I finished this around 1:30, so it's probably utter nonsense. I don't know. Right now, if you looked up ZONKED in the dictionary, you'd see my picture.

Posting this is a doozy. AOL doesn't love me anymore (it locked me out and I can't get back in) so I've had to turn to Juno. When I clicked on the Juno icon, I got a little message that said "Well, well, well. Look who's come crawling back!" I'm having a dificult time typing, because I keep having to click on the screen to get the typey-thing back. I hate juno. frown

Well, here's part 6. I hope you enjoy it. Or at least tolerate it. Now if you'll exucse me, I'm feeling a drowzy bit little and I think I'm going to...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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From Part 5:
Lois sunk onto the sofa. It was a deal. On the sixteenth, her life would change forever. Her relationship with Superman would change forever! How would he treat her after they did this? Would it bring them closer, or would their friendship evaporate completely? Would they even be able to look each other in the eye?

She sighed. It was a good thing Superman volunteered. Otherwise, she would have turned to Clark!

**********

And Now, Part 6:

It was the sixteenth.

Clark hovered over Lois’ apartment, trying vainly to muster up the guts to go down and knock on her window.

For the past weeks, he and Lois had barely spoken to each other; both had been lost in their own thoughts. Perry had noticed their distracted states and asked if anything was wrong. He was not mollified when they insisted everything was fine.

They’d especially been quiet around each other while he was in the suit. Three days ago, when he was attending a disaster, Lois and some other reporters appeared on the scene. Their arms accidentally brushed, and each reacted as though the contact was a thousand-watt jolt of electricity. He was half tempted to ask if she wanted to call off their arrangement.

A few days after they’d settled the date, Clark had decided to go ahead and tell her his secret. It was only right for her to know, after all, and it might make the idea of being with Superman less intimidating. After much internal debate, he’d brought her into the conference room and prepared to speak. However, as soon as he said the words “Lois I’m,” he heard the explosion at Wilson Park. By the time he and the rescue teams had finished dealing with the carnage, it was well past midnight. By the next morning, he’d simply lost his nerve. Any subsequent attempts to tell her were met with similar interruptions.

The sun was climbing higher. His super-hearing told him that Lois was in her apartment, and she was not very calm. He could hear her pacing, barefoot, and she was chanting the phrase “Oh god oh god oh god” as though it were some strange mantra. Clark swallowed. It was probably better to confront this now, instead of putting it off.

After shifting to make sure the flowers he’d brought wouldn’t be in public view (it wouldn’t do for the tabloids to get a photo of Superman giving flowers to Lois Lane) he floated down to her window and gently tapped on it. He heard Lois’ sharp intake of breath.

There was a pause.

“Come in.”

He entered her living room. This was it. Was it too late to tell her? Maybe he should tell her. Maybe he should give Lex Luthor a year supply of Kryptonite.

“Lois?”

Her bedroom door creaked open, and Lois padded into the living room wearing a Metropolis University sweatshirt.

And nothing else.

Clark’s eyes grew wide, and he struggled to form a coherent thought. “I---uh---that is---um…” He shifted uncomfortably, then remembered the flowers. He extended though bouquet to her. “I---um, brought you these. I just---you know---figured…”

Her face was as red as his probably was. She took the flowers from him and smelled them. “Oh, Superman, thank you; they’re lovely! But, you know---you don’t have to pretend this is anything more than what it is.”

“Then just take them as a token of friendship.”

She smiled. “Thankyou.” She went to put them in water, apparently glad to have something to do to take her mind off of the enormity of what was happening. After selecting and filling the vase, and spending about five minutes fussing with arranging the flowers in the container, she turned to her guest. She nervously straightened her shirt. “I wasn’t sure what would be---um---appropriate for this situation. A negligee seemed too intimate, and straight out nudity just seemed too---well, blunt.”

Clark swallowed again. “This---this is fine, Lois.”

She gave a half-smile, then took a deep breath. “I took some fertility drugs; they should help, but my doctor said we should keep trying until the test shows positive. That’s usually about a week at the earliest.”

At this point Clark’s legs gave out from under him. He caught himself on the back of Lois’ sofa, and brought himself back up to a standing position.

Lois winced. “If you don’t want to do that, though, I won’t make you. Personally, I think once ought to do it.”

And what if once didn’t do it? Would she turn to someone else? Well, in for a penny… “Whatever you need, Lois, I’m here for you. If this time doesn’t cut it, we can work something out.”

“Thanks, Superman.” She took in a breath and let it out. “Well. Um, shall we get started?”

He put a hand on her shoulder. “Lois, before we do anything, there’s a couple things I’d like to clear up. First of all, about what you said about my not being obligated---”

“I mean that, Superman. You will not have any responsibility whatsoever! If you want that in writing…”

“No. Listen, Lois; I want to tell you that I cannot accept that. If we have a child together, I *will* take responsibility. If you and the baby need anything at all, just let me know.”

Lois’ mouth opened and closed.

“Now, about the second thing. I’m not sure how you’ll take this. I’ve been agonizing over whether or not I should tell you, but given the circumstances, it’s only fair for you to know. Please try not to explode when I tell you this, Lois, but I’m---”

“I know.”

“You---know?”

She nodded. “I figured it out after our conversation two weeks ago, and it’s okay.”

“It is?”

“Sure. I must admit though, Superman, I was pretty surprised.”

“You---were?” Wait a minute, something wasn’t adding up. “Lois, what exactly do you know, and how?”

“When I asked you if you did it and you replied that you didn’t see any reason you couldn’t. The way you phrased it, you made it sound as though you hadn’t. Have you?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“What about back on Krypton?”

Clark squirmed a bit. “I---was a little young when I left Krypton.”

“Oh.” Now it was Lois who squirmed, causing Clark to become acutely aware of her attire. “I see. So, you’ve never---?”

“Never.”

“But what about all those women who throw themselves at your feet? All this time, you’ve just been stepping over them?”

“Yep.”

“So it isn’t just that you’ve never been with an Earth woman, but you’ve actually never---?”

“---Been with anyone.” He finished for her.

“So you’re a v-vir---a very patient man…”

“Is that going to be a problem?”

Lois looked at him and seemed to contemplate him for a moment. “No. No, I don’t think so. That is---unless you don’t know how…”

“I know how, Lois.”

She blushed. “Right, I didn’t say you didn’t.”

There was an awkward pause. Neither was sure what else to say. They were both quite nervous, and it showed.

Clark thought for a while. If this woman was going to be the mother of his child, there was at least one thing she deserved to know. “Lois, there’s one more thing.”

“What?”

He took a deep breath. “Whatever happens, I’ll always care about you.”

Her eyes grew misty, and she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. Clark picked her up and carried her into her bedroom.

**********

WANTED:
Author for N-fic version of story.
Must be tasteful and know words to “Incense and Peppermints.”

**********

TBC


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