Chapter 6
Lois spent all evening and most of the night pacing her hotel room.
Clark's revelation affected so much. They loved each other; that she never doubted. But could she trust him? She'd been burned so many times by people she thought she could trust, would he be any different? If she couldn't trust Clark, then that was the end as far as a relationship went. No matter how much she loved him.
Even if she could trust him, that wasn't the end of it. Knowing what she did now, her perspective of so many of their dealings had changed, and she had to get used to that. Pieces were falling into place and snippets from the past were making sense all of a sudden- but at the same time, so many of her assumptions and conclusions were being proven false. Things like the real reason Clark had left during the heatwave, what had really triggered his attack of amnesia during the Nightfall episode, even little things like how Superman had known where her desk was on that first day, were suddenly being explained. It was a lot to process and take in.
Assuming she could deal with the past, there was still the future to contend with. When Lois had fallen for Clark, she thought she was getting a regular guy- quirky, but regular. Instead, he was Superman, for crying out loud! She'd never be able to depend on him being there, even for important things. She'd have to share him with the world, she wouldn't have a choice. Demanding his presence when someone else needed him... She wouldn't do that to either of them.
Around dawn, no closer to a decision but unable to stay awake any longer, she collapsed into an exhausted and fitful sleep.
***
When Lois awoke late in the morning, her eyes were heavy and felt like they were packed with sand. Too many nights with too little sleep were beginning to take their toll, but she felt both calmer and more clear-headed than she had last night.
All of the negatives… they were all linked to one thing- Clark’s secret. Could she really fault him for trying to protect himself and his family? For trying to have some sort of a normal life?
And could she really let that stand in the way of having a relationship with the only man she’d ever loved?
She left her morning cup of coffee half-drunk and rushed out the door.
She needed to see Clark.
***
Clark had spent the time apart from Lois vacillating between hope and despair. Lois loved him; he was so close to getting everything he’d always wanted. Surely fate couldn’t be cruel enough to rip that away, right?
But then he’d remember that he’d been close to getting everything he’d ever dreamed about before and lost it, and he’d plunge back into despair again.
As the morning dwindled towards the afternoon with still no word from Lois, he became more and more convinced that he’d lost her; that his attempt to live a normal life had backfired and driven away the only woman he’d ever loved.
He was pacing on the ceiling when a knock sounded on his door. Unwilling to see anyone else, he lowered his glasses and x-rayed the door.
It was Lois.
His anxiety built to the point where it felt like it was almost choking him. Heart pounding, he dropped to the floor and opened the door, steeling himself to be let down gently.
Instead, she slid an arm around his waist and turned her face up to be kissed. A little confused- he’d been so sure she’d tell him she never wanted to see him again- he obliged, feeling the familiar surge of passion send his heart racing even faster.
“Does this mean you’ve forgiven me?” he asked when he could speak again.
“Did you doubt me?”
“That you love me? No. But it was a pretty monumental lie, Lois. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m not happy that you lied to me, Clark.” She shrugged. “Then I realised that every time you lied to me, it was to protect your secret. And I decided I can live with that.” She fixed him with a glare. “But no more secrets.”
He gave her a shaky, lopsided smile as he sketched a ‘Scout’s honour’ salute. “No secrets.” He pulled her closer again, burying his face in her silky dark hair. She really was incredible. He’d deceived her for two years, made her think that he was two different people, left her- and she still loved him.
He’d never do anything to put that in jeopardy again.
Finally, he let her go, stepping back and dropping onto the couch, still feeling shaky from sheer relief. She sat down next to him.
“You still should’ve told me earlier.”
“I wish I had.”
“So why didn’t you?”
“At first… I didn’t know if I could trust you. You’re a world- class reporter and Superman was big news. Then, by the time I figured out that I could trust you, you and Luthor were getting pretty close.” He tapered off, remembering that awful time when he’d felt powerless to stop her from marrying a monster- and feeling bad for reminding her, as well.
“I would never-“
He held up a hand, cutting her off. “I know you wouldn’t have told him, Lois. But Luthor had- has- a way of finding things out. After that… I’d been keeping up the charade for so long, I didn’t know how to tell you. And the longer I waited, the harder it got.”
“So why not after we started dating? Didn't you think I deserved to know the truth about who I was dating?”
“I wanted you to want Clark Kent, not Superman. The real me.”
“But Clark Kent isn’t the real you any more than Superman is.”
He must have looked as puzzled as he felt because she made an exasperated noise before continuing. “You use your powers when you’re not dressed as Superman, don’t you?” He nodded. “In fact, I’d be willing to bet that when you’re alone or around people that know, you use your powers as naturally as breathing.” He nodded again. “See, that’s my point. You’re not really Clark Kent or really Superman… the real you is somewhere between the two.” She flopped against him. “I just wish you’d let me see that earlier.”
“You’re angry with me.”
“A little,” she admitted. “It comes and goes.”
She slid down his shoulder, swinging her legs up onto the couch and resting her head in his lap. Smiling, he began to run his fingers through her hair, feeling the glossy strands try to cling to his hand.
“Will you tell me something?”
She tilted her head up to look at him. “As long as you don't stop doing that.”
“Why did you start dating Dan again?”
She sighed and started picking at a stray thread on the hem of her t-shirt. “Dan and I... just kind of happened. After you disappeared... I was lonely, Clark. We ran into each other at the supermarket and started spending time together. Before I knew it, we were dating again.”
“When did you break up?”
Lois thought for a moment. “Two- no, three- days ago.”
“Three *days* ago?” He let his hand fall in surprise. He knew their breakup had to be recent- after all, it wasn’t that long ago when he’d seen the notice of her engagement in the paper. But he hadn’t realised it had been that recently.
“The night before I flew down here,” she confirmed.
“Lois, I- I knew it couldn’t have been long ago, but that soon? Are you sure-?”
She pressed a finger to his lips, stopping him.
“Clark. Dan and I broke up because he realised I was in love with you. This- us- is not some sort of rebound relationship. I’m here because I want to be here. Not for any other reason.”
The vehemence and sincerity of her tone left no room for doubt. He leaned over and kissed her gently.
“I’m not sorry you broke up.”
She smiled up at him. “Neither am I. I never loved Dan, Clark.”
“So why agree to marry him?”
She shrugged. “It was the next logical step.” She sat up. “I love you, Clark. I never felt like this with Dan, or anyone else.”
He kissed her, angling himself towards her so he could draw her up against his chest, running one hand along her jawline and cupping her cheek as he deepened the kiss. His mouth teased and tantalised, his tongue darting out to entwine with hers, making her moan with pleasure. She kissed him back eagerly.
One kiss turned into several, then into a protracted make out session on the couch.
Finally, hair mussed and clothes askew, they broke apart.
“Are you still worried?”
He shook his head slightly. “No. But I hope when I propose, you don’t accept just because it’s the next logical step.”
“Are you going to propose?” she questioned, her eyes wide with shock.
“Yes.” Clark stood. “But not yet.” He flashed her an impish grin and grabbed her hand. “Come on. There’s something I want to show you.”
***
“Oh, Clark. It’s- it’s incredible.”
Hovering thousands of feet above the Earth’s surface, Lois stared in rapt fascination at the land below. From their vantage point, she could see tiny pinpricks of light become pools as the people below reacted to the darkness that was creeping from the east. Tiny wisps of cloud drifted past them and she could feel their chill dampness on her cheek.
“I come up here a lot. It’s quiet. Peaceful. Beautiful.”
Lois watched in amazement as an aeroplane flew beneath them, banking as it made its final approach into Sarasota- Bradenton International.
“You must see a lot of beautiful places,” she commented.
“Yes,” he confirmed. “It’s one of the best things about being able to fly.” He paused. “I’d like to show you some of them… if you’ll let me?”
Even with Clark’s cape wrapped around her, she couldn’t resist the effects of the cold of their altitude any longer, and shivered.
Instantly his expression changed to one of concern.
“We should go back.”
***
Clark set Lois back on her feet in his living room and used a gentle burst of his heat vision to warm her up before spinning back into his street clothes.
“I’m sorry, Lois- I forgot how cold it would be up there for you.”
“Don’t be,” she told him quietly. “Thank you for taking me there. I’ve been that high up in a plane before, but it’s completely different to be out there like that.”
He made a face. “I like it better my way.”
She laughed at him. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of flying.”
“Flying is great. Being stuck in a giant metal tube with absolutely no control over it… not so much. And it takes forever to get anywhere-“
The sound of his neighbour’s television impinged on his hearing and he froze, trying to concentrate on the breaking news broadcast. He groaned.
“What?”
“There’s a ship in trouble in the Gulf.” He kissed her, starting to undo the buttons of his shirt. “I have to go.” He kissed her again, unwilling to leave, then dragged himself away and gave her a rueful grin. “I guess you’re about to get an idea of what this is going to be like.”
She watched him wide-eyed as he spun into the Suit. “How many times a day do you do this?
He shrugged, his mind already half on the job. “Not as many I used to since I stopped concentrating mainly on Metropolis. I only do the bigger ones now.”
He went to kiss her again, but she shooed him off. “Go. Go!”
He paused at the window. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Then he launched himself, arrowing towards the coast and leaving his signature sonic boom behind him.
By the time he found the drifting, rudderless ship it had slammed one of the oil drilling platforms that dotted the Gulf of Mexico, shearing one of the platform’s supports and severing the well pipe. He groaned when he saw how much oil had already spilled into the waters of the Gulf. If he didn’t act quickly, it was going to be an ecological disaster. He hovered, scanning the seas around the twin wrecks for people, pulling two men out of the water and depositing them on the deck of the ship. Working as quickly as he could- without risking sparks around so much crude oil- he dragged the ship free of the platform’s legs, moving it to a safe distance so the current wouldn’t just bring it back into the same position. Then he dove, risking a fine beam of his heat vision to weld the severed support and stop the platform from toppling completely. He crimped the well pipe shut and surfaced, landing on the now much more stable platform and seeking out the foreman.
After airlifting the most critically injured sailors and platform workers to the nearest major trauma centre, it was time to try and stop the spreading oil slick. Clark could see the edges of it, calming the sea as it spread. He detoured past Lafayette, grabbing floating booms stored in the oil town for this very purpose. With them, he could arrest the spread.
It became a routine; place a boom, dart upwards, check its positioning, then head back for more booms. Finally, he had the slick contained. Unwilling to wait long enough for skimmers to arrive to remove the surface oil, he used his heat vision to set the oil alight, patrolling the edges of the slick to make sure the booms didn’t catch fire.
Only once the slick had dissipated did he realise how long he’d been out there. To the east, the sky was very faintly lightening from black to a deep cobalt blue; his Suit was a write-off, soaked with oil; all he wanted now was a hot shower and some clean clothes.
Passing over the damaged ship, now under tow by a recovery vessel, he waved in acknowledgment of their shouted thanks and headed back to Sarasota.
***
Lois watched the tiny blue and red speck disappear into the distance with a feeling of unreality. While she knew Clark was Superman, it was one thing to know it, and something totally different to see him transform into Superman right in front of her. She was still finding it hard to wrap her head around the fact that it was Clark who’d lifted the colonists’ transport into space; Clark who’d prevented the world’s annihilation by the Nightfall asteroid; Clark whose shoulder she’d dug a Kryptonite bullet out of; and Clark who was out there now, doing god knows what with a ship in the Gulf of Mexico.
She turned the television on, flicking it to an all-news channel to try and get some information. Coverage was necessarily patchy; it took time to get helicopters out that far, so the initial information was in the form of terse sentences delivered by a talking head. Lois left the television on anyway and was eventually rewarded with slightly out- of- focus amateur footage of a blue and red blur, diving and resurfacing.
Is this what it was going to be like? A quick explanation; a sonic boom; and then she’d catch whatever he’d been doing on the evening news? He saw the worst of what nature and humanity could throw at the world; who did he talk to after something horrible? His parents? Or did he keep it all bottled up inside? Knowing Clark, she suspected the latter. Well, she resolved, he could always talk to her. She’d make sure of it.
She curled up on the couch and watched the news coverage, falling asleep long before he returned.
***
Lois was asleep on the couch when Clark got back to his apartment, her head pillowed on one hand and the television playing softly in the background. He smiled tenderly at her. He hadn’t expected her to still be here; thought she would’ve gone back to her hotel long before. Floating so as not to disturb her, he moved through the living room to his bedroom, collecting fresh clothes before heading for the bathroom and showering at superspeed. He stuffed the ruined Suit into a plastic bag, then returned to the living room. Gently he picked Lois up and carried her to the bedroom, laying her on the bed and covering her with the comforter. He’d sleep on the couch.
He’d never had someone waiting for him when he got home from a rescue before. The fact that she’d stayed brought a smile to his face that he couldn’t seem to wipe away. He laid down on the couch, reflecting that he’d never been so happy in his entire life. Lois knew who he was- who he really was- and she loved him anyway. There was only one more hurdle to get across. Punching his pillow into a more comfortable shape, he decided that that could wait until tomorrow.
