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From Part 2:The fear had vanished from her expression, and it was almost as if the sun’s reappearance in the sky had brought with it a return of the feeling of lighthearted fun they’d enjoyed each day on the beach. Clark’s concern for her vanished to the back of his mind as he grinned, considering his next response to her.
He was enjoying the game too much to want to stop and think, despite every instinct screaming at him once more to guard his secrets. It was clear that Lois was going to be fine, even if she did catch a chill from her immersion - and he would make sure that it didn’t turn into pneumonia.
So he just smiled enigmatically at her. “No boat.”
She stared in disbelief. “You
swam here? Dragging me?”
“No.” He paused, savouring the moment. “I flew.”
**********
Now read on...He saw the disbelief flash over her face, was aware of when it turned into scepticism and then frustrated impatience. “Yeah, right. Funny joke. Ha ha. A helicopter? Light aircraft? Where is it, then? I’ve told you - I need to get away from here!”
Again, he shook his head. “No artificial aids, Lois. I told you - I flew. The same way I got onto your beach every day this week. I can fly.”
“I don’t have time for this,” Lois said flatly. She started walking along the beach, frustration evident in her movements. “I have to find a way off this island. If I have to swim to shore, I...”
She halted abruptly and her voice trailed off, and Clark smiled in triumphant amusement from where he was hovering a couple of feet up in the air. “You see?” he enquired calmly.
It felt incredibly liberating to tell her. He felt free suddenly; freed from the burden of a secret he’d kept hidden his entire life. He’d actually told someone, and the sky hadn’t fallen in.
Okay, there was still the matter of Lois being a reporter by profession, even if she hadn’t worked at that job for several months. So he’d have to make sure that she didn’t rush to the nearest news outlet - LNN? - and broadcast to the world the fact that a man could fly. But, strangely, he just knew that he could trust her.
Besides, they had to get off the island. When he’d brought her there, he hadn’t been planning on taking a live, curious woman off again with him; he’d been sure that she was dead. So, one way or another, she’d been going to find out that Clark Kent could fly.
Not that she entirely believed him - yet.
“I... uh...” Then she moved suddenly, striding towards him. “Okay, just how are you doing that?”
He grinned. “If you’re looking for wires, Lois, you won’t find any. I really can fly.” He demonstrated, going higher and executing a circle above her head.
She followed him around, and he worried that she might be straining her neck the way she stared up at him. So he nosedived, executed a somersault in mid-air and came to land beside her.
He’d told her the secret he’d spent all week trying to hide from her. In the end, he’d hidden it about as well as that other secret - the fact that he was in love with her. And yet, despite his fears and despite all his parents had warned him about, he didn’t regret it one bit.
That surprised him, but he didn’t have time to explore his lack of regrets now. There were more important things to do - such as deal with Lois’s reaction.
“Just... who are you, Clark Kent?” she demanded shakily.
“That’s a long story,” he told her. “And I’ll tell you - when you tell me what you’re so scared of and why you won’t let me take you to a hospital.”
She took a sharp intake of breath. “Only if you promise to help me. Or at least not tell my... Lex where I am.”
Clark nodded immediately. “Lois, you have to know that I’ll help you. I came back to find you, remember? I saw the newspaper report that you’d drowned, and I had to come.”
“Oh.” She blushed faintly, and he just knew that she was remembering what had happened on the beach the previous day. How he’d almost kissed her, then walked away and told her that he was falling in love with her.
How embarrassing.
But she met his gaze then, her own direct and clear. “Okay. I trust you, Clark. Can you get me away from here? Somewhere safe?”
He saw her shiver again, and felt renewed impatience at her refusal to let her help him. Under cover of rubbing his nose, he sent another blast of warm air in her direction; she might know that he could fly, but he wasn’t about to scare her rigid by letting her know that he could start fires with his eyes.
“Of course I can,” he told her, sliding his glasses back into place. “But... can you tell me why? Why won’t you let me take you to a hospital?”
“Because,” she explained, in a long-suffering tone clearly designed to show him that her patience was running out, “I have no money. I can’t get hospital treatment - here or in the US - without identifying myself as Lois Lane... Luthor.”
“Of course - insurance,” Clark said, shrugging. “But why can’t you do that?”
“Because if I do that, Lex will find me! He has contacts... spies everywhere.”
Clark’s breath caught. He’d figured out that she was frightened of her husband, but the picture suddenly became clear to him.
“Lois, did you take the pills... walk into the lake... try to drown yourself... to get away from your husband?”
She gave him a scathing look. “You think I tried to kill myself? Come on, Clark, you know who I am! You think I’d do that?”
Then she faltered and, before he could answer her, she continued much more quietly. “Yeah, why not? After all, I let myself be swept off my feet by a charming smile and expensive restaurants. I forgot who I was, everything I believed in, and let myself become a trophy wife. Why shouldn’t you think that?”
He wanted to assure her that he didn’t think all that of her, but the words just wouldn’t come - because at least part of what she said rang true to him.
And then her next words chilled him to the bone.
“I didn’t try to kill myself, Clark. Lex tried to kill me!”
**********
He had to allow her words to sink in before he could react. Had she really said that her
husband...?
Lex Luthor, billionaire, philanthropist, employer, directly and indirectly, of at least half of Metropolis, friend of politicians and world leaders, Man of the Year four times running...
he had tried to kill his wife?
It was barely conceivable... except that Lois had almost drowned. And that he’d seen Lex Luthor looking hardly grief-stricken.
Was New Troy’s most famous businessman not what he seemed? Clark had never paid very much attention to Luthor, other than being aware of who he was and having a general idea of the range of companies he owned, either directly or indirectly. He’d mentally classed Luthor in the same bracket as other multi-millionaire businesspeople: probably concerned more with the bottom line than with people’s lives, probably ruthless in his business dealings, no doubt having influence in the highest political circles. But always staying within the law.
But trying to murder his wife...?
“Lois... are you sure?” He had to ask; had to be sure of his own ground. “I mean, you had taken sleeping pills...”
“What?” She started towards him, anger and protest in her voice. Her stride was shaky, however, reminding him that she was still far too weak and cold to be standing around on a beach like this, even if it was warm in the sun. As important as what she was saying was, he needed to get her somewhere safe and warm as soon as possible.
“I did
not take sleeping pills!” Lois continued, then broke off to cough once more. He hurried to her side, supporting her, and eased her down onto the sand, sitting beside her to support her. She gave him a grateful smile and leaned against him; Clark tried not to enjoy the sensation of her lightly-clad body against his. Her
cold lightly-clad body. He focused instead on warming her once more with his heat-vision ability.
Finally able to breathe more easily, Lois continued. “He made me drink something, and it must have been drugged because I felt weak and sleepy almost immediately.”
Clark frowned. “But the newspaper article said you’d been taking sleeping pills pretty much since you got married.”
“That’s baloney!” she objected. “I have never taken sleeping pills in my life!”
“Your husband’s doctor was quoted...” Clark pointed out quietly, but not in an attempt to argue with Lois. He believed her, but he was beginning to see just how much was stacked up against her.
“Yes, well, my
husband is rich and influential enough to get anyone to say anything for him,” Lois said sardonically, then broke into more hacking, painful coughs. Again, Clark held her, torn between wanting to fly off with her right that second and letting her finish what she wanted to say. She hadn’t yet given him her permission to take her anywhere, anyway.
Finally, she continued, her voice hoarse. “I’ve never taken sleeping pills. And, if you... think about it, it doesn’t say a lot for Lex as a husband if... if his wife is prescribed sleeping pills right after the ho... honeymoon, does it?”
“I guess not, when you put it like that!” Clark exclaimed. “Lois, I’m just having a hard time taking this in. I mean, I believe you, but... you’re talking about attempted murder here!”
“And it would’ve been...” She paused for breath. “...murder if you hadn’t rescued me,” Lois pointed out.
“Lois, you need to let me take you to the police station,” he said firmly. “You have to report this.”
“Yeah? And tell them what?” Agitated, she began to cough again. This time, she regained enough breath to finish her point in a rush of words. “That Lex Luthor. billionaire and philanthropist, tried to kill his wife? Who’d believe me? What proof do I have?”
“Just tell them the truth!” Clark protested, but then he halted.
She was right. He’d seen it happen too many times when covering the crime beat: the powerful and the rich were always more likely to be believed. And it wasn’t as if Lois had lots of evidence to support her claims. Heck, he’d even doubted her himself initially! Plus, of course, Lex Luthor would have the best lawyers in the country - in two countries - at his disposal, whereas Lois would have no-one.
“Well, we’ll just have to prove he did it,” he told her decisively. “Which reminds me - you need to tell me exactly
what he did. But not here - it’s way past time I got you somewhere safe and warm and where you can get a change of clothes.”
She looked down at herself and he saw a blush creep across her face. That made Clark smile; now she looked much more like the Lois he’d spent the most wonderful few days of his life with.
“Yeah, I can’t wait to get out of this thing. Apart from the fact that I’ve been here for the past hour in my
nightclothes, it stinks!”
“Well, it was in the lake for hours,” Clark reminded her. “And it’s barely been half an hour since I rescued you! It wouldn’t even have been that long if you’d let me take you somewhere.”
She struck a dramatic pose. “Oh, take me away from here!”
Clark laughed, thinking at the same time that the woman he loved was remarkably resilient. In the past twenty-four hours, she’d had a man she barely knew almost kiss her and declare his love for her; she’d realised that her husband wanted to kill her; she’d survived attempted murder by drowning; almost died of hypothermia anyway; and she’d now discovered that a man could fly. She could barely speak for coughing. And yet she could sit there joking with him.
“Come on,” he said, hugging her lightly and taking the opportunity to sweep her with his heat gizmo again. “I’m going to have to carry you, okay?”
She gave him a hopeful grin. “I hope this means we’re flying?”
*********
Oh yeah. Why did it come as no surprise that Lois Lane was excited at the thought of flying with him? That, in the midst of all the turmoil she was going through, she could act with the exuberance of a child being offered a treat?
“Yes, we’re flying. And I’ll need to take us pretty high to start with if we don’t want to be seen.”
“So how do we do this?” She eyed him cautiously, which made him pause. Was this new nervousness because he’d told her that he was falling in love with her?
“I have to carry you in my arms,” he explained. “I’ll pick you up and hold you against my chest, and then we’ll take off. But you don’t have to worry. I mean, I... despite what I said yesterday, you’re... safe with me. I’d never take advantage...”
“Why would I think you would?” She stared at him, then blushed. “Oh... because we almost kissed?”
“Because I told you I was in love with you,” he said roughly, looking down at the sand. “Don’t worry, Lois. I won’t embarrass you by saying it again.”
Because, even if she was now on the run from the husband who’d tried to kill her, there was no reason at all why she should return his feelings. No reason why she should see him as anything more than a temporary friend whose company she’d enjoyed for a few days. Even if she had flirted a little with him too - and he might only have imagined that - she’d been doing it from the security of her position as a married woman.
“Clark.” His name, said almost nervously, made him look up at her again. “It didn’t embarrass me.”
“No?”
“It... didn’t.” The way she said it, and the way she was chewing her lip, told him that there was more to her response than she was letting on. But he ruthlessly squashed any urge to speculate; even in the unlikely event that she had some feelings for him, she wasn’t free. Okay, she was married to a man who obviously didn’t want her, but even if she managed to end her marriage she wouldn’t be ready for a new relationship - not after all she’d been through.
Best to keep things businesslike.
“I’m glad it didn’t,” he said, deliberately calm, and stood, holding out a hand towards her. “Now, I think we really should go. You’ve been in that damp shirt far too long.”
She took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. “So where are you...” More coughs. “...taking me?”
Her unquestioning trust in him made him warm inside. “Home.
My home.” He bent and scooped her up in his arms, fighting hard to ignore the fact that she was only wearing a thin T-shirt. That
he was only wearing a thin T-shirt too.
Focus on keeping her warm, he told himself. She was still cold; he could feel how chilled her skin was. Even though he’d already done a lot to warm her up, there was still the chance that she could end up with pneumonia. His body was warm and, with her pressed close to him, he could transfer some of his body heat to her, even though they were flying higher, where the air was colder.
Seconds into the air, they were flying south-west over Lake Superior. He felt rather than heard Lois’s gasp, and he tightened his grip on her, assuming that she must be scared. After all, he reasoned, it had to be terrifying for her: being so high off the ground, travelling so quickly, and with only his grasp on her to reassure her that she wouldn’t fall.
He bent his head so that he could speak close to her ear. “You’re perfectly safe, Lois. I have abnormal strength too - there’s no way I’m going to drop you.”
“I’m not worried about that!” she exclaimed, then coughed again. “But just look at this view! Isn’t it... incredible?”
“Oh!” He laughed. “Yes, that’s the best thing about being able to fly. You know, you’re amazing, Lois Lane!”
“I am?” She sounded pleased.
“You bet you are! I can’t imagine one single other person who’d be as together as you are after what you’ve been through.”
“I’m a reporter, Clark. Or at least I used to be,” she amended soberly. Slowly, punctuated by deep breaths, she added, “Okay, I’ve never had a man I thought loved me try to kill me before, but this certainly isn’t the first time I’ve survived an attempt on my life.”
A chill ran through Clark at the thought of Lois being the target of more murder attempts. She needed someone to look after her, a little voice suggested. Someone who would take proper care of her and keep her out of danger. Someone who didn’t have to worry about his own safety at the same time...
He squashed the tempting thought. Lois Lane would be none of his responsibility after he’d got her somewhere safe, much as he’d like her to be.
“So, we’re going to your place? Where is that? In Metropolis?” she asked, and he detected another faintly wary note in her voice.
“No,” he assured her instantly. “I wouldn’t take you there - your husband owns half the city!”
“At least,” she commented dryly. “Your parents’ home?” she asked then, sounding intrigued. “Smallville?”
“I thought you didn’t believe it existed,” he teased her.
He felt her shrug lightly. “I might have looked it up.”
“Might have?”
“Okay, I looked it up,” she admitted. “I still can’t believe they actually named a place *Smallville*!”
He grinned. “It’s hardly the only town with an unimaginative name. Did you know that there’s a village in Ireland called Inch?”
“You’re kidding!”
“Actually, there’s two,” he amended, enjoying their banter now every bit as much as he had over the past week. Even despite all that had happened, the simple fact of being with her seemed to make the dangerous reality of Lois’s situation fade into the background. “One in County Wexford, and the other on the Dingle Peninsula.”
She seemed to absorb that information for a moment, then added, “And I bet you’ve been to both.”
“I have,” he agreed.
“So how long does it take you to fly places?”
It was his turn to shrug. “It depends on how much of a hurry I’m in. Sometimes I just want to take it slowly and enjoy the view. And also, if I’m carrying someone - like now - I have to go slower.”
“You do? Why?”
He looked down at her, seeing her expression breathless with curiosity, and grinned. “I take it you don’t want to be vaporised?”
She blinked. “That’s not at the top of my list of ambitions, no.”
“So what is?” Clark asked without even thinking.
She gave him a wry look. “You mean apart from staying alive? To sort out my personal life and get back into reporting.”
Sort out her personal life? He was burning with curiosity to know what she meant by that. Clearly do something about her husband - that was a given. Lex Luthor needed to be in prison for what he’d tried to do to his wife. But what else did Lois have in mind?
It was none of his business, he reminded himself. “You’re a great reporter. Any paper would be desperate to have you.”
“Well, that’s what I’m hoping,” she agreed, a note of confidence in her voice, which pleased Clark: one thing which had surprised him about their conversations over the past few days was the self-doubt he’d seemed to detect in Lois’s attitude.
“Just remember to let me know if they have a vacancy for a Smallville hack too, okay?”
*********
...tbc
