Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic What About Love: Part 3/5

Notes: Okay, I skipped a week because I had a crazy week and after that I just couldn't catch up. So, thank you for being patient with me. This is one of the longest chapters I have ever written with almost six thousand words. A huge shout goes out to SuperBek and ksarasara who BR'd this chapter for me. They were such a huge help especially with the ending. Thank you.

Part 3 ‘Barracuda’

A week later, Lois walked into the bullpen a little after eleven. The week before, when she’d taken the afternoon off at Clark’s apartment, she had remembered how Dr. Friskin had helped her the year prior. So she had called to set up an appointment to see the good doctor once again, hoping it would help her work through some of the things she'd been feeling. Clark had been a huge help; in fact, since that afternoon, Lois had spent every night at Clark's, trying to avoid her own apartment. She had only gone to her place once, and that was to grab the mail and a few more clothes. But she couldn't deny she was hiding from her mother, and she felt seeing Dr. Friskin might be what she needed.

So that morning, while Clark had gone into the Planet at the regular time, Lois had been at Dr. Friskin’s office talking about the past. Lois had told Dr. Friskin about her mother’s illness. And how it had brought up all the trauma growing up. Her mother was blaming Sam for her diagnosis. Ellen had even mentioned that night that she wouldn’t have been sick if Sam hadn’t cheated and worked so much. Lois didn’t want to relive her teenage years again, but that is exactly what Ellen had caused her to do. Lois was angry at her mother for being sick and yet her mother couldn’t even hold herself accountable. Dr. Friskin mentioned that she should start coming to appointments regularly. However, something else was also eating at Lois and she hadn’t admitted it yet.

Lois hung up her thick winter coat – the weather had cooled off, and it had snowed quite a bit overnight. She looked around for Clark and found him over at Camilla’s desk. He was sitting in the chair next to her desk like he had done so many times with Lois. Lois walked closer and could hear them laughing.

“No, it’s Michael Jordan, for sure,” Camilla stated. Lois noticed Camilla put her hand on the corner of her desk closer to Clark and leaned toward him.

“Magic Johnson will always be the greatest,” Clark retorted.

Lois could only see the back of him from her desk. Camilla’s desk was over between Jimmy’s and Clark’s. She sat down, turned on her computer, and looked up to see Clark’s eyes on her. He then excused himself from his conversation with Camilla and headed her way.

“You know I always know when you come into the bullpen,” Clark stated as he walked around her desk and sat in the extra chair to hers.

“You looked like you were having fun with Camilla,” Lois huffed, opening her email program.

“Lois, the two of us were talking about basketball. Her father-in-law is a sports agent in Chicago. He has box seats at the Bulls, honey. I mean to see Michael Jordan in a boxed seat,” Clark elaborated with enthusiasm.

“Clark, you’re Superman. Michael Jordan has nothing on you,” Lois murmured leaning over to him. She loved it when he got excited about things like sports. At times, he was just a regular guy who loved his sports. “Well, I need some coffee.”

“Stay here, I’ll get it,” Clark replied before standing up. “Then you can tell me how your visit went.”

Lois watched Clark walk away, and when she turned back toward her computer, she was surprised to see Camilla standing in front of her desk. Camilla had her hair pinned back in a low-side ponytail with her long curls over her shoulder. She was wearing a black suede pencil skirt with a matching long-sleeve one-button jacket and a red crew neck top underneath.

“Good morning, Lois,” Camilla said with a smile. She stood there with her shoulders back and chin high like she oozed confidence. Lois wasn’t in the mood.

“Hi, Camilla,” she replied, tilting her head away. “What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to tell you that Gwen Bauer called earlier this morning and that she will be meeting you at eleven-thirty,” Camilla retorted, then stepped away with glee.

“Urgh,” Lois muttered. Lois threw open her top right desk drawer and retrieved a yellow notepad and a pen.

She couldn’t believe the gall of Camilla. Why couldn’t Camilla have told Clark this information instead of talking about sports? Then he could have had everything ready. Now Lois only had a few minutes to get her things together before her contact showed up. This would be the third time Lois had tried to meet with Gwen, but something kept coming up. Whether it be Gwen’s son being sick or Lois being stuck at a press conference; Lois was tired of rescheduling this meeting.

The week before, Gwen had shown up at the Planet looking for Lois and Clark when they weren’t there, wanting to tell them about something suspicious going on with her brother. She was supposed to have come back later that afternoon, but she’d never showed up. Lois had called Ms. Bauer the next day, and they had planned to meet at a restaurant in Hobb’s Bay two days later, but Ms. Bauer had called at the last minute, saying her son had to be picked up from daycare. Then Lois had missed the woman again when Lois had to cover the inaugural address of the new Mayor of Metropolis.

Lois had just finished packing up her folder on Intergang and one on Mindy Church when Gwen Bauer strolled down the ramp. The woman looked to be in her early thirties with blond wispy bangs and a long braid flipped over her shoulder. She was carrying a red backpack over her left shoulder and had on a black puffy winter coat.

“Miss Lane, it’s great to finally meet you,” Gwen said walking over to Lois’ desk. “I’m sorry about canceling the last time, my youngest boy was sick and I had to pick him up at daycare.”

“It’s fine, Ms. Bauer, how about we go into the conference room,” Lois said, standing up and leading the way.

A couple minutes later, Gwen and Lois were sitting in the conference room. Gwen had the backpack in front of her, holding it for dear life. Lois had the folders on the opposite corner with the notepad in front of her. She quickly scribbled down the date and Gwen’s name at the top of the page.

“I heard you wanted to speak to me about your brother?” Lois questioned as she put the end of the pen to her mouth.

“Garrett. He was four years younger than me. Our dad ran off when I was ten, and our mother was in and out of prison for drug possession until she died of a drug overdose when I was seventeen. I looked after my brother the best I could along with my paternal grandma. Grandma Freidman died a few years later, so I was left looking after Garrett on my own. Garrett sort of took after our mother and was in and out of jail for a few years. About four years ago, he turned a new leaf: at least, that’s what I thought,” Gwen explained while she opened the backpack.

She pulled out a picture of her brother, who had dirty blond hair and blue eyes. Lois could see the small similarities between the siblings with their matching blue eyes and thin lips. Garrett had more of an oval face, while Gwen’s face was more heart-shaped. Gwen gave the picture to Lois, which showed Garrett on his knees with two boys on each side of him.

“What changed?” Lois wondered.

“Cost Mart. He got a job at Cost Mart as a stock boy. He seemed to love it, it kept him busy. A man named Martin Snell got him the job, and I didn’t realize until last year that Snell was a bad guy,” Gwen explained, pulling out a manilla envelope from the backpack. She pulled out some pictures she had of Garrett and Martin Snell at a golf outing, and beside the two men was none other than Bill Church Senior.

“So your brother was close to Senior also,” Lois asked while she wrote some notes. “How well did he know Bill Church Senior?”

“Mr. Church decided that Garrett’s talents would work well in other places. Creative places. Illegal places. The longer Garrett worked for Church, the more I got worried. He started telling me some of the illegal activities he was participating in. I told him that he had to keep records of everything just in case he was caught, blamed for something, or killed,” Gwen elaborated, pulling out receipts, photographs, and more from the manilla envelope. “When Church Senior and Junior went away to prison, I told him to be careful. We didn’t know who was taking over or what was going to happen. Well, let’s just say it didn’t take long for Mindy Church to get even more devious than the men.”

Lois moved slightly in the chair and did her best to hide her smile. This was it. They finally had Mindy Church exactly where they wanted her. Intergang was going down.

“About two weeks ago, Garrett came to my house at two in the morning. He said something about Mindy finding the golden ticket. It had to do with the Raven. The next morning, Garrett was in a fatal car accident,” Gwen said as she wiped a tear from her left eye. “The official record says an accident, but I don’t believe that.”

“Why is that?” Lois asked, reaching over to the woman to comfort her.

“The police said his brakes went out. But that is impossible because he just got them done two weeks ago. He was a saint when it came to taking care of his vehicle. I have two boys, Mason is four and Grayson is eight. When my ex-husband took off last year, Garrett started helping me with the boys when they needed to go to daycare or school. I am a CNA at the Quail Ridge Retirement Center. So I tried to pick up extra hours when I could,” she explained, pushing out her chair.

“Sounds like the two of you were really close,” Lois commented, writing down the information. Lois turned her head slightly when she heard the door open.

“I thought the two of you could use a cup of coffee,” Clark said, bringing in a cup holder with two styrofoam cups and lids.

“Gwen, this is my partner, Clark Kent. Clark, this is Gwen Bauer. Her brother worked for Bill Senior then stayed on when Mindy took over. She has tons of information for us,” Lois said, feeling energized and a lightness in her chest. Garrett had taken impeccable notes and made sure there were pictures of Mindy meeting with the right people. All of the long hours Lois and Clark had put into bringing down Intergang had taken a toll on them and their relationship. It had been almost two years since Intergang had taken control in Metropolis. Now the gang of misfits could finally be brought down. And Lois could barely contain her excitement.

“Ms. Bauer, I didn’t know how you take your coffee, so I have a few packs of creamer and sugar for you,” Clark stated, putting the cup holder on the large cherry wood table. He handed Lois her coffee and then pushed the holder toward the woman.

“Thank you, Mr. Kent. I’ve seen the Hottest Team in Town ads throughout the city. I can see why marketing used that logo,” Gwen revealed before taking a sip of her coffee.

Lois noticed how Gwen had looked at her partner. The woman was pretty, and at one point, Lois thought Clark had preferred blondes. Gwen was roughly three inches taller than Lois even with Lois in heels. The woman also had more of an hourglass figure than Lois. She was starting to feel insecure about how she looked lately with the women surrounding her. Lois glanced down at her shirt and shifted in her chair. All of these women had curves, they weren’t super skinny or flat-chested like she was. Even her mother had told her once that she needed more meat on her bones and that men wouldn’t like such a flat-chested woman. Of course, Lois being as small as she was came in handy when she was going undercover or snooping on an investigation.

Clark sat next to Lois and put his hand on her arm. He raised his eyebrow at her and squeezed her arms slightly.

“It’s nothing,” Lois murmured before turning back to Gwen.

“A couple of days after Garrett died, I found this backpack in Mason’s closet. Garrett had bought two of them when Grayson started school last fall. Mason never needed his, so Garrett used it. When I found it and what it contained, I knew I needed to bring it to you,” Gwen explained, handing the rest of the contents of the bag to them. “I hope you can finally bring down Intergang and make Mindy Church rot in prison for what she did to my brother.”

A few minutes later, Lois and Clark were alone in the conference room with all of this new information. There were pictures of Mindy meeting with tons of the crime bosses in Metropolis—it looked like around Christmas time right before a few of those mobsters had died from poisoning.

“What do you think we should do with all of this information?” Clark wondered as he looked through the receipts and pictures.

“I think we take some of it to Zymak and the rest we print. We already have enough on Mindy’s past. Perry wouldn’t let us print it last time, but maybe, now that we have this,” Lois said waving her hand at the contents on the table, “he will let us print.”

“Can we change the topic for a minute?” Clark asked gently. Lois noticed the way his smile faded and saw his eyes looking at her like she was made of glass.

“I know, you want to talk about the appointment with Dr. Friskin,” Lois observed, she stood up and walked over to him. She wrapped her arms around him. She hadn't gotten a hug from him yet today. It was something she never thought she would be, but now after all this time, she was a hugger. It was only with Clark. She wasn’t sure if it was being loved by him or the fact she felt safe in his arms. Almost everyday now, at one point or another, she needed one of his hugs.

He wrapped his arms around her, kissed the top of her head, and just let her fall into place. She always felt so complete at ease when his arms were wrapped around her. It felt like she could relax.

“Oh no,” he muttered. She noticed his head turning toward the bullpen.

“What is it?” she asked, pulling away slightly.

“It’s your mother,” he admitted. He quickly hugged her again, kissed her, and then took her hand and led her out of the conference room.

Lois looked over toward the elevator and noticed a tall, chestnut-skinned man with warm, orange-red undertones holding a little girl with frizzy pig-tails. Following them off the elevator was none other than Ellen Lane. Lois shook her head as the three of them walked down the ramp and toward them.

“Mama,” the little girl shouted, trying to reach out to someone.

Lois turned to notice Camilla with a huge smile across her face looking over at the man and child. Ellen pushed past the two of them with a look of frustration.

“Lois Joanne Lane, where have you been? I have been trying to reach you at your apartment. I’ve left several messages, and I have even been over there. Are you avoiding me?” Ellen barked, marching toward Lois.

“Hello, Mother,” Lois mumbled shyly, hating that she was being scolded by her mother in front of her colleagues. “It’s great to see you too!”

“Don’t be coy with me! Where have you been?” Ellen questioned with her hands on her hips. Ellen looked over at Clark, who was holding Lois’ hand.

“Mother, can we not do this here, please,” Lois requested as Clark squeezed her hand. “Let’s go to the conference room.”

Clark stood beside her. She squeezed his hand back and pulled him with her. She needed him right now, especially since she might murder her mother in that conference room for coming to the Planet.

A couple of minutes later, Clark closed the door. Lois stood near the table at the far end of the conference room with her back turned. She had to take a couple of deep breaths to keep herself from exploding. It was one trick Dr. Friskin had taught Lois that morning.

“Where have you been staying, Lois? It sure hasn’t been your apartment,” Ellen barked before Lois could turn around. She stood at the head of the table, putting her hand on the back of a chair to help her stand.

“With me,” Clark replied, his voice calm but assertive. She could sense that he was coming to stand by her, and felt comforted when she felt a supportive hand on her shoulder.

“Shacking up with your fiancé? Do you think that is wise, Lois?” Ellen asked, not letting up with the barrage of questions. “You’re not pregnant, are you? Is that why you are avoiding contacting the doctor?”

“Mother, please,” Lois shouted, finally turning around. “I’m not pregnant. I haven’t called the doctor because I’m not even sure I want to help you.”

The dam had finally burst. It was what Lois had wanted to say for the past week. Why help out the woman who had caused her so much pain? Ellen Lane couldn’t even admit to herself that it was her drinking that caused the problem in the first place.

“How could you say that? I’m your mother,” Ellen responded, pointing a finger at Lois and taking a step toward her. “You ungrateful brat. I have never asked you for anything before.”

Lois stood there in shock at her mother’s outburst. She slowly took an uneven breath and turned her head toward Clark as she lowered her eyes. Lois tried to hide the tears that were forming, but she felt herself curl inward.

“I really think you should go, Ellen,” Clark demanded as he stood taller and walked toward Ellen.

“’Fine, I'll leave! I'm staying at the Raven, so you can contact me there. I expect to hear from you. And soon. Don't make me call Lucy and ask her,” Ellen commented before turning away. She walked out of the conference room with Clark quickly leading her out.

As soon as Ellen was gone, Clark closed the door and went back to Lois, wrapping his strong arms around her. She buried her head in his chest, crying so hard she’d started hiccupping.

“Ssh, it’s okay. I’m here. I’ve got you,” Clark whispered sweetly to her.

Before she could say anything or thank him, the conference room door opened and Jimmy, Perry, Camilla, and the two people that had been in the elevator with Ellen entered.

“What is going on in here?” Perry asked, noticing his star reporters.

“Clark, I would like to introduce you to—” Camilla began. “Oh, I’m sorry. Is everything okay?”

“I’ll be back,” Lois mumbled, wiping her tears away as best she could as she tried to make her way out of the room. She passed Camilla, who was now holding the little girl.

Lois heard the little girl mumble something about ‘lady crying,’ and she ran out of the room even quicker. Oh great, even a tiny human could tell what a mess Lois was. Could this day get any worse?

A few minutes later, Lois huddled in one of the stalls in the ladies room, using a square of toilet paper to try and fix her makeup and wipe away her tears. All she wanted to do was hide. The stress of the morning therapy session, her mother, and dealing with perfect Camilla was enough to drive anyone into hiding.

Lois heard the door open and the sound of heels hitting the tile floor; she hoped the woman, whoever she was, wouldn’t try to talk to her. She took slow, even breaths as she stared at the tiles on the floor—the mosaic blue and white hexagon pattern almost made her a bit dizzy. Her eyes went to the walls instead—the same tiles, but only blue on the bottom half of the walls and white on the top half. It didn’t at all match her mood, but she’d give Franklin Stern credit for choosing such a bright and tranquil design that always seemed to be pristinely clean.

“Lois, I know you’re here. Clark wanted to come, but I told him I would try to talk to you,” Camilla announced. Lois looked under the stall slightly to see Camilla bending over, trying to see what stall Lois was in.

“What could you possibly say to help me?” Lois mumbled before standing up, steadying herself, and opening the door. Camilla stood not more than two feet away, her hands on her hips but her eyes filled with understanding.

“I know you think I’m a threat to you, but I’m not. In this male-dominated job, us women have to stick together. And believe me, when it comes to families, mine is just as messed up as the next,” Camilla admitted, turning around to look in the mirror and fix her hair.

“My mother needs a liver transplant after spending a couple of decades drinking. Now she wants me to donate part of my liver, despite the fact that she can’t even admit she did this to herself,” Lois said, stepping up to the mirrors beside Camilla. Lois couldn’t believe she just admitted that to her. Maybe Camilla was right and they needed to have each other's back.

“What, does she blame your dad for her drinking?” Camilla wondered, looking at Lois in the mirror.

Lois’ mouth fell open, and her eyes widened in shock.

“My biological mom did the same thing. Blamed my biological father for all her problems. Of course, they were only sixteen and he got her hooked on cocaine, but instead of taking responsibility she just kept using. I wasn’t enough for her to stop, so she took off and left me with her parents,” Camilla explained, turning to Lois and leaning on the counter. “Parents don’t get it. Heck as a mom myself, I don’t always get it. Angelica is only three years old and she needs me for everything. Sometimes, I just want to scream and say give me a break, kid! Yet, so many people put their needs above their child’s, even when those needs are bad for them.”

“Okay, I get it, I do. No family is perfect, except maybe Clark’s,” Lois said with a smile. She remembered how loving and welcoming Jonathan and Martha were to her and how they raised such a kind, empathetic, and romantic man. And although the Kents were not his biological parents, even his biological parents had made a huge sacrifice for him, sending him off to an unknown planet to save his life.


“Oh. Well I guess Clark is the exception,” Camilla commented with a smile. “He seems like an exception to a lot of male behavior though.”

“He is one of a kind,” Lois replied, sweeping a strand of hair behind her ear.

“He is totally infatuated with you. He has this weird sense of knowing when you step into a room even when his back is to you. I mean, I wish my husband looked at me the way Clark looks at you,” Camilla stated speaking in a steady, confident voice.

“Was that your husband and daughter who came in before I burst out of the room?” Lois wondered, looking down, remembering the scene with the little girl earlier. The man was attractive, and he had looked happy to see Camilla.

“Darrin and our daughter Angelica. I guess he took her to the playground in Centennial Park and thought it would be good to come see me,” Camilla replied, straightening her jacket and shifting slightly.

Lois could tell something was going on with Camilla. Why did it seem like her co-worker didn’t want to see her husband?

“Don’t you want to see them? I mean I would give anything to be able to see my child during the day. Well, not that I have any children yet, and really, I'm not even sure I want any,” Lois babbled, leaning on the counter.

“I know you and Clark wondered why I gave up my job at the Tribune. I was one of their top reporters,” Camilla explained, gesturing widely with her hands as she talked. “I had a great partner at one point until he stole one of my stories. But the reason we moved was so we could have a new start, our family. Darrin had an affair with one of his assistants. I gave him an ultimatum – move to Metropolis with us or I would file for a divorce.”

“You welcomed him back just like that? Aren’t you scared he will do it again?” Lois asked. Her dad had cheated on her mother repeatedly, and it was one reason she had started drinking – to ease the pain. Lois didn’t think she could forgive Clark if he cheated on her.

“It wasn’t easy, but I agreed to be his wife in the good times and bad. Plus, we have Angelica, and I can’t separate her from her dad even when I wanted to punish him. She didn’t do anything wrong,” Camilla stated, standing up straighter. “My other condition was that he had to give up his career and stay home with Angelica. Back in Chicago, she spent so much time with his mother or daycare. It felt like neither of us was getting to watch our daughter grow up. We weren’t there for her first step or first words.”

“What happens when she starts school?” Lois asked, realizing that this woman was stronger mentally and physically than Lois. Having a child with one career-driven parent would be hard enough, and yet, Camilla’s daughter had two parents who were career driven.

“Then maybe I can trust him enough to not go around sleeping with his assistants,” Camilla laughed awkwardly. “Let’s get back to those men of ours and finish our day on a better note.”

Lois gave Camilla a true smile and nodded her head. Maybe this new employee wasn't the threat that Lois had thought. Maybe she was just a hard-working woman who was trying to keep her family together while being a darn good reporter at the same time. Maybe Lois should have given her more of a chance..

Later that night at Clark’s apartment, Lois had told Clark everything she had learned about her conversation with Camilla.

“Honey, I told you, she wasn’t a threat. And I just had a feeling something bad had happened to her in Chicago,” Clark stated as he pulled the blankets down on his side of the bed.

“I thought she wanted my job, and for a second there, and my man,” Lois commented with a slight chuckle pulling her side of the blankets.

“Lois, she didn’t want your job, and she never had a chance with me. There is only one woman for me,” he replied, looking at her across the bed.

They climbed into the king-size bed together, settling comfortably in each other's arms. Lois fiddled with the thin material of Clark's t-shirt, unable or unwilling to start the other conversation she knew they needed to have -- the conversation about her mother. She'd much rather lose herself in Clark's loving touch, like they had so many other nights since she'd started staying at his apartment -- going so far but yet not ever allowing themselves to cross that final threshold. They did need to talk about her mother, she knew. She just...couldn't seem to begin.

And as though he understood how difficult it was for her, Clark tightened his arms around her, cleared his throat, and asked, his tone gentle, "So, what are we going to do about your mother?"

"My goal is hope she loses patience and goes away."

"Lois!"

She felt him shake his head, even as he pressed a comforting kiss into her hair, and she sighed in exasperation.” I just don’t think I should be the one to give up my time and some of my liver to save her. She has been nothing but a pain in my side for years. ‘Lois, you’re too thin. Lois, why are you not married yet? Lois, stand up straighter.’ It’s just too much, Clark,” Lois babbled, leaning into him.

His left arm wrapped around her as she put her head on his shoulder and one hand over his heart.

“Well, you are enough for me and will always be enough. She doesn’t see you the way I see you.”

“How is that?” she asked, grabbing a hold of his shirt and wrapping her leg around his.

“Breathtakingly beautiful, intelligent, determined, and trustworthy. I am the luckiest man alive to have found you.”

“I think I’m the lucky one,” Lois whispered as she reached up and kissed him. Tonight would end on a much better note than the day had begun. She was lucky that she had found Clark and finally let him into her heart. For years, Lois had struggled to find the right man, and now that she had him, she wouldn’t let him go. Now all she had to do was figure out how to deal with her mother.

“I love you,” he stated before capturing her lips in a deeper kiss.

Lois pulled back a few seconds later and snuggled up next to him. Safe in his arms after a long day at work is when they often would discuss the day’s events or the stories they were working on. These moments of the day were now her favorite.

But tonight, it wasn’t quite as comforting, given the day she’d had. She knew there was more to say, more going around in her head and her heart. And what about her feelings toward Camilla? Camilla had stayed with her husband after he had an affair, believing it wouldn’t happen again.

“Clark, do you know why Camilla and her family moved to Metropolis?” Lois asked, feeling his chest rise and fall under her palm.

“To start over,” Clark said, becoming very still.

“Did you know her husband had an affair and she forgave him as long as they moved to Metropolis to start over?” Lois wondered, slightly looking up to his face.
“But is forgiving the same as forgetting?” Clark replied, covering his hand over hers that was resting over his heart.

“You knew already, didn’t you?”

“The day you covered the mayor’s inaugural speech, Darrin had called and made her upset. I noticed and asked if she was okay,” Clark explained, looking down at her.

“And she told you,” Lois elaborated, remembering how Camilla had blurted everything out to her.

“Yeah, I mean not in the bullpen. We went down to the deli and talked since you were gone so long,” Clark admitted, squeezing her hand and his other arm tightened around her.

She knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to tell her everything and not keep anything out. He was the last honest man on earth when it came down to it. Lois knew he was waiting for her to say something.

“It’s okay, Clark. Am I jealous? Well, only that she got to spend lunch with you that day and I didn’t. After today, I don’t see her as much of a threat as I did before,” Lois clarified as she started running her foot gently up down his leg.
“I don’t think I could forgive you,” Lois admitted, bluntly.

“If I had an affair? Don’t worry, Lois, it would never happen. You are the only woman for me,” Clark admitted, kissing the top of her head.

“I know you say that now, but look at my parents. I bet Camilla and Darrin thought the same thing also,” Lois worried aloud, averting her gaze.

“Lois, I have waited for you all my life. I’m different, you know that. It’s not like I could be intimate with just anyone,” Clark said as he took his index finger and tried to get her to look up at him. “You understand me and love me for who I am — not what I can do.”

“But I wasn’t always like that. I fought my feelings for you for too long in the beginning,” she admitted, remembering the pain of that day when he first admitted he was in love with her. They had talked about that moment so many times before, how both of them made mistakes then. Although, she still felt guilty that she almost married a psychopath.

“Shh. It’s in the past,” he soothed, kissing her briefly. “Now we can forget it and concentrate on the future. And that future doesn’t involve either of us cheating on the other, okay?” he asked gently, and she nodded, letting the truth of his words sink in. After another quick kiss, he reached over to turn off the light. “It’s late, we should really get some sleep.”

“I like this — us sleeping together. I feel safe and loved and cherished. And I know I don’t make it easy on you. We lay here together like this — night after night — and I hope you don’t think I’m teasing you,” Lois confessed as her knees raised up a bit to connect with his upper thigh. She loved touching any part of his body when she could, and she knew he loved doing the same.

He shifted slightly and moved so quickly the next thing she was laying on her back and he was leaning over her.

“Being with you is all I dream about, but I told you I would wait. And we will wait,” Clark acknowledged before kissing her. After he kissed her, he pulled back and looked into her eyes.

The look he gave her sent shivers up her spine. She wanted more. She wanted him. Every fiber of her being wanted to give in. Yet she couldn’t. Lois knew their first time couldn’t be caused by her wanting to forget the hard stuff that was going on with her family. No, it was better they wait.

“We better go to sleep,” she mumbled as she turned to her side to face him. He laid back down, facing her as well. Clark took her hand in his and bought it close to his heart.

This is how they slept sometimes, face to face, holding hands. Lois would always make sure part of her was always touching him as they slept, even if it was her hand on his shoulder or their feet touching. Lois never thought she would be this in love with someone and be that type of woman. Now she enjoyed every moment of it. These two needed each other, trusted, and loved each other. Lois knew that no matter what Clark would be there for her.