Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic Erased (21/24)

Lois and Clark spent the majority of the day at Jimmy’s house, talking, joking, reminiscing. It felt so completely normal and good for Clark that it seemed impossible to reconcile that so much time had passed since he’d last spoken with his old friend. Several times over the course of the discussion, as he watched Jimmy and Lois laugh together over something, Clark withdrew into his own mind and wondered about how natural it felt to be there with the people he cared about. It felt like no time at all had passed, rather than twenty-one years. But, at the same time, as he listened to them talk about people and events he didn’t know, it felt like an eternity had passed since he’d been captured and held prisoner.

Eventually though, it was time to leave. Clark left feeling so warm and good inside, it was as if he was drunk on life. He felt buzzed to the point where it felt unnatural to be walking to Lois’ car, rather than flying through the clouds. He wanted to laugh and tell all the world that he was back – truly back. Instead, he turned to Lois once they reached the car. He put both hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

“Thank you, for everything back there,” he told her. “For bringing me here in the first place.”

She smiled and gently cupped his cheek with a gloved hand. “You’re welcome.”

“I’d like to make good on a promise I made you,” Clark continued, emboldened by the events of the afternoon.

“Oh?”

He nodded sincerely. “Now that all of my memories are back, I’d like to take you out to dinner - on a date, if you’ll let me.”

“Clark, I…” Lois stammered for a second, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as the breeze picked up.

“I’d offer up a suggestion or two of where to go but…I’m not sure what’s still around and what isn’t. At least, not the way I used. Is The Garden Terrace on 5th Avenue still around?” he asked, although Lois hadn’t technically agreed to the date yet.

She shook her head. “No, they closed about…um…four years ago.”

“Oh,” Clark said disappointedly. The place had been one of his favorites, with food so fresh it seemed like they had to have grown the fruits and vegetables right in house.

“But I think we could find someplace else,” Lois said, a bit shyly.

Clark brightened. “So…you do want to go out? On a date? With me?” he elaborated, hardly daring to trust his luck.

“Yes, you lunkhead,” Lois affectionately teased him, reaching out to ruffle his hair a bit.

He grinned, his heart so happy it felt ready to burst. First, he’d gotten his old job back. Now he was finally getting a chance to date the woman he’d been in love with since the moment he’d first laid eyes on her, over twenty-two years prior. Still, he felt compelled to lightly tease her.

“Lunkhead?” he asked, his eyebrows raising up into his hairline.

She laughed, the sound so bright and pure that it smote his heart. A puff of white mist accompanied it, giving Clark an idea.

“Yes. Lunkhead. A cute, but occasionally clueless, guy,” she explained, baiting him into their old banter.

“It’s not my fault,” Clark said with faux offense. “My brain’s only newly restored from being no better than scrambled eggs.” He put on a fake sense of snootiness, which only made Lois laugh all the harder.

“Yeah, yeah, a likely story,” she easily tossed back, grinning from ear to ear.

Clark chuckled. “Okay, so The Garden Terrace is out. Um…how about The Reef? Or did they go out too?” he offered, naming the best seafood restaurant in the city before his capture.

Lois nodded. “It’s still there. But, Clark, it’s a bit…pricier than you remember,” she cautioned.

He shrugged. “That’s not a problem. Now that I have access to my savings again, thanks to my memory coming back and all, I can afford it. Which…brings me to another point.” He gestured to the Jeep. “Let’s get inside and turn the heat on first. You look cold.”

Lois nodded and unlocked the car. A minute later, they were inside the car, waiting for the warmth to start seeping out of the air vents. “So…what’s your other point?” she finally asked, twisting in her seat a little to look at him.

Clark avoided her gaze. “Well, I was thinking…once I’m back on the Planet’s payroll, I should probably look for my own place. I’ve really enjoyed being at your house, Lois, and I’m so thankful you took me in. I really am. But, let’s face it, I can’t keep imposing on you. Especially now that I’m myself again. All of myself, super abilities included. It wouldn’t be right.”

Lois reached out and took his chin gently in her hand, forcing him to look at her. “Do you think you’re…a burden or something?” she asked carefully.

“Well…kind of,” Clark confessed, embarrassed. “I mean, you’re the one working, paying the bills, putting food on the table. And for most of the year, I couldn’t even so much as help with washing the dishes or running a load of laundry for you.”

“Clark Jerome Kent,” she said sternly, and he reflexively winced at the usage of his full name, “you are not, nor will you ever be, a burden. And I don’t want you to leave.”

“Don’t you want your personal space back?” he asked, a bit surprised at her reaction.

She shook her head. “Not since the moment you came home. I’ve enjoyed having you around, even when you first came back and were so painfully frail and thin and so catatonic that I wasn’t sure you could even understand what I was saying. I don’t want you to leave.” She looked down at the Jeep’s floor for a moment. “Of course, that’s your decision. But I’m not kicking you out. There will always be a place for you in the house.”

Clark dipped his head in acknowledgment, touched beyond words. “Thank you,” he finally managed to get out. “I…um…I’ll think about it?” It came out as a question, even though he hadn’t really intended on it being so. “I mean…it could get a little weird as we start dating,” he offered as a too-quick explanation.

“Maybe,” Lois said, settling back into her seat and putting on her seatbelt as the car blessedly began to warm up. “Or it could be just right. Time will tell.”

There was nothing to do but agree. “Time will tell,” he echoed. He glanced at the clock. “It’s still a little early for dinner. We can go to The Reef, make a reservation, and walk around the shops for a bit, assuming the City Center is still much the same as it used to be. Didn’t they used to have an outdoor holiday market or something?”

Lois nodded. “It is and they do. Even bigger and better now.” She was practically beaming with excitement.

Clark chuckled. “Perfect.”

She pulled out of the spot as an old woman in a beat-up Oldsmobile honked angrily at her. Lois scowled and appeared to be put out, even though she and Clark had been about to leave anyway. Clark smiled inwardly. Twenty-one years and Lois was still Lois in every way. It was amazing how much growth he saw in her, but how much had remained unchanged. Now more than ever, she was the rock in the midst of the confusing storm of his life. He counted himself unbelievably lucky to have her in his life.

He tried to relax as she navigated the city streets to the heart of Metropolis. But even her slightly improved driving skills couldn’t quell his nerves. As excited as he was to go on his first date with Lois, he had a host of butterflies in his stomach. He’d waited a long, long time for this evening and he didn’t want to mess it up in any way. Almost too soon, Lois was pulling into one of the pay-by-the-hour parking garages across the street from the City Center. Clark extracted enough money from his wallet to pay for their parking until after midnight, though he doubted they would need that long. After all, it would be an early morning for the both of them, now that Jimmy was set to reinstate Clark at the paper.

The Reef was unusually quiet, even for that early hour when they arrived, and Clark was easily able to secure a reservation for six-thirty that night. Being in the restaurant, taking in all the intoxicating seafood smells brought back a wonderful plethora of memories – of late dinners with Lois after a hard night of research, of meetings with Bobby Bigmouth, in which they paid for his meals and he supplied them was as many leads as he could, of the first and only Daily Planet Christmas party he’d ever attended. Lois noticed how he stood, just taking in the atmosphere.

“Hey, are you okay?” she asked, lightly touching his upper arm.

He smiled wistfully. “Yeah. This place…it hasn’t changed all that much, has it?”

Lois looked around as if seeing it with fresh eyes. “The décor has changed a little over the years, but yeah, I guess you’re right. Although they did take the molten chocolate cake off the menu about a dozen years ago,” she added with a slightly sarcastic grumble in her voice.

Clark chuckled. “I’m sure there’s something even better now.” He shook his head. “Come on. Let’s walk around for a bit. We have a while before our reservation.”

Lois checked her watch and nodded. “A couple of hours, yeah,” she agreed.

Clark offered her his arm and she slipped into his embrace so naturally, it was like it had always meant to be. Clark’s heart was pounding wildly in his chest and his throat was dry in his nervousness. But he swallowed down his fears of messing things up and guided Lois back out into the cold November air. The outdoor flea market had already sprung up in the City Center, so they meandered for a long time, going from tent to tent, checking out the various trinkets and treasures and outright oddities that the merchants were selling. Lois had forgotten her scarf at home, so Clark found a nice, warm handmade one made from alpaca fur that perfectly matched her hat and coat. Lois’ smile of appreciation and the sparkle in her eyes made Clark feel bolder as some of his worries slipped away.

“Hey, would you mind if I check out the quilts over there?” Lois asked at one point, gesturing to the stall in question. “One of them might make a good Christmas present for my mother,” she explained.

Clark nodded. “Of course. I actually wanted to take a peek at one of the other tents,” he hastily added, glad for the opening. He wanted to check things out without Lois being with him and her wanting to see another seller’s wares was the perfect opportunity. “I’ll only be a couple of minutes, then I’ll come out to you,” he promised.

“Deal,” she said, flashing a grateful grin before turning away and making her quick way to the tent.

Clark watched her go, then waded his own way through the loose throngs of people to one of the nearby tents. Inside was a long row of glass display cases housing a variety of rings, bracelets, charms, earrings, and necklaces. At the far end, a few glass animals were displayed, each one shining like a star pulled down from the heavens to glisten on Earth. Clark scanned the jewelry idly, wondering if it was appropriate to buy something expensive for Lois on their first date. But, even if it had been, he saw nothing special enough for her. He was mildly upset at not finding anything for her when a small glass elephant, about the size of a quarter, caught his eye.

On an impulse, he purchased the relatively inexpensive trinket and pocketed it so Lois wouldn’t see it. Then he went to find her. She was just coming out of the quilt-maker’s tent, empty-handed. She shook her head slightly when she saw him.

“Way too expensive,” she informed him before he could ask. “And kind of ugly.”

Clark laughed. “Well, that’s as good a reason as any to scare off anyone,” he teased her.

She laughed too. “Yeah,” she agreed.

For the next two hours, they made a leisurely circuit around the City Center, eventually winding up right back where they’d started. Each had a few small paper or plastic bags with them, as well as one or two big ones, filled with various treasures they’d found. Some were meant for themselves, but with Thanksgiving and the Christmas season fast approaching, many were to be given as gifts. Lois was especially pleased with the items she and Clark had found for her nieces – including the softest, squishiest unicorn pillow-plushies she’d ever seen; a brilliant find – as she called it - on Clark’s part.

“Here, let me take everything to the Jeep,” Clark told her, reaching for her bags. “I promise I won’t peek inside any of the mystery bags,” he joked as she clutched one or two plain brown bags closer to her chest to get them away from his sight.

For a split second, she looked indecisive, then she nodded, handed him the bags, and dropped her keys in the palm of his hand. “Okay, but no peeking,” she insisted, wagging a warning finger before her face. “Not even through the bags,” she teased in a whisper.

Clark chuckled. “Scout’s honor,” he said, crossing his heart.

Then, before she could protest, he was walking away, a spring in his step from the successful start to their date. Inside the parking garage, he found himself alone, so he let out a little of his still mildly nervous energy by using his super-speed to get to the Jeep in seconds, rather than minutes. He secured everything in the trunk, tossed an old blanket over the bags to hide them from prying eyes, then zipped his way back to the entrance to the garage. Lois was waiting for him right where he’d left her, just outside of the doors to The Reef.

“That was fast,” she commented with a wink.

Clark shrugged. “If you think that’s impressive, you should have seen how quickly I got Mom’s living room painted while you were at work the other day,” he only half-joked back with a goofy grin.

But Lois laughed anyway and even more of the worried knots in his stomach unraveled. Lois had done a lot of laughing so far. He had to be doing something right. And yet, he still couldn’t relax – wouldn’t relax – until the date was over and he knew for sure if Lois had had a good time.

He nodded toward the doors. “We’re a few minutes early for our reservation, but would you like to head inside?” he offered.

She nodded and rubbed at her arms a little. “Absolutely.”

“After you,” Clark said with a sweeping gesture as he opened the first of the double doors for her. Once she was inside, he hurried to open the set second for her. She nodded her thanks and took his arm again as he offered it.

Inside the restaurant, it was warm and comfortable. Clark helped Lois out of her coat just as soon as he’d alerted the hostess that they were there. Then he shed his own coat and sat next to Lois on the black leather bench furthest from the doors. He didn’t want her to be cold, and he subtly angled his body to block any stray draft that might follow another diner as they came inside the restaurant. But he needn’t have bothered. Within five minutes, they were being led away to the far side of the dining area to a small, intimate booth tucked away in a comfortable corner.

Normally, Clark would have asked for a table to two where he could position his chair to be next to Lois, but the booth offered them far more privacy. And right now, he craved privacy more than sitting directly next to Lois. After all, he could do that for the rest of the night, if he so chose, once they got back to the house.

They eagerly took the menus that the hostess offered as she told them that Brenda would be with them in just a few moments to take their drink orders. Clark spent a minute or two as he silently pored over the menu. Some of the items hadn’t changed in all the intervening years since he’d last stepped foot in the building. Some were new and were of varying degrees of interest to him. Others that he’d anticipated seeing had long since been dropped from the menu.

“So…what do you recommend?” he asked Lois playfully.

She laughed and her eyes sparkled. “Aside from everything?” she joked.

“How’s the steak and lobster?” he asked. “Still as good as I remember?”

“Even better,” she affirmed.

Clark shut his menu with a flourish. “Well, that settles that then.” He took a moment just to soak up the restaurant and the wonderful woman he was with. “I’m so glad we’re doing this, Lois,” he finally said.

“Me too.”

“I’ve been wanting this since the moment I met you,” he told her.

“You mean when I barged in on your interview with Perry like a maddened bull elephant?” she teased.

Clark chuckled and shook his head. “I think you mean like the spirited, passionate reporter and person that you are,” he gently corrected her. “I fell for you right then and there.”

“And I told you that I didn’t have time for it,” she said regretfully.

“Lois, you were trying to protect yourself. Once you told me about Claude, I understood. I didn’t – couldn’t – listen to your warning, but I got where you were coming from,” he said quietly.

“And now, here we are,” she offered with a shy smile.

Clark’s lips mirrored her own. “And now, here we are,” he echoed. He shook his head again. “It’s so stupid, but…I’m so nervous right now.”

“And here I thought it was only me that was nervous,” Lois replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear; a gesture Clark had seen her do many times before when she was out of her comfort zone.

“Are you kidding? I feel like my heart’s about to pop right out of my chest!” he told her, grinning impishly. A rush of adrenaline washed over him, stealing away a lot of his anxiety. “I mean, this has been my dream since I met you. And now it’s finally coming true and I’m well out of practice when it comes to dating,” he said in a joking tone, even if it was the truth.

“Yeah, well, you’re doing just fine so far,” Lois replied with a chuckle, reaching over to pat the top of his hand affectionately.

“Thanks,” he said, biting back a laugh himself and relaxing more than he’d thought possible.

He was spared from further embarrassing himself by the impeccable timing of Brenda, their waitress for the evening. Clark mentally tacked on an extra bit to her tip for her ability to save him from himself. They both ordered medium-rare steaks, grilled lobster tails, fries, and a side salad, and an appetizer of the shrimp cocktail. Lois chose a nice bottle of wine for them to split, only because Clark was unfamiliar with some of the newer brands listed in the menu. Then, as Brenda whisked herself away to get their wine and ice waters, they made small talk. It didn’t matter what the subject was about; Clark enjoyed every moment of it.

Dinner was amazing. Clark had remembered The Reef as being exceptionally good, but it was clear that they’d managed to improve upon perfection in the years since he’d last eaten there. The steak was melt-in-your-mouth tender, the lobster tail was exquisitely cooked, the prawns served in a chilled glass with a zesty remoulade were huge and delicious, and the wine was fruity and pleasant; one of the best he’d ever tasted. But it was Lois that made the evening perfect for Clark.

Being with her gave the evening a heightened feel. It enhanced the flavors of his meal. It turned the ordinary low lighting of the restaurant into something ethereal and otherworldly. It made the tea light in the table’s simple, nautical centerpiece romantic. It brought Clark a sense of peace and belonging that he’d never quite known, not even in his short year of working with her at the paper before his world had been torn apart.

Dessert didn’t disappoint either. In place of the molten chocolate cake, they each chose the Crème Brule. Clark moaned in ecstasy as the first bite hit his tongue. He’d nearly forgotten how much he used to enjoy the custardy treat. He used his spoon to point down at the ceramic ramakin it had been served in.

“That is fantastic,” he told Lois. “I can’t believe I’d almost forgotten how good Crème Brule is.”

Lois laughed. “In case you’ve forgotten, you were also never one to turn down a churro.”

“Mmm,” Clark agreed, recalling the cinnamon sugar covered dough sticks. “Those are the best.”

“I promise, I’ll buy you one next time we see a place selling them,” Lois vowed.

“I’ll hold you to it,” Clark replied with a wink.

I’d rather just hold you, his heart thumped with a twinge of desire.

Lois took another bite of her dessert, perhaps so she didn’t need to reply. Before long, the meal was truly over. The last bit of Crème Brule had been dutifully scrapped from the dishes. The last bit of coffee had been drained from their mugs. Clark took the opportunity to pay the bill while Lois used the restroom, before heading to the facilities himself. Once inside, he used the toilet, washed up, then checked his appearance in the mirror. His tie had gone slightly askew, so he fixed it as best he could with fingers that still refused to comply with the silken garment. Then he ducked back out and into the lobby, where Lois was waiting for him.

She was just putting on her coat when he approached. He shrugged into his own coat after helping Lois with hers. She smiled at him in thanks and his heart melted. It seemed like all she’d done that night so far was smile and laugh, and he was feeling quite good about his ability to make her happy. He reached for the door and held it open, then repeated the process at the second door. Outside, clouds had gathered and a soft snowfall had begun – not much more than a flurry, but enough to enhance the magic of the night. And it had somehow warmed up a bit. Not enough to make much of a difference, but Clark could feel it nonetheless as the clouds trapped what precious little heat was in the air.

An idea struck Clark and he subtly guided Lois to the ice-skating rink in the middle of the City Center, around which the flea market had been set up. Soon, Clark knew, the city would bring in a huge Christmas tree. Since it was still before Thanksgiving, the area was practically devoid of the hordes of shoppers and tourists that would descend upon the area like ants on a lump of sugar. Clark spied a wooden bench in the far corner, close to where the tree would soon stand sentinel over the Center. He brought her to it and gestured for her to sit. Once she was settled, Clark reached into the breast pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out the small box he’d placed there earlier, grateful for the fact that no one else was around just then.

“Lois, I have something I’d like to give you. I wanted to wait until the end of the night, once the date was over. But I just can’t help myself. I want you to have it now,” he told her before handing her the small white box.

“Clark? What is it?” she asked, accepting the box.

“Open it,” he encouraged.

Lois peered at him for a heartbeat more, then curiosity got the better of her. She opened the box and gasped. “It’s beautiful!” she exclaimed as she lifted the little glass elephant out to inspect it. “But…why?” she asked, looking up at him with gratitude and wonderment.

“I wanted to get you something to commemorate our first date,” he said simply. “When I saw it, it made me think. Elephants never forget, right? That’s the old saying. Lois, you never forgot me. You never gave up on me. I’m sure pretty much everyone else told you to, am I right? Give up, move on, Clark’s gone for good.”

“Not…everyone,” she hesitantly answered.

“Take away my parents and a few close friends like Perry and Jimmy, and it probably was everyone else saying it,” Clark argued, though kindly. “And no, the other supers don’t count,” he said in an amused whisper. “But…you didn’t.”

“I don’t deserve this,” Lois said, casting her eyes downward. “No, I didn’t give up on you. But there were times, Clark, when I really did wonder if I was wrong. If you were truly gone and I was chasing a fairy tale.” She shook her head, perhaps trying to rid herself of horrors only she could see.

“You would have been crazy not to question yourself,” Clark assured her, reaching over and cupping her chin lovingly.

“I hated those moments. They felt like a betrayal.”

“They weren’t. They were normal, human doubts,” Clark reminded her. “It doesn’t matter. Lois, because of you, I’m alive.”

“Because of Batman, you’re alive,” she corrected in a hushed tone.

But Clark shook his head resolutely. “No. You are the reason I’m alive. When I was found, I was all but dead – in mind, spirit, and body. You brought me back. You gave me a reason to continue on. I might not have known who I was or why you were helping me, but I think I was aware, even on just a primal level, that you were fighting for me.”

He smiled at her and stroked her cheek for a brief moment. “Think about it, Lois. What was the first thing I remembered when my busted-up mind started to heal? It wasn’t the Daily Planet or my parents, or even,” he lowered his voice to all but mouth the next word. “Superman. It was you.” He pointed to the little elephant. “I wanted to give you a reminder of that. You’re the only reason why I’m myself again. I owe you everything.”

He closed his eyes for two heartbeats, then looked her straight in the eyes again. “Lois, I literally lost my mind. You brought it back to me. If I hadn’t already been hopelessly in love with you, I would have fallen for you for all you’ve done for me.”

Lois gave him a mischievous grin. “Love, huh?”

But Clark wasn’t smiling. He was dead serious. “When I told you that I loved you, that day in the park when you were considering Luthor’s proposal…I wasn’t lying. I wasn’t just saying it to dissuade you from getting close to him.”

The smile melted from Lois’ face. “I know. I kept running that conversation over and over in my head. It was a big part of why I didn’t go through with the wedding.” She sighed a bit wistfully. “I’d known for a while that I was developing feelings for you, but that conversation really forced me to look at what those feelings were.”

“So, does that mean you love me too?” Clark teased, falling easily back into the banter that had defined their relationship practically from the start. He leaned in a little to hear her answer.

Lois gently pushed his chest while she bit back a laugh. “Call me crazy, but yes, Clark. I love you. I have for a long time. Which is what kept me going all those years, looking for you.”

“For a long time, I couldn’t remember you,” Clark admitted softly. “And then, suddenly, my memories began to return. I knew I loved you, but, in a way, ever since that first moment of recognition when I knew for sure that I knew you, I’ve been falling in love with you all over again. It’s been…incredible, Lois.”

“I think I know what you mean. For twenty years, I loved a memory. And then you were back but still gone and I had to love you in a different way. Now that you’re completely well and whole again, I can finally fall in love with you the way I was always supposed to,” Lois said, taking hold of his hands. She gently squeezed them in support and love.

“I’m here now,” he told her, his voice low and husky. “And I am never going anywhere ever again,” he vowed.

“You’d better not,” she said, her voice taking on a serious, yet loving, tone. “Because I couldn’t stand it if I ever lost you again, for any reason.”

“Never,” he swore. “I love you, Lois. Always have. Always will.”

“And I love you,” she replied, her eyes sliding halfway shut in an invitation to kiss her.

Clark leaned in, his eyes closing in anticipation. All his life, he’d waited for this moment, when his heart would connect, permanently, with his soul mate. And he’d known for a long time now, that Lois was his soul mate. He’d known it ever since he’d first gotten to know her all those years ago as her willing, though detested, partner at work.

His lips touched hers and all thought was obliterated. The world ceased to exist as an explosion without sound shattered him into a billion happy little pieces while he was simultaneously recreated into a completely new man. He felt as if some threshold had been crossed, though not with Lois; it was obvious that they would never go back to being just friends. No, he felt like he crossed some invisible line within himself. He was no longer merely just Clark Kent. He was Clark Kent, the man who had been specially designed to love Lois Lane for all his life and into the eternal realm that existed beyond the veil of death.

He deepened that first, tentative meeting of their lips, kissing her hard and passionately. A lifetime of looking for her was in that kiss. Decades of waiting to be reunited with her were in it too. Longing, desire, worshipfulness; all of it seeped into that kiss as it spoke of all the ways he wanted to make her happy forever.

When he reluctantly pulled away, he was breathless and his head was swimming with the intoxication that only being in love with Lois could bring. He was almost panting for breath and his heart had reached speeds that he could only dream about achieving in the physical world. He cupped her cold cheek with his gloved hand and rested his forehead against hers.

“I love you, Lois,” he told her in a murmur meant only for her ears.

He sensed, rather than saw, her smile. “I love you too, Clark.”

Love.

His heart exploded and he was, at last, fully reborn from the ashes of his former life like the mythical Phoenix.

“I don’t want this night to end,” he told her.

“It doesn’t have to,” she replied, her voice heavy with desire, though Clark was too much of a gentleman to think of that desire as anything more than a need to be with him wherever they went, rather than in a way that suggested they return home and to the privacy of a bedroom.

He sat back a little and looked over at the ice-skating rink. Then he looked back to Lois. “Would you care to go skating?” he asked, grinning.

Lois peered at the rink, though eagerness shone in her features. “I haven’t been skating since I was in high school,” she admitted hesitantly.

Clark laughed. “Same. But it’s like riding a bike, right? Once you know how to do it, you never forget. Or, at least, I hope that’s the case. I’d hate to embarrass myself in front of you on our first date.”

“First date, huh?” Lois ribbed gently as she put the glass elephant he’d given her back in its box and tucked the whole thing into her purse.

He nodded. “Of course. I’m planning on taking you out a lot more if you’ll let me. I’d rather save embarrassing myself until we’ve had a dozen or so dates,” he joked back with a grin.

Lois leaned in a gave him another, though quick, kiss on his lips. “You’re on,” she told him in a baiting manner. She stood and extended a hand to him, which he took. “Come on. It’s the perfect night for skating. The rink is nearly empty, there’s a snow flurry, and I’ve just had an amazing time with a really incredible guy.”

“I think you mean super guy,” Clark tossed out lightly, though he really wasn’t insinuating that she was dating Superman. After all, the Man of Steel didn’t currently exist.

Lois nodded thoughtfully. “Well, sure,” she agreed after a moment. “He is pretty super, but not for the reasons you might think.” She winked at him and reached out to fiddle with his tie, as if she was about to lead him to the ice by it, like a leash. After a second or two, she let it go again and smoothed it down while she adjusted the buttons of Clark’s coat. “Come on, Farm Boy. Let’s see how much we both remember about skating.”



***

Continued below...

“Sir?” Nigel only half asked as he approached the President’s desk in the Oval Office as he ended the call he’d taken on his private cell phone.

Lex held up one finger as he finished off the email he was working on. When he was done typing, he read it over with a careful, discriminating eye before hitting the Send button. Finished for the moment, he leaned back in his chair and folded his hands together, resting them over his stomach – still more than full from the evening’s delicacies at dinner.

“What is it this time?” Lex asked, knowing from the way Nigel’s frown was creased in concern that whatever he was going to say, it wasn’t good news for Lex.

“It’s Kent again,” Nigel said, clasping his hands behind his back.

Lex scowled and his eyes narrowed dangerously. “Yes, yes, what is that thorn in my side up to now?”

“It seems he’s been a bit more…active, than in the past. My sources confirm that he’s been out and about Metropolis all day.”

Lex’s scowl deepened and he gave Nigel a dark glare. “That’s it? That’s all you’ve come to tell me? That some soft-brained lunatic took a field trip?” It was a struggle for Lex to keep himself from yelling. “Shouldn’t his mind be the consistency of pea-soup?”

“My sources saw he’s looking rather healthy,” Nigel said pointedly.

Lex growled and slammed his palm down on his desk, demanding an answer. “How?”

The older man shrugged. “As you made it abundantly clear to him so long ago, he’s Superman. Apparently, his self-healing is more powerful than we imagined.”

“Apparently,” Lex echoed sourly. He steepled his fingers in thought as he tried to calm his racing, raging thoughts enough to think rationally. “If he’s regained the use of his brain, he might well remember how it was that he got to that point.“

Nigel nodded dourly. “Perhaps. One thing is clear though. I fear he may be getting ready to make some kind of move…toward Lois Lane.”

“Lois?” That name had cut through the other, more important thoughts that were crowding Lex’s mind at the moment. “What does she have to do with anything?” Even now, after twenty-one years, her decision to leave him jilted at the altar brought back fresh rage and disbelief.

“Kent was spotted kissing her not long ago,” Nigel said neutrally.

Lex’s scowl deepened into such a look of contempt that it could have curdled milk. “Is that so?” he asked, his voice cracking with the unbridled hatred he carried for both Lois and the alien nuisance he’d failed to eliminate.

Nigel shrugged. “Priorities,” he gently reminded Lex. “The Lane woman is the least of your worries. As you said before, we can’t be certain he remembers your role in his…prior condition.”

Lex forced himself to mentally take a step back from the idea of Lois cozying up to his hated rival. He took a deep breath in through his nose and let it slowly out of his mouth. “Of course,” he allowed, the calmness in his voice a thin veneer covering the roiling rage beneath the surface. “Of course,” he repeated, this time with a nod. “You were right, Nigel. I was, perhaps, a bit too eager to gloat in my victory when he was my prisoner. I should have eliminated him right then and there, when I had him in that cage.”

A fleeting look of smugness crossed Nigel’s features for half a heartbeat before it was gone again. “Perhaps,” he agreed. “But we’ve tried to eliminate him since his unexpected rescue,” he reminded Lex.

“Which failed,” Lex pointed out, angrily jabbing his finger down onto the surface of his desk.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Nigel calmly countered with a shallow shrug.

Lex nodded. “It wasn’t built on failures either. Get one of your contacts out there now. Direct them to one of our contingency shelters for what they’ll need. I want him erased, for good, by the end of the night,” he snarled.


***



Clark glided across the ice in a graceful manner, pleased that he hadn’t lost any of his ability to ice-skate. In fact, he felt like he was doing a better job of it now than he ever had before. But perhaps that was because he was well-versed in flying now, albeit through the air, rather than on the razor-sharp, thin blades beneath his booted feet. Beside him, Lois was matching him, movement for movement, and looking as graceful as any angel come to Earth for a little bit of wintertime fun. It was hard for him to pull his eyes away from her.

It was snowing a little more heavily now than it had when they’d first stepped onto the ice. It was, by no means, a storm, but it was just thick and heavy enough to stick and give everything a thin patina of whiteness. With the flakes flying in the air and the bright lights around the rink, Lois seemed to actually glow. With every laugh, every breath, puffs of white mist appeared before her lips – lips that Clark still couldn’t believe he’d actually been allowed to kiss.

“Wait, wait,” Lois puffed, breaking the magical winter spell that had enchanted Clark’s eyes. She glided over to the railing around the edge of the rink. “I need to catch my breath for a moment,” she apologized.

“Take your time,” Clark told her as he skidded to a stop and then leaned his back on the high wooden rail. He looked around at the sparsely populated rink for a moment, watching other couples skating together and kids falling and stumbling their way around the ice. “I can’t believe how much I missed doing simple things like this,” he said after a moment, well aware of the wonderment in his voice. He looked at Lois. “Thanks for indulging me on this.”

Lois shook her head. “Don’t thank me. This was all your idea and I’ve really been having a great time.” She flashed him a smile that seemed somehow private - like it was meant for him and him alone.

“Yeah, but you could have said no,” he good-naturedly needled her.

“I could have,” she agreed, “but I would have missed out on an amazing night.”

He reached out and cupped her cheek. “This has been the best night of my life,” he told her.

“Mine too,” she replied, just before he leaned over and claimed her lips with his own.

Fireworks shot off behind his closed eyelids and fire was kindled in his blood. Every time he kissed her, it was like a volcano was erupting inside of him, as all his love made his heart literally ache as it beat wildly within his ribs. But this time, he kept the kiss short out of respect for the people around him. He had forever to show Lois just how much he loved her. There was no need to put it out on display for the public’s view. Lois shivered a little as they parted.

“Cold?” he asked.

“A little, despite the workout we’ve been getting for the last hour,” she replied with a grin.

Clark nodded. “I think I can remedy that,” he said.

She gently swatted his chest, then spoke in a near-whisper. “Don’t you dare heat-vision me in public.”

He chuckled. “I wasn’t thinking of that, but now that you mention it…” He let his voice trail off deliberately, teasing her.

“Not a chance, Farm Boy,” she mock-warned.

He laughed again and threw his hands up in surrender. “Okay, you win. I was thinking about hot chocolate anyway.”

“Mmm.” Lois closed her eyes as the thought of a nice, steaming hot cup of melted chocolate clearly came into her mind at the suggestion. “Sounds wonderful,” she said.

“Okay, let’s return the skates and head across the street. I saw a café over there when we passed by earlier.”

“Perfect,” Lois said.

Clark hesitated. “Unless you want me to get the drinks to go and keep skating once we’re done,” he offered.

But Lois shook her head. “I think I’m good for the night. Any more and I might be too sore to move in the morning. Those first few falls I took were pretty hard.” She took his hand and led him back toward the open space in the railing that passed for an entrance and exit.

“Sorry. I should have been quicker to catch you,” Clark apologized. “I guess I was a little distracted.” He ran his free hand through his hair.

“Don’t worry about it,” Lois said, brushing off his concern. “It’s nothing. But I am ready to sit inside and warm up a little.”

“Your wish is my command,” Clark said as they reached the exit. He helped Lois through first, then climbed over the miniature step.

Lois hummed a sound of acknowledgement as Clark helped her while they both awkwardly shuffled to the closest bench. Clark knelt down and untied Lois’ skates and gently eased them off her feet. Lois sighed in relief as the boots left her feet and Clark wondered if they’d perhaps been too tight or if they’d gotten too warm as they’d made lap after lap around the rink. He said nothing though and pulled Lois’ shoes out of the shoe cubby. She took them from him with a grateful smile, but wouldn’t allow him to help her with them.

“Thanks, Clark, but you don’t have to do that,” she told him as she lovingly touched the back of his hand.

“I like doing things for you. I always have,” he told her.

“I know,” she allowed with a single nod of her head. “And I appreciate it. But you’re not my personal servant or anything.”

“Would it be such a bad thing if I was?” he joked. Then, more seriously, “Lois, you’ve gone above and beyond for me. I can never repay you for that.”

“I don’t need repayment,” she stressed, interrupting him.

“I know that. And I’m not doing this out of…obligation or anything,” he amended, truthfully. “But it makes me happy to do little things for you. I like making you happy.”

“You already make me happy, Clark. You know that, right?” she said, taking his hand and making him sit down next to her. “Just by being you and by being with me. Clark, I spent a long, long time thinking I might never see you again. All I want now is to just be with you, like we used to be, before any of this happened. Only, it’s better now, because I’m finally letting myself love you.”

Clark nodded thoughtfully and started to untie his own laces. “Things are better for me too,” he replied after a moment. “Because I can finally be honest with you about who I am. And about how much I love you. Back then…keeping those secrets…it almost tore me in half sometimes. I’d fluctuate between wanting to tell you everything one moment and being terrified of you rejecting me and becoming more committed to keeping my secrets than ever before in the next moment.”

He sighed and watched as a man and a woman – both clearly expert skaters – spun each other around the middle of the ice, flipping and twirling and reversing direction with ease. “I never want to go back to that kind of life, Lois. Not with you. I prefer this. This not hiding. This not pretending. This not worrying about how and when to tell you things. This not wondering if you’ll be revolted by my…unique origins.” He shifted his gaze to her and smiled. “For a long time, even before Luthor, I was an outsider, always looking in. I could blend in and act like everyone else, but I was always, always set apart from them. Until you. The day I met you, I felt like I’d finally found where I belonged – in Metropolis, at your side. I finally felt like I fit in.”

He left his untied skates on his feet, and took Lois’ hand, entwining his fingers with hers. “I met you and I found my heart, Lois.”

She gave him a wobbly, emotional smile in return. “And I’d spent my life wondering if there was even one decent man out there. Someone who wouldn’t look at me and see an opportunity to use and humiliate me. I was so scared that you’d be the same when Perry teamed us up. How could you not? You were – still are – handsome and competent and smart. And that scared me even more. Even if you didn’t outright steal from me, surely you’d use my reputation to boost your own and get ahead.”

She shook her head at the absurdity of her statements. “Then I got to know you. The real you. Not the…projection of yourself that you would occasionally disappear into thin air to become, for the benefit of society,” she said cautiously, keeping her words deliberately soft and vague. “And I learned I was wrong. What was more? I learned how to trust again. For the first time in my life, I knew I’d found a best friend who I could always count on. And then you slipped even deeper into my heart and I found that I could love again.”

“I will always be that guy, Lois. I swear it. I’ll always be there for you…barring any other unforeseen…uh…incidents,” he weakly joked. “I will never hurt you. I’ll never give you a reason to cry ever again.”

“You better not. Twenty years of tears is enough to last a lifetime,” Lois said, reaching out to gently stroke his cheek.

“Once we get justice and see Luthor behind bars, we’ll never need to worry about that again,” Clark said with conviction. Then he shook his head ever so softly. “I’m just not entirely sure how we’re going to go about that. Yet.”

“We’ll find a way, partner,” she said with a chuckle, bumping her shoulder into his in a comfortable, friendly way.

“You’re right, as always,” he said, shooting back a smile. Then he reached down to pull his skates off and change back into his regular shoes. “But first thing’s first. I owe you a hot chocolate.”



***



“That may have been the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had,” Lois said, two hours later as she and Clark left the quaint little café and went back out into the cold night.

“Agreed. And that scone was incredible,” Clark added. “I’ve had authentic scones before and that was definitely authentic.”

Lois hummed her agreement. “Maybe we should have gotten some for the morning,” she mused as they crossed the street just before the light could change.

“Or maybe we can just make it another date night and come back here,” Clark offered with a wolfish grin.

Lois laughed and nodded. “Maybe,” she allowed.

“I mean, there will be other dates, right?” Clark said after a moment. “Because I can only speak for myself, but this was the best night of my life, Lois. I had such a great time with you.”

“I had a really great time with you too,” she said, flashing him her brightest smile. “I’d love to go out again. And, if I’m not being too forward, soon.”

“As soon as possible,” Clark vowed, pulling her a little closer to him as they walked. He hoped his close proximity to her was helping to keep her warm as the snow continued to fall.

They turned down the street where the parking garage was. Everything was still and quiet and Clark felt at peace. He and Lois had had an amazing conversation in the café, and he was still counting his lucky stars that he was dating her. That was why he wasn’t aware that they were being followed. They reached the corner of the garage to where the elevators and stairs were without incident. But as Clark reached for the call button of the elevator for the ride up to the fourth level, he was suddenly aware that someone was standing right behind him. He turned to see who was there, but he never got out so much as a single word. The man standing there pulled the trigger of his gun and Clark’s left side exploded into a mist of red blood before he slumped, unmoving, to the concrete at her feet.




To Be Continued…