Hi guys!
I've missed you all. Anyway, I just saw the movie "Enchanted" and I thought it was absolutely adorable. I've been in a terrible writing dry spell, so it sort of pushed me to write this small one shot. It's ridiculously short, but... well, I think I have to start small and work my way back up.
Oh, this changes the timeline of the show just a little bit. In this, Scardino and Lois meet before Christmas in the second season.
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Thousands of Christmas lights twinkled from the ceiling of the ballroom, casting a warm glow on the faces below. Couples twirled on the floor, and the laughter rose up like a current of warm air. A plain wood dance floor gleamed gold in the light, and a brilliantly lit up Christmas tree occupied the corner of the room.
A little off the floor below, Clark watched Lois dance with Scardino, a sharp pain ricocheting around in his chest at the sight. She was beautiful, her dark hair contrasting sharply with the red of her dress, the lights sparkling off some clip in her hair. The glitter in her eyes shone more brightly than the lights above her, as she leaned in toward her dance partner and then laughed at something he said.
The Daily Planet Christmas party was an annual event, and last year, his first year at the Planet, he and Lois had gone as friends. Now Daniel Scardino was in the picture, and Clark had attended the year’s festivities alone. A big hand clapped him on the shoulder, and he jumped, having been focusing all of his attention on Lois.
“Son, you look lonelier than the King singing Blue Christmas,” Perry said conversationally. Clark turned his neck to face him, though he kept his body toward the floor.
“Hey Chief,” he said a little dully. After a moment to collect himself, he rephrased his greeting. “Sorry Chief. I was a little out of it there. Just thinking. This has been a great party.” He spoke fast, a false note of cheer infused in his voice.
“You can still dance with her, Kent. There isn’t a thing in the rules about plain dancing with her. In fact it’s almost a tradition.”
At Clark’s raised eyebrow, Perry gave him a small smile. “Well you danced with her last year, didn’t you? So you do it again this year. That constitutes a tradition, my friend.”
“You don’t think Scar--”
“I think you just do entirely too much thinking, Clark.”
He couldn’t argue with that. The upbeat song Lois and Scardino were twirling to had just ended, and they both looked a little winded, albeit happy. Before he could second guess himself, Clark cut his way through the dance floor, mumbling ‘excuse me’ to his coworkers and their dates.
“Lois,” he said when he finally reached her. He gave Dan a curt nod, and then softened it with a sincere smile as he turned back to Lois. “Would you mind dancing the next one with me?”
She gave him a long look during which he twiddled his thumbs and felt like he was back in the second grade waiting for the terrifying Ms. Grubbowitz to determine if his fingernails were clean enough to eat his lunch. When she finally smiled and nodded, he let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he had been holding, a rush of pure relief flowing through him.
Lois looked behind his shoulder for a moment, having a conversation with her eyes with Dan Scardino. She must have won, because in the next second he stomped away.
Scarcely believing his good luck, Clark slipped a hand on her waist and raised his other to clasp her hand in his. A new song was starting up, a slow ballad that sped his heart up as she met his gaze.
“Are you having a good time?” he asked a moment later, after he swallowed the lump in his throat. A couple danced past, and Clark instinctively pulled her closer to him to keep her out of their way. She didn’t pull back, and when she spoke, her breath was warm on his neck.
“Mmm… it’s been okay,” she said. A moment later, she smiled in pleasure as she recognized the song playing. “Oh Clark, I love this song.” She rested her cheek against his shoulder and pulled her hand from his, instead looping them both around his waist. It took him a moment to realize she was humming softly.
Taking a chance, Clark held his breath as he skimmed his now free hand down along her back. He closed his eyes for a moment at the sensation, bowing his head to allow his chin to touch the smooth skin of her shoulder.
“A life goes by, romantic dreams will stop,” she murmured against his neck. He paused, his hand stilling. He pulled his head back slightly, just enough to look down into her eyes. She was still resting her head against his chest, and his breath caught.
“So I bid mine goodbye and never knew, so close was waiting here with you,” she said again, her eyes closed.
It took him a moment like an eternity to realize that the words she was mumbling against his chest were reverberating around him as the lyrics to the song. She was singing, but more like barely murmuring the words against his shirt. The mystery thus solved, and his heart beating a little fiercer in his chest because of it, he rested his chin back on her shoulder again.
“All that I wanted, to hold you so close,” he said to her, so softly he wasn’t sure she heard him. Wasn’t sure if he wanted her to hear him. “I’m so close to reaching that famous happy ending.”
She opened her eyes at that, fear clearly reflecting back at him. “I’m almost believing this is not pretend,” she met his gaze and he touched her cheek.
“I don’t know if we’re singing the song, anymore, Lois.” His fingers brushed a soft wisp of hair behind her ear. She let out a shaky breath that fanned across his lips.
“I know.”
He pulled her more tightly against him, anticipating her withdrawal from him and powerless to stop it. He expected her next words, but the blow was hardly lessened.
“We can’t do this, Clark.”
“I know,” he breathed, keeping her close to him. For one long moment, he desperately tried to memorize her feel, and her scent, and the sound of her voice, but he released her from his arms.
“You… you won’t be alone for the holidays, will you?”
“I have Dan, Clark,” she said to him. “I won’t be alone.”
At that, his heart contracted violently in his chest, and he shut his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again. “Right… right, of course you won’t.”
She seemed desperate to hold up the conversation now, but he couldn’t stand there with her a moment longer. “What are you doing for Christmas, Clark? Going home to your parents’?”
He nodded, and then gently disentangled her from him. He hesitated for just a moment, bringing his hand to rest briefly against her cheek. “Merry Christmas, Lois.”
He was out of her arms and slipping through the crowd before she could return the sentiment. Her gaze followed his retreating form, an ache in her chest that she idly tried to rub away. After a moment, she dropped her hand and stepped back into Daniel Scardino’s waiting arms.
She didn’t jump at the sudden contact. Instead, she simply watched Clark opened the big doors to the ballroom and step out into the freezing night.
“You okay, babe?” Dan whispered in her ear. She turned to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. If she closed her eyes, she could just picture that it was a different chest she laid her head upon.
“So close,” she whispered to him.
Unsure as to what to do, Dan pulled her closer to him.
“Of course we are, babe. It’s why we work so well together.”
With her head buried against his chest, he didn’t even feel the single tear that dropped against his suit jacket.
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What'd you guys think? Methinks I cheated a little by having my fic be a songfic, which I normally dislike. But the song was just so gosh darned romantic. And one of these days, I'll write something with a little more substance. :rolleyes: I'll fetch the lyrics for anyone who is interested.
It's by Jon McLaughlin.
You’re in my arms
And all the world is calm
The music playing on for only two
So close together
And when I’m with you
So close to feeling alive
A life goes by
Romantic dreams will stop
So I bid mine goodbye and never knew
So close was waiting, waiting here with you
And now forever I know
All that I wanted to hold you
So close
So close to reaching that famous happy end
Almost believing this was not pretend
And now you’re beside me and look how far we’ve come
So far we are so close
How could I face the faceless days
If I should lose you now?
We’re so close
To reaching that famous happy end
And almost believing this was not pretend
Let’s go on dreaming for we know we are
So close
So close
And still so far
