Title: Prequel (2/2) for the upcoming "Terms of Endearment"
Author: angelic_editor
Rating: PG for mild language
Summary: This is a sequel to "Terms of Estrangement," which can be found
here . It's probably best if you read "Terms of Estrangement" first, as this takes place directly after the events depicted. Now, Clark and Lois deal with the repercussions of his revelation.
Feedback: Better than chocolate, especially since I'm so new at this. Be brutal, kids.
Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine; the words are. Please don't take legal action, as poor college students aren't worth suing, anyway.
Miscellaneous: What started out as a short vignette has turned into a multi-part story, thanks to the amazing feedback from readers! At first I was worried I couldn't do justice to the story I wanted to tell, but you've all been so wonderful and supportive that I find I can't stop writing until 4 a.m.! Seriously, guys, I can't thank you enough for your kind words of encouragement; I hope you enjoy.
In my head, your voice —
You’ve got all that I need
And this make-believe will get me through
Another lonely night
— “In My Head,” Anna Nalick“But, Superman, you can do anything. Why can’t you help my mom today?”Clark Kent’s dark eyes flew open.
He involuntarily flinched, reluctant to meet the seven-year-old’s baleful blue gaze, full of confusion and disappointment.
The question reverberated in his brain.
His heart hammered in his ears.
But Emily wasn’t there, sitting beside him on the park bench.
Clark was alone in his darkened apartment, slumped on the couch, still fully dressed in his rumpled khakis and wrinkled white dress shirt.
You’re losing it.
He didn’t know how much time had passed since Lois left — it could’ve only been an hour or two, though it felt like half the night — but he was surprised he’d managed to sleep at all.
After Lois had left, he’d brooded, sitting in the shadows, staring at nothing.
Just like now.
He sighed and raked a hand through his unruly hair.
You’ve got to stop this. Deal with it and move on. You’re no good to Lois or yourself — or anyone else, for that matter — like this.
Clark’s stomach clenched.
Lois. God, I’m sorry.
Funny, how the thought of her made him feel ill and full of hope almost simultaneously.
He needed to do something. Patrol, maybe. Anything to get away from the apartment that suddenly felt like a cloying, emotionally overwrought prison.
Of my own making, he thought darkly.
A car door slammed close by, cutting through the stillness of the late hour.
Or early?Clark glanced at his watch. Three-fifteen a.m.
Plenty of time for a transatlantic flight or two before work.
Just before he spun into the Suit, there was an unexpected knock at the front door.
Lois?He knew it was her — he could hear her rapid heartbeat, could hear her fidgeting. Could hear her muttering under her breath.
He just didn’t know why she’d come back.
“Please be home.”So quiet, nearly imperceptible.
But he heard.
And if not for her whispered, fervent plea, he wouldn’t have answered.
Inwardly cursing himself for his own weakness, he opened the door.
“Lois?”
“Clark — ” She faltered. He was leaning against the doorframe, shrouded in darkness, his brown eyes guarded. Waiting.
She swallowed hard, her dark eyes liquid in the faint illumination from the streetlights.
“I forgot to tell you something.”
Clark straightened, but the tension didn’t leave his shoulders.
God.
Fear and dread gnawed at his stomach. He clenched his jaw.
Wait for it, Kent — she’s made a terrible mistake and doesn’t want to put up with you or your issues, after all.
Clark willed his voice to remain steady.
“And what’s that?”
Lois looked down at her shoes, unable to meet the intensity, the unexpected intimacy, of his stare.
“That I … I won’t tell anyone,” she stammered. “About — about you.”
Clark’s mouth opened, then closed soundlessly as surprise and relief surged through him.
I know I didn’t expect that.
“Lois, that’s — I never thought — ”
She looked up at him then, as he shook his head in disbelief.
A short, unintentional laugh escaped him, and he gently placed his hands on Lois’ shoulders.
“I was never worried about that,” he told her earnestly, searching her face for signs of understanding, of trust. He lifted one hand and cradled her cheek in his palm. “Never.”
Never?A tear slipped down Lois’ cheek, and Clark tenderly brushed it away with his thumb.
Never — Clark, you have no idea what that means to me …But she could only nod before she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Clark’s neck.
He pulled her closer.
“I trust you,” Clark whispered fiercely, his lips close to her ear. “God help me, I trust you with my life, my heart — everything.”
Because I love you, he finished silently.
Lois was trembling. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his collarbone, still gripping his shoulders.
“Good,” she managed shakily.
Clark’s answering chuckle was a deep rumble against her ear.
He placed a kiss on the top of her head.
“I hope you feel the same way,” he said seriously.
Lois pulled away. She licked her lips and averted her eyes.
Don’t shy away from this. Just tell him.
“I — I do, Clark,” she said quietly, lifting her brown gaze to meet his. “I always have, even when — when I didn’t want to believe it.”
Clark’s smile, tinged with exhaustion and deliverance, caused her heart to skip a beat. Literally.
Wow — I thought that was just a romance-novel cliché. But it actually happens.
She looked around, suddenly remembering that she was still outside, and that dawn was soon approaching.
“It’s late,” she said, wishing it weren’t true. “I should go, and you — ” She studied him for a long moment, taking in his disheveled appearance. “You should get some rest.”
She paused.
Ack.
“I mean, not that you look like you need it or anything — I didn’t mean to imply — ”
“Lois, it’s okay,” he broke in. “Really. I am … kind of tired, actually. And you’re probably even more tired than me.”
The understanding in Clark’s eyes silenced any protest Lois could muster.
“All right,” she conceded.
Clark gave her a small, encouraging smile.
“It’s been a long day.”
Lois nodded.
“We’ll talk, we’ll, um, figure this out — later.”
* * * * *
After he’d seen Lois to her Jeep, Clark walked back into his darkened apartment and shut the door.
He was shaking. Surprised to find that his legs could barely support him, he dropped onto the steps that led down to his living room.
She makes everything worth it, he realized in amazement.
With just a few words — Lois’ reassurance, her touch, just her presence — she’d made all his doubts, all his self-loathing, bearable.
Tonight, the pessimistic part of his brain argued.
Don’t, he warned himself.
Don’t analyze this. Don’t question this.
He took a deep breath, pushing away thoughts of a seven-year-old’s haunting blue eyes and the echoes of questions he couldn’t answer.
Just don’t mess it up.
