the neighborhood, and thought I'd make sure things were quiet around here. Are you okay?"
"Did Clark send you to check on me?"
"No," he said, crossing his arms before his chest in his usual stance. "But, I do know that you've been staying with him, up until now. I thought..." He shrugged as his voice tailed off.
"That I might sleep better, knowing you've checked things out?" Lois suggested, leaning against her couch.
"Well, I wouldn't quite put it that way," he replied with a reserved smile.
Lois smiled in return. "Well, I will. Sleep better, that is. Thanks."
"So, everything's been okay here?"
"Perfectly boring," she confirmed.
"Good."
"Can I get you something to drink?" she asked, heading to her coffeemaker.
"No, but thanks," Clark replied. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't allow himself to stay too long, lest the mask of Superman give way to expose the man beneath the Spandex. "I really should be going."
"Never a dull moment for you, huh?" Lois asked, nodding understandingly. "I'm fine here, really. But I appreciate your stopping by. It means a lot, knowing you're looking out for me."
Help! He's having a heart attack!
Clark's head snapped toward the window as the cry for help reached him.
"Go," Lois said with a smile, patting his shoulder in a friendly manner.
Clark nodded. "Goodnight, Lois."
"Goodnight, Superman."
He quickly ducked back out into the night and flew off toward the call for help. It was coming from only a few blocks away, and he was there in seconds. An older gentleman had collapsed to the ground while unloading groceries from his car. Clark gently picked him up and flew him to the hospital, while the man's wife promised to follow in the car.
All in all, the rescue took less than fifteen minutes. Afterward, Clark headed home, feeling useless in the still and quiet night. He showered at a leisurely, human pace, then flopped onto his couch, already bored. He flicked through the television channels, only to find nothing of interest. He turned it back off and grabbed the book he was in the middle of reading - the one Lois had given him for his birthday. He wandered off to the bedroom, striped out of his clothes down to his boxers, and crawled into his bed for the first time in almost two weeks.
At once he was in Heaven as well as even more lonely than before. The entire bed smelled of Lois - that wonderfully arousing mix of lavender soap and cucumber perfume, coconut shampoo and conditioner, coffee and mint toothpaste, as well as the normal, unique scent that was all her own beneath all the superficial scents she surrounded herself with. Clark breathed in deeply, savoring it, though his heart ached as he missed Lois even more.
He managed to read a few pages, but his mind kept wandering back to Lois. He was still partially in disbelief that she was his girlfriend. Despite the unconventional start to their relationship, things had been going very well. Clark had never been happier. After a while, he put the book aside and reached for the phone on his bedside table.
"Hello?" came Lois' voice over the earpiece.
"Hey, Lois. It's me."
"Hi, Clark." He could hear the smile in her voice. "What's up?"
"Nothing. Just wanted to hear your voice."
"You must be a mind reader. I was just thinking of calling you."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. I guess I've gotten used to not being all alone at night," she said.
"Me too."
"I'd forgotten how lonely it can get."
Is that an invitation to come over? he wondered.
"Me too," he repeated. "Is everything all right over there?"
"Quiet as a mouse," she replied.
"Glad to hear it."
"Clark?"
"Hmm?"
"I miss you."
"I miss you too."
Just say the word and I'll be on my way.
"I know this is going to sound stupid, but I'm so glad that...well...that we're together. As a couple, I mean."
His smile crept across his face, going from ear to ear. "It's not stupid, Lois. I'm glad that we're together too. You have no idea how happy I've been, ever since you said 'yes' to our first date."
"Well, it's not that hard to imagine," she teased him. "You've been walking around with the biggest grin on the planet since our first date."
Clark chuckled. "I guess that's probably true."
"Hey, Clark?" she asked after a brief silence fell.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Thanks for calling," she said after a slight hesitation. "I think I'm going to turn in for the night."
"Me too," Clark said, his heart falling a little when she didn't ask him to come back over to her place. "Goodnight, Lois. I'll see you in the morning."
"Goodnight, Clark."
I love you, he mentally added, as the phone clicked and the line went dead.
With thoughts of Lois in his mind, he finally drifted off to sleep.
To Be Continued...
