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Hey! First time on the "new" boards! Which is more of a comment on how long it's been since I last posted...
Just hope I get all the links right.
But if anyone can remember that far back, at the end of the last part, we left Lois and Clark in a mutual embrace that sparked an appearance of that unusual being formed from the joining of their souls. Would anyone believe me if I said it took this long to post another chapter because the characters objected to having to let each other go?
I thought not...
Anyway, back in Colorado, our favourite couple are still in each other's arms and in no hurry to change the situation. Why? Well...
*****
Now read on:"Wonderful" was a word that Clark might well have used to describe his current situation -- being the recipient of such an... exuberant hug from Lois, and with the opportunity to return it -- but that would have required rather more higher brain function than was available just then. After being so wary of even seeming to push Lois into something that she was uncomfortable with, to have her react like this had pretty much dumbfounded him.
Not that he had any intention of complaining -- or, indeed, moving just then. No, however he had come to find himself in this situation, something literally out of a dream, he had no wish to break the spell and shatter the tranquillity and closeness that were simultaneously soothing his anxieties and tormenting his already hyper-alert senses.
Almost unconsciously, he sighed softly. Lois heard the small, contented sound and hugged him even harder.
He likes this! Me, too... Then, perhaps despite her wish to stay right where she was for an indefinite, but very long, period, her mind began to tick over just a little...
Well, of course he likes it, she thought,
He's the one who changed universes to be with me; he's the one who thinks I'm so important -- far more important than any man has ever imagined that I could
be to him! He's also the guy who reads computer screens over my shoulder, and I don't care, and the guy whose instinctive reaction when I'm upset is to ask how he can help and offer to hug me -- provided I don't object.
There's no doubt about it: Clark is a very tactile kind of person -- with me -- and it feels soooo good... I just hope he might want, some day -- if he doesn't already -- to take things further.Eventually -- and it was eventually, too; neither Lois nor Clark knew how long they'd been standing there, oblivious to the world and deeply content in the peace they found just being close to one another, but it must have been quite some time -- they drew apart, both blushing slightly as they realised just
how content they'd been. Unfortunately, they both looked away in embarrassment, thereby completely failing to realise that the
other felt exactly the same. Still, for all their discomfiture, the couple were reluctant to completely let go of each other, and only after another lengthy pause did they slowly, almost haltingly begin to walk away from the place where they'd shared that remarkable closeness -- hand in hand.
They didn't go far. Clark led Lois off the path they'd followed and behind a hedge; then, casting a rapid glance around to see that they were out of sight, he reluctantly released her hand and spun into the suit. Once attired in the red-and-blue, he slung the bag over his shoulder and renewed contact with Lois -- for that was what he felt he was doing, with an urgency that surprised him -- by scooping her up into their usual flying position.
Lois' head was whirling -- but in a remarkably pleasant way. She was still feeling a little light-headed from that hug, and was also absently wondering both why that was and why she had felt so bereft when deprived of Clark's touch for the few seconds it took for him to change into Superman; to that was added an electric tingle that made her shiver as that touch returned when Clark swept her off her feet, as well as the inevitable effects of being picked up in those super-strong, but so gentle arms... It was all very dizzy-making, but she had no complaints; quite the opposite, in fact, and she couldn't help giggling as she settled into the familiar carrying position and snuggled up against him -- perhaps a little closer than usual?
*****
Clark's take-off was perhaps less graceful than usual; he was having trouble concentrating. Concentrating on something other than the feel of Lois against him, that is: she was wriggling ever so slightly as she got perfectly comfortable, which was not unusual -- but was always distracting. What
was different was that she was holding him that bit tighter than usual, which magnified every sensation as she moved, and the those magnified sensations had gone from 'distracting' to torturous! She was driving him crazy! Super-senses had their drawbacks at times...
He set course for home and mentally sighed with relief as Lois finally stopped her fidgeting, but his hyper-awareness of her closeness was only heightened when she laid her head on his shoulder and relaxed against him with her eyes shut... and began to hum!
To add to his... well, call it frustration; it was little else, and yet so much more -- he
almost recognised the song she was playing in her head. From what little he could hear, for her humming was intermittent and mixed with other sub-vocal sounds, presumably as the music in her head changed in emphasis from, say, melody to percussion, it was a catchy song with a strong rhythm -- and, to his amazement, it sounded vaguely Country and Western! That was
not something he'd have expected from Lois, who was an urban woman if there ever was one. He knew her tastes in music, as represented in her record collection, were pretty eclectic, ranging from heavy metal to jazz to classics by way of most intermediate steps, with occasional ventures into certain
outré forms -- but
country? He'd have said no, but there she was, humming along and seemingly loving it.
Little did he know that Lois had only heard the song in question the day before, but had been inspired by its words, which she fully intended to put into action. Yes, indeed, she was going to get Clark Kent, and get him good!
*****
Superman floated slowly through the open window and landed gently on the floor of Lois' living room -- well, almost. In fact, he remained an inch or two off the floor, hovering silently and virtually motionless; Lois had dozed off on the journey back to Metropolis and he didn't want to disturb her. He knew he'd have to, eventually, but she looked so comfortable -- and so incredibly beautiful -- and it felt so wonderful to hold her like this that he just wanted to stay in this moment, here with her in his arms and at peace.
So he did. It wasn't as though she was any sort of burden to him, either physically or otherwise, so he softly blew the window shut and moved a little further into the room, away from prying eyes, and then just remained where he was, floating in the middle of her apartment -- and, with her in his arms like this, in Heaven.
Lois was asleep, so Clark felt safe in loosening some of the self-control that he'd done his best to exert around her all afternoon. He was certain that she had no idea just how much she had come to mean to him, and doubly sure that she would be horrified -- frightened and angry -- if she did know; but right now, when she was asleep and he had a legitimate reason to hold her like this, he could relax, just a little, and watch her without having to hide his love for her.
He stared at her, drinking in her loveliness and vowing yet again that nothing would happen to her if it was in his power to prevent it, until, unable to resist, he placed the softest of kisses on her hair.
Oh, Lois... he thought to himself, loving her and suddenly finding it difficult to articulate the depth of that emotion, even to himself.
Looking back, he was positive that he didn't say anything out loud, but Lois reacted as if he had -- or so it seemed. She snuggled against him and murmured something like "Mmm... Clark..." in a remarkably contented tone of voice... and then she woke up.
She opened her eyes and lifted her head just enough to meet his slightly startled -- and embarrassed, though he tried to hide it -- gaze. He may have been surprised by her return to consciousness, but she wasn't; she was, it appeared, quite happy, for she gave him a blinding smile that literally staggered him with its beauty -- not physically, for he was still in mid-air, but mentally and emotionally; he couldn't look away from the vision that she made, and the world faded away as they shared another of those moments when the connection between them dominated their awareness -- especially of one another.
When, as they saw it, the world returned, they might have been embarrassed -- Clark in particular, given the emotions that he had just allowed himself to express, however much he may have felt that they needed to be kept hidden from Lois -- at the strength of this uncanny link between them, but somehow, they were not. Instead, they shared a moment of mutual delight in the other's presence, expressed by matching smiles --
and carefully-disguised reactions to those smiles.
"Hey, sleepy-head," Clark murmured softly, breaking the comfortable silence before it could become uneasy or worse. "You're home." He finally allowed his feet to touch the floor and gently set Lois onto her feet. She was a little unsteady at first and hung onto him, glad of his size and strength and the support he quickly offered, even as he unslung her bag from under his cape and placed it on the floor -- and, if she took somewhat longer to "recover her balance" than she really needed, neither he nor she minded; both found the closeness of the other to be something that they would happily prolong for as long as possible.
It was unfortunate, but Lois came to the conclusion after a few minutes that she couldn't really keep pretending to be regaining her balance any longer, so she pulled away from Superman -- but then inspiration struck, and she dived back into his arms for another hug, explaining it by a soft, "Thanks for everything, Clark" -- which also served to hide her gleeful grin at finding a good reason to keep in contact with him. Only then did she step back from him fully, suppressing a small sigh at having to do so. Still, there was always the rest of the evening...
Or was there? They hadn't actually made any plans for the evening, not knowing how Lois would feel after a weekend of trying to come to terms with the changes in her life -- and the idea that all her soul-searching, for that was what it had truly come down to, could lead to her current state of... satisfaction with the world, and her partner in particular, was, she was sure, not thought by either of them to be a likely situation, so Clark was liable to be expecting that she'd want to spend the evening by herself, preparing herself for the coming working week...
And, sure enough, there he was, edging towards the window, ready to zoom off and give her the space that he thought she needed and wanted -- except that she
didn't need to be by herself, and the space that she really wanted was inside those wonderful arms of his when they were wrapped around her... so she'd better do something before he flew off!
Luckily, inspiration was only a stomach rumble away. "So, Clark," she said nonchalantly, as though the thought of him leaving had never crossed her mind, and shouldn't have crossed his either, "what's for dinner?"
That caught him by surprise, and he was taken aback for a moment, but he recovered quickly -- and, Lois noted, with a gleeful, if well-hidden enthusiasm that showed that she had been right: he'd much rather stay, but had expected and been prepared to leave because he thought that that was what
she wanted. "I don't know, Lois... Any preferences?"
"As a matter of fact, yes," she replied, her mind racing through the beginnings of a plan that would ensure that he stuck around for more than a little while. "I spent the last two days eating fancy hotel food -- and don't get me wrong, it was great, but I couldn't live on
haute cuisine all the time -- so what I'd really like is a simple, home-cooked meal." She paused and flashed him a wicked (and utterly captivating) grin. "But you
know what I'm like as a cook..."
Clark couldn't help himself; he laughed and responded to her grin with one of those megawatt smiles. Much to Lois' delight, he picked up her joking suggestion and ran with it. "Well, I know what you
say you're like, Lois... but I'd still like to try some of those six dishes that you say are all you can manage. In case you hadn't noticed, I like pasta and chocolate, too...
"But okay, if you can stand me using your kitchen, then I'd be happy to make dinner. Once again, any preferences for your simple, home-made meal?"
They tossed around a few ideas for a little while, eventually settling on a concoction that was anything but "fancy cooking," resembling nothing so much as a Chinese stir-fry done in a vaguely Italian sauce. Lois was certain that no chef in the world would ever come up with such a mixture of tastes and cuisines, and even Clark looked a little askance at what he was about to do, but she thought it sounded delicious.
And so it proved, once Clark zipped over to his apartment for his wok and assorted implements and condiments that Lois' kitchen lacked, and then raced off to various stores to collect the main ingredients -- and a couple of unexpected extras like wine and some French brie for afters. Once he'd got everything, he reappeared in the living room, spun into the comfortable but dressy clothes that he'd worn to collect her from the hotel (minus the jacket, and with the shirt-sleeves rolled up) and headed for the kitchen.
Watching Clark cook was a dizzying experience. He'd suddenly put on a burst of super-speed, and food would vanish into a blur, re-emerging in neat piles on the kitchen counter after being chopped, sliced, diced or whatever before disappearing again into the wok or a saucepan, or even ending up neatly arranged on a plate or serving dish; but then he'd slow down again, performing certain arcane operations (or so they seemed to Lois) at normal speed, or with such care that he almost seemed to be moving slower than an ordinary cook. Lois couldn't work out why some things could be done so fast and others not, but she assumed that he did and was quite happy to leave that to him. Besides, when he slowed down, she could admire him better -- and he was well worth admiring, even while doing totally incomprehensible things in the kitchen.
In what was either a remarkably short time or one which stretched out interminably (but not unpleasantly), Clark was placing warm plates full of his (or their) latest creation on the table, giving the wine a final chill with his breath before pouring it, and standing behind Lois' chair to seat her formally. She thought he was hamming it up a bit with the chair, but went along with him, and then promptly forgot all about it when her senses of smell and taste went into overload upon close encounter with dinner.
Hunger is said to be the best sauce, but this recipe ran it close; and they were hungry, too, so it was no surprise to either of them that they mostly ate in silence, wolfing down the food with only the occasional short conversation on one or other aspect of their culinary handiwork as relief from dedicated dining. It was a moot point as to whether it took Lois and Clark longer to clean their plates than it did for Clark to wash them subsequently; either way, they felt that they'd eaten extremely well, and Lois even had some leftovers for the next day or two -- provided her usual dysfunctional relationship with her kitchen didn't lead to their destruction (probably by fire) when she tried to reheat them.
They retired to the living room to finish the wine and broaden the conversation -- and, though neither of them would admit it for their own reasons, to enjoy the other's company. They talked and joked about anything and everything for quite a while -- the perfect evening, until Clark's head shot up and an all-too-familiar look appeared on his face.
"Oh, no..." he groaned -- and it was definitely a groan, the heartfelt expression of pained disgust at having their time together interrupted by... what? By the way he was getting to his feet, staring out the window over the top of his glasses, Lois knew it must be some kind of emergency, but what and where?
Much to her delight, if that was an appropriate feeling in this situation, she didn't even have to ask; Clark cast a sorrowful look at her and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Lois; I have to go. There's a fire over in Hobbs Bay: another old apartment building, about a block from the last one -- remember?"
Lois remembered. She also remembered Clark's reaction to the previous fire, and her heart went out to him. But that wasn't enough; she quickly got up and went over to him, catching him and grabbing him by the shoulders just before he began his spin-transformation.
"Listen," she said, softly but firmly, looking deep into his slightly startled eyes, "I know you have to go, and I wouldn't have things any other way, but don't forget that you're not God, and you're not alone. If it's as bad as the last one, or even if it's not but you still need someone to talk to, I'm here. And I don't care if it's the middle of the night, or when it is; if you need me, I'm here. Okay?"
Clark looked stunned, as if this was the last thing he'd expected her to say. Lois felt a twinge of annoyance at that -- just what kind of a friend did he think she was? -- but ignored it, figuring that it wasn't so much the offer of help that had surprised him as the timing. He'd just been relaxing, becoming that bit less wary that anything he might say or do could be construed as pushing her, and now here she was, doing a little pushing herself! She hoped he might get the idea and not be quite so careful around her now, but she'd have to wait and see about that; right now, he was going off to help and needed to know that there was help for
him as well.
So, to put the final seal on her promise of support, she quickly stood on tip-toe and gently kissed him on the cheek. "For luck," she whispered, "Or in case you need it. Now go..."
She stepped back from the now even more startled Clark, who gaped at her for a moment or two, seemingly paralysed with shock, before shaking it off and spinning into the suit. He didn't zoom off immediately, though, meeting her gaze with an intense one of his own in which she could read a torrent of feelings that she would later spend hours recalling with a longing that was both wonderful and terrible. For, in that moment, Lois knew that she'd been right: Clark Kent, alias Kal-El, alias Superman, man from another planet and another dimension, loved her, wanted her,
needed her... as she had come to love, want and need him. It was an exhilarating prospect, and it was utterly terrifying at the same time; it was everything she had ever wanted in the way of a relationship, even as she had been convinced that it was impossible; and yet, there it--
he was. All she had to do was take the risk of loving him and letting herself be loved by him; and, in truth, she'd done half of that (the easy half?) already.
Clark, the call for his help ever strong in his awareness, once again overcame his near-daze, but he didn't disappear immediately. Instead, he gave Lois a small smile, tilting his head to one side as though to see her, or some aspect of her, that bit better. Then he replied softly, "Thank you, Lois. I won't forget..."
And he was gone, the windows rattling and the curtains billowing in his wake, and the familiar sonic boom resounding in the night. Behind him, Lois looked out at where he had been; he was long gone, as only he could be, but she continued to gaze out into the darkness, lost in her thoughts and contemplation of the future -- and of the man who would, she was sure, play a major role in shaping that future... one way or another.
*****
Fade to black...
But we're nothing like done yet, FoLCs! Join us next time (but don't ask when that will be! :rolleyes: ) for the start of a working week that will be unlike any other in Lois and Clark's experience -- for which they will be truly thankful!
Oh, and 10 points go to anyone who can identify the song Lois hums from the very few clues in the text... 
Phil
