Okay, this is my first attempt at an LC story, so any constructive criticism would be extremely helpful. I'll try to post weekly, but I'm not making any promises.
Mucho thanks to Sara, Rivka, and Avia who provided very helpful beta's and really turned this thing around.
On with the show.
~Part One~
"Clark, I can't believe you're watching that." Lois Lane grabbed the remote control from his hand and pushed the red power button, shutting off the television. She shuddered and sat next to him on his couch.
"What? Lois, it's Dick Clark, a New Year's tradition," He smiled goofily at her and she couldn't help but smile back. He was just so dang cute.
"He's Satan in disguise," she said, trying to keep a straight face, "The modern day Peter Pan. Every year, this guy hosts 'Rockin' New Years Eve' or whatever it's called, and is so full of energy and happiness that you know he has to have taken way too much Prozac or something. That kind of happy is just not naturally possible." Taking in Clark's amused look, she added, "He's just creepy."
"Of course he is, Lois," Clark leaned back into the couch, relaxing and taking a sip of his red wine. He tried desperately to conceal his amusement, but wasn't terribly successful.
"What's so funny?" Lois asked indignantly. She didn't see what the hilarity was about. All she had done was tell the truth. Dick Clark was a freak of nature.
"Nothing," Another stifled laugh. Maybe the wine was getting to him. But she didn't think that was likely; neither of them had drank more than one glass.
"Don't patronize me, Clark. You're practically bursting at the seams."
"It's just that… Lois, you never change!" he blurted.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She should have been offended, but she knew better. Clark would never try to hurt her. Lois sighed, taking comfort in that simple truth. She realized a long time ago how lucky she was to have Clark as her best friend. She felt a brief pang of guilt for not telling him this yet, but it disappeared when he spoke again.
"You just… you babble. Constantly. I love it," he winked, teasing her.
"I do not babble, Clark. The only time I ever babble is when I'm trying to get us out of some trouble that you've caused and even then, I rarely babble. I merely explain things as thoroughly as possible, while telling as few lies as I can. Although, with some of the messes that you get us into, Clark, it can get pretty difficult. You know, I never used to get into this much trouble when I was working alone. Granted my stories weren't as good… What am I talking about? Of course they were good. I got three Kerth Awards for them and…"
Clark coughed loudly and repeatedly, capturing Lois' attention.
"You okay, Clark?" His cough had sounded awful, throaty and croupy. She wondered if he was coming down with a cold. The weather in Metropolis had been uncharacteristically cold lately, and there was even some snow, given to them on Christmas morning. But Clark was from Kansas, he should be used to the cold.
"Yeah, Lois, I'm fine. Just, uh, wine went down the wrong pipe, I guess."
"Oh. What was I saying?"
"You were, uh, explaining how you don't babble." Lois saw Clark try to hide his grin. The wine had definitely taken its toll. She had never seen her partner smile so much in one night. Not that smiling was a bad thing, Lois mused, Clark had a very attractive smile.
<No, he doesn't,> Lois argued with herself, <The wine must be affecting me too.>
"Well, I don't babble, Clark, so don't go around saying that I do."
"Okay, Lois," he agreed.
She still got the feeling that he was only going along with her because he didn't want a conflict, but she let it slide. It was the holidays, after all. Not that the holiday season had ever meant anything special to Lois Lane.
In her youth, all she could remember of Christmas and the New Year were the strained family dinners, and her parents' hollering after she and her sister Lucy had gone to bed. Nowadays, the holidays weren't much better. The last two Christmases, she had spent alone, working at the Planet, determined to come up with an earth-shattering story for the next day. Unsuccessful both times, she had gone home and sulked with a pint of Ben &
Jerry's until January 2nd, when it was safe to come out of hiding and pretend that she'd had a perfectly wonderful holiday.
But this year… this year had been different. Clark had dropped by her apartment Christmas Eve, and she had welcomed him with open arms. The night had been wonderful, yet shadowed by something, an emptiness that she hadn't known before. A yearning of sorts. She could still feel the longing she had experienced as they had stood there, hands clasped, admiring the star that he had bought, as it stood proudly on top of her scrawny tree. She had felt something that night, something that she had never felt before, and it scared her to death to even think of what it might be.
She tried to convince herself that she was just glad to not be alone during the holidays, but she hadn't gotten very far. It went beyond that, deeper than she cared to acknowledge.
"Would you like some more wine, Lois?" he asked, shaking her from her reverie. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts.
"Uh, no thanks, Clark. I'm fine."
<Believe me, I do not need anything else intoxicating me.>
She bit her tongue, stopping those last few words from escaping her mouth. That would be going too far. It would be breaking the unspoken, but not unnoticed, rules that had been set between them. They were the set of laws that she valued so much, the only ones that she had ever tried to follow, even though she had not been completely successful. The rules that slowly eroded as the two became closer and closer.
Laws of distance could only be kept for so long.
"Hey Clark," she said, "thanks for inviting me today. I know you'd probably rather be in Smallville right now with your folks, and I appreciate you staying here in Metropolis with me instead."
He looked down at her and smiled with an honesty that nearly took her breath away. "Lois, there is no place else I'd rather be than right here with you."
"Thanks, Clark," she said. The look in his eyes… so magnetic, she almost wanted to get closer, feel his lips on hers. "Oh! And I forgot, I have your Christmas present. I didn't get a chance to give it to you. I'm sorry I didn’t just hand it to you last week, like a normal friend would, but I, um, wasn't expecting anything from you. For the past several years the only presents I've got were from Perry because my family really doesn't do Christmas. So, um, I hadn't gotten a chance to buy… er, wrap your present."
From the disappointed look on his face, she knew her change of subject had not gone unnoticed. Brushing it off, she went to get the package.
It had taken her forever to pick out Clark's present. For once in her life, Lois had been truly puzzled, without any creative or witty way to get out of it. So she had done what she had sworn she'd never do. Shopped like her sister. Every Christmas, Lucy went into every single store in the mall, until she was sure she had chosen the right thing.
So Lois had gone to the mall, looked through each shop, and, upon finding nothing, gone home disappointed.
And then it had hit her. The perfect gift.
"Here Clark," she handed the oblong package to her partner, who took it from her, letting his fingers brush hers, and studied it, curiosity playing over his features. "Go on, open it."
Clark sat there, mesmerized by the pattern decorating the paper. He slowly turned over the rectangular present and gently tore at the tape that held the corner of the package, not making much progress. Lois stood over him, watching nervously as he progressed at a painfully slow pace.
"Oh come on, Clark!" She grabbed it from him, ripped off the blue and yellow "Happy Birthday" wrapping paper- it was all that she could find on such short notice- and handed it back to him, anxious to see his response.
"Oh, Lois, it's… it's… wow," She grinned, pleased with herself. Taking a seat next to him, she rested her head on his shoulder and admired her work.
The large black picture frame highlighted the newspaper's dark print, giving the collage an artistic look.
"MESSENGER SABOTAGED, SABOTEUR DIES IN FIERY EXPLOSION. By Lois Lane. Contributing reporters: Clark Kent, Jimmy Olsen," she read aloud, "Our first byline. Kind of."
"And I had to share it with Jimmy," Clark laughed, his eyes scanning the collection of headlines and bylines. Their bylines.
"And look at this one: NEW AGE KANE NIPPED IN BUD By Clark Kent and
Lois Lane. Lois, I think that was the only time my name has ever gone first," Clark said, fascinated. She just smiled.
"PLANET REPORTER KILLED IN LINE OF DUTY By Lois Lane." He inhaled sharply, "Oh Lois," He put his arm around her and pulled her close, as both were reminded of that awful night. She had been so heartbroken when he had gotten shot, so grief-stricken. The large black picture frame highlighted the newspapers. It wasn't until she typed the last word of his obituary, however, that the facts had really sunk in. Clark was gone. She would never see him again. But she did. He came back. He came back to her. She'd like to think he came back *for* her, but she knew better than to tell herself lies like that.
"Lois, it's absolutely wonderful. I love it." He set the frame down on the coffee table in front of them and dropped a soft kiss on the top of her head.
"Clark," she said shyly, "You missed something. Flip over the collage."
He did as instructed and found a message.
Clark,
Thanks for being my best friend. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Love, Lois.
Lois sighed as his hold on her tightened in a silent sign of thanks. No words needed to be spoken, not now. She had been worried about the gift, it was much more personal than the kind she usually gave. Any other year, she probably would have given him an ordinary tie, hoping against hope that he would wear it and not shove it in the back of his closet in favor of a wilder tie.
When she had decided what she would give Clark this year, however, his death and resurrection were still fresh in her mind. His return meant more to her than any tie or cheap cologne. With this present, she had another chance to show him how much she cared. A chance she hadn't thought she'd ever have again.
Luckily for her, he seemed to like it. Lois knew that he couldn't see the imperfections in the craftsmanship that she saw, but it didn't matter. She only saw them anyway, because she had been the one to make it.
The two sat in silence for what seemed like eons. Lois would have stayed there for centuries more, if she had the choice. It just felt so right, snuggling up in Clark's arms.
Eventually, though, all good things must come to an end. "Come on,
Lois. Sit up before you fall asleep. Or before I do. I don't want your neck getting sore from being in an uncomfortable position for a long time."
<So typical of Clark,> Lois thought, <Always looking out for me.>
"What time is it?" she asked, making no move to sit up.
"Ah! It'll be midnight in like, 30 seconds," Clark answered, making no move to push her off him, or to remove his arm from around her shoulders.
"So, Clark, do you have any New Years Resolutions?" Lois teased with a mischievous smile. "Come on, tell me all your secrets."
"Well, I do have one resolution."
"And what's that?"
"To tell you something. Something very important." His tone of voice worried her. It was too serious to be anything good.
Lois had to tell herself repeatedly not to panic. "What is it, Clark?"
<He's quitting the Planet and moving across the country. He's getting married. He's quitting the Planet, moving across the country to get married. To Cat.> Her fears echoed loudly in her head, the thoughts getting worse with every second that passed.
"I shouldn't tell you yet, its not New Year."
"Clark! How can you do that? You can't tell me you have something to tell me and then not tell me! That's ludicrous, ridiculous, unheard of.
Clark, it's downright cruel!"
And suddenly his lips were on hers, soft and compliant, just as she always dreamed they would be. After an all too brief caress, he pulled away.
"Happy New Year, Lois."
She wasn't going to let him get away that easily. He got to kiss her, so Lois took her turn, pulling him down to her awaiting lips. Soft, supple, and patient, he returned her kiss, always giving her a way out. And she was lost. Lost in the feeling, in the kissing, the intimate meeting of his lips on hers, the soft pressure of his body against hers as she lay down on top of him, their lips never losing contact. His heart thumped in tandem with hers in a profound dance of friendship, desire and yes, she admitted, love. The feeling of closeness to him that she experienced as they kissed had a dizzying effect on her.
And she again was lost. All she could do was feel, no thinking involved.
The fumbling of her hands in his hair, on his face, on his chest. His own hands entangled in her dark locks, pulling her mouth closer to his than she would have thought possible. The emotion surging through her veins, unstoppable and uncontrollable.
She was sure, at that moment, that she had fallen head-over-heels in love with Clark Kent. Locked in his embrace, she knew.
The realization had little to do with the physical feeling of kissing him, that wasn't why she loved him. His kiss proved nothing, only reaffirmed what was already buried deep inside her. Her heart swelled with love, with excitement, happiness, and arousal.
Opening the top two buttons of Clark's shirt, the elation nearly knocked her over. She and Clark were going to make love- something she had fantasized about for longer than she cared to admit. She would have smiled if her mouth hadn't been quite so busy. She was happy. For the first time in her life, Lois Lane was completely, utterly happy.
Until she felt the soft touch of spandex on his chest. Why would Clark be wearing spandex? And under his clothes? He wouldn't, was the simple answer, unless he was a wrestler, which he wasn't. Or Superman, which he definitely wasn't. Lois hesitated. Of course he wasn't Superman. The mere thought of it was insane, ludicrous.
Incredibly possible.
She broke away from him, opened his shirt and stared at the blue and red "S." Feeling the tears starting to form, she had snatched up her purse and stormed out of his apartment, slamming the door behind without saying a word.
