Heaven
Part III
Clark had been at the St. Peter Times for three months. He had gained favour with Dean and they had become friends outside of work. He found that they were the same age and liked a lot of the same things. Dean was a Princeton graduate and very well rounded. There were three reporters; Lilly Parker, Colin Andrews and Michael Sanders. Lilly was the newest reporter, just six months out of college. She was just married and green all around. Colin was an older man who was just trying to finish out his time until retirement. His wife had retired and his kids were all done with college, grown, married and had children of their own. And Michael had been there about four years. He and his wife were expecting their first baby in the next couple of months.
Dean needed someone to go to Iraq to cover the war update. Clark had quickly volunteered even though he was the assistant editor. He knew that Lilly would do it but didn’t have the experience, Colin had paid his dues and Michael needed to be there for his wife and baby. And besides Clark was Superman. After some discussion Dean agreed. Clark had confided in Dean that he didn’t feel like he had anything to lose anyway. He was young, disconsolate and single (with no desire to love again if his love interest couldn’t be Lois). At first, Dean juggled the idea around in his head because he thought Clark maybe had a death wish. Then he remembered feeling that way once and knew that with time Clark would pull through. Maybe this trip would be good for him. Dean sent Clark home for two weeks vacation before his trip. That was time enough to tie up loose ends and pack…or rescind his decision. So when Clark went home on Friday, he would be off until two weeks from the upcoming Monday, when his flight would leave for Iraq. Of course, he could return home at anytime, Superman express.
Clark had a hard time at home the first few days. He didn’t have a whole lot to do so it gave him lots of time to think…about Lois. Sometimes he would almost find himself in tears. When he slept he often woke in a cold sweat from dreams of Lois. He would go over to his parents’ farm and help them but at the end of the day he was back to thoughts of Lois. Martha knew that there was so much going on inside of Clark but she didn’t want to push him. In time he would talk to her.
It was Wednesday evening. Clark had fallen asleep in his hammock out back earlier. He had actually had a pretty restful nap until Maci came and licked his face. He got up with that, got Maci a treat and retired inside. He got a glass of wine, just because of his mood and not because he could get a drunk from it. He turned on the radio and lay back in his couch holding a picture of him and Lois at the Kerth Awards ceremony. He looked at the way that they were smiling at each other. There was so much happiness in that picture. Ironically, a very suited song came on the radio.
Alone in this house again tonight
I got the TV on, the sound turned down and a bottle of wine
There's pictures of you and I on the walls around me
The way that it was and could have been surrounds me
I'll never get over you walkin' away
A single tear escaped Clark as he held his picture securely to his chest and closed his eyes. Eventually as the song played on, he sat up and put his face in his hands and started to sob. He finally stopped fighting it and released all of his pent up emotions. To see this powerful man’s shoulders shake was like witnessing an apocalyptical event.
I've never been the kind to ever let my feelings show
And I thought that bein' strong meant never losin' your self-control
But I'm just drunk enough to let go of my pain
To hell with my pride, let it fall like rain
From my eyes
Tonight I wanna cry
Eventually peacefulness settled over Clark. All he could do now was try to go on. He laid his head back against his cushions as the song played on but before it ended he was fast asleep again, peacefully.
***********************************************
Lois rang the doorbell and stood. No one answered. She cupped her hands on the screen door and could see Clark on the sofa. He appeared to be asleep. She tried the screen door and it opened. She mentally chastised Clark for being so naïve and trusting, even in the country. Someone was going to hurt him one day.
Lois approached Clark and saw the half glass of wine and what looked like tear tracks on his cheeks. He was so beautiful, lying there so innocently…asleep on the couch. Lois reached out and gently touched his cheek. She could feel the lump in her throat start to form again.
“Clark…” Lois gently touched his cheek with the backs of her fingertips.
A sleepy, “Loi…” escaped Clark as he covered her hand on his cheek with his. Then his eyes flew open.
“Lois?” He stood. Then he saw it…the black and blue bruises in her face, the egg that had formed right behind her ear and the stitches…
“Lois…sweetheart…what happened?” Clark tentatively reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind Lois’s ear. His eyes had started to shimmer again.
“I’m…I’m sorry, Clark…I had no right to impose on you unannounced. The door was open and I rang the doorbell and…if you would just let me shower and get just two hours of sleep, I’ll leave…”
Clark gathered Lois in his arms and hugged her to him. His silent tears fell into her hair. He held her there for a few minutes, supporting her head against his chest. He could feel the wetness on his shirt from her tears. Then Lois let out a painful groan.
“Who did this to you?” When Lois didn’t answer immediately, Clark got her eye contact. “Lex did this, didn’t he?”
“You told me…Cl...Cl…Clark and…I…I didn’t listen.” Lois looked away.
He hugged her again. “Shhh….it’s over. I won’t let anyone else hurt you …ever.”
“I promise I’ll leave tonight. I won’t disrupt your life…just please, let me shower and take a nap…”
“Lois…how did you get here? Where were you going?”
“I drove. I was trying to get away from Lex. I’m so scared Clark. I don’t really have a place to go…”
“You drove alone! Lois, why? Why didn’t you call me? You do have a place…right here, as long as you need. Have you seen a doctor…been to the hospital?”
“I don’t know Clark. I didn’t think you wanted anything to do with me, anymore. I figured if I just showed up you would at least let me get a shower and a nap before you asked me to leave.”
“Lois…”
“Dr. Warner the ME examined me and gave me stitches. I just have cuts and bruises. No breaks. I look a lot worse that I am.”
“You’re hurting…”
“I couldn’t take the pain medication that Dr. Warner prescribed while I was driving. My prescription is not even filled. I took Motrin…”
“Let me run you a bath and I’ll get your prescription filled while you bathe. I’m going to get Doc Morgan to look you over.”
Clark held his hand up as Lois started to protest. “Please, just let me take care of you,” He said softly. “When did you eat last?” Clark noticed Lois hesitate to think. “I’ll fix you something to eat and we can talk after you get a nap.”
Lois shook her head in agreement.
Clark ran Lois a bath and led her to the bathroom. He laid out shampoo and a new toothbrush for her. It dawned on him that Lois didn’t have anything to change into…wait…she had left her jeans, a short sleeved sweater and underwear the last time she was in Kansas. She had forgotten the clothes that she had in the wash. Clark got out one of his oversized tee shirts and left her other clothes laying along side it out on his bed. He would take her tomorrow to get some clothes to wear if he could convince her to stay that long.
Clark warmed up some home made chicken soup that Martha had made the day before. He laid out crackers and some warm tea. By the time Lois finished with her bath, Doc Morgan was there. He checked Lois over and gave the same report as Dr. Warner. He suggested that Clark wake Lois every three hours until the next morning even though it had been almost 24 hours since her head trauma. He brought along some pain medication unaware that Clark had filled a prescription for her. After Doc Morgan left Clark noticed that Lois chose his over sized tee shirt to wear. His heart swelled at the closeness that he felt from her choice. Clark explained where her changing set of clothes had come from. He had attempted to pack them away with his memories of Lois on that dreadful day in Smallville but just couldn’t part with them. Lois ate most of her soup and crackers and drank her tea. She really needed food for that pain medication and for the simple fact that she was hungry.
Clark made his bed for Lois because he only had one bed so far. He would sleep on the couch.
“Here you go, Lois,” Clark said as he folded the sheets back for her.
“But where will you…”
“Don’t worry about me. Sweet dreams Lois.” Clark gently brushed his lips across her cheek. She was starting to look a little better.
Clark woke Lois at 10 o’clock. He had her pain medication in hand to offer.
“Lois…sweetheart…wake up…do you need pain medication?” She just stirred a little then drifted back off to sleep. Clark woke Lois every three hours all night but after the 4 o’clock wake up he fell asleep. The next time he opened his eyes was at 9 o’clock.
Clark jumped up in a hurry to make sure that Lois was real and that he could still wake her.
“Lois…” Clark gently called as he shook her shoulders gently.
“Umm…”
Clark just smiled to himself and let Lois go back off to sleep. He got up and stirred around some in the kitchen. He made coffee and bacon and eggs. He thought he would have to sit Lois aside a plate in the oven when he heard her patter into the kitchen. He turned around to greet her but was caught off guard by what he saw. There Lois stood with her face cast downward wearing his white terry-cloth bath robe.
“Lois…?”
“Clark, I’m…thank you for being so kind to me. I’ve already overstayed my welcome. I’ll get dressed and I’ll go…” Lois turned to walk away.
“Please don’t go. Stay as long as you’d like.”
“That’s just it. I would stay forever, like I should have when you offered the first time.”
“That offer is still open…if you’d like.”
Lois sat down at the table. Clark placed a cup of coffee in front of her just the way she liked it. For some reason when he made it, it always tasted better than when she made it. Clark then sat in the chair adjacent to her.
“What happened, Lois?”
Lois stared down into her cup of coffee as if she would find her answers there. After a few minutes, she started to recount the events leading up to the day that Lex assaulted her. As she told her story, she watched a kaleidoscope of emotions cross Clark’s face. She saw hurt, concern, sadness, anger but all the time underlying love for her. After all of what she had done to him, he still loved her. When she finished her story, Clark stared off out the window across from him, silently. After a few moments he spoke again.
“Lois, Luthor didn’t r-ra-force himself…did he?”
“No. He was going to…but I fought him off. That’s when I ran to Henderson.”
Clark released a sigh that he wasn’t aware that he was holding.
The couple talked more about the day that Lois was assaulted by Lex and how Henderson helped her to escape. Lois told Clark how all she wanted was to get to him. After what seemed like hours of talking about that dreadful day Lois realized that she had not considered that Clark may have to get to work.
“Clark, don’t you have to go to work. I didn’t mean to…”
“No. I have to go to Iraq a week from Monday, to cover the war. Dean gave me two weeks off before I go.”
“Why you? You’re the assistant editor. Aren’t there other…”
“I volunteered. Lilly is too green, Colin is older and has paid his dues and Michael is expecting his first baby. He should be there for his wife. I would want to be.”
“Oh.” With that last summation, Lois saw a look of longing briefly appear over Clark’s face. She could see that he wanted a family so badly.
“Lois, I’m sorry that I didn’t return your calls. I just couldn’t…couldn’t talk to you right then. It was still too painful. Rather than sucking it up, I pouted and I should have been there to help you. Maybe you would have called me earlier on if I hadn’t been so adamant about not talking to you. I’m so sorry.”
“Clark, it wasn’t your fault.”
“What about Superman? Why didn’t you call for help?”
“I…he avoids me lately. I guess he thinks I’m not worth his time. After all, Lex tried to kill him back when he was missing…with Kryptonite powder. I really don’t blame him.”
Lois thought she saw a paleness go over Clark. “Superman would never deny you help.”
“I guess…” Lois shrugged her shoulders.
“So, Luthor just attacked when you refused to marry him?”
“When I told him that I was in love with someone else, he automatically assumed it was Superman and as you know, he hates Superman.”
“I promise you that I will never let him hurt you again.”
“I know.”
Lois and Clark talked for a couple more hours then Clark sent her to get dressed. Though she was reluctant to be seen with her scarring and bruising, Clark insisted on taking her out to buy some new clothes.
“Clark, I don’t have any money…”
“I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry.”
Fortunately Lois had some makeup in her purse and she used it to cover most of her bruises. The stitches remained visible but she could live with that.
First they returned the unmarked car to Sergeant Sean O’Neill who turned out to be Father Sean O’Neill…and he was expecting her. He knew Henderson from New York and they had helped people before. No wonder Clark laughed when she went to the police department and asked for Sergeant Sean O’Neill. The clerk at the police department snickered and directed her to the rectory a block away. Lois scolded Clark for not telling her. He told her that if she had told him who she was looking for he could have told her.
Lois and Clark had gone to Wichita and shopped for a few hours. When they entered the mall Lois reached for Clark’s hand. He entwined his fingers with hers and only let go to pay for Lois’s purchases. They held hands on the ride back to St. Peter. When they got back home, Martha had left dinner on Clark’s kitchen counter. He had called his parents and told them that Lois was there while she slept the day before.
For the next week, Lois and Clark spent a lot of time just talking. She cried a lot and Clark held her when she cried. He held her every chance he got. They would spend hours in the hammock together, just talking and Lois had even started laughing again. Her physical scars were healing and she was feeling much better. Superman only went out for big disasters and fortunately for Clark it had always been at night while Lois slept. Clark knew that he would have to tell Lois the truth about Superman soon, especially since he felt that things were changing between them. He didn’t want to be too presumptuous but he thought that maybe Lois was starting to feel differently about him.
Lois had called Henderson and scolded him about setting her up to expect an officer when in fact it was a priest. Henderson feigned fear but laughed at the end. Henderson said that he had dubbed O’Neill as sergeant because he had worked a lot with the police department, mainly Henderson, when long distance help was needed. Wherever he went the police departments knew him. He told her that Lex Luthor was in jail without bail and so were his goons. He assured her that he would not be paroled in this lifetime because he had federal charges as well. He said that he had gotten the car back and ended the call by telling her to tell Clark “hello.” Henderson knew all the time where she was running to.
The very next morning, early Henderson called Lois at Clark’s house and told her that the judge had gone for the death penalty for Luthor. He had over forty charges and about half of them were federal charges. Almost as if Luthor wanted to maintain ultimate control he committed suicide by requesting and eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. No one thought this a strange request for a multi billionaire who had had his own French chef, so they serve it. Luthor knew that he was allergic to peanuts. He was found dead in his cell just an hour ago. The information had not yet been released to the media, but Henderson thought that Lois would like to know.
Henderson had also told Lois that the department had named their snitches and there were actually two of them. They were veteran cops who were on Lex Luthor’s payroll. They gave Lex the when’s and where’s of the police department which therefore made him able to always be a step ahead of them. It all made sense now.
Lois felt some relief that she would no longer be threatened by the existence of Lex Luthor. But her main concerns were of a totally different colour. She had no need now to stay with Clark, so surely he would expect her to leave and resume her normal life.
*************************************************
Sunday night before he was due to leave came around. Lois had started to become withdrawn again.
“Sweetheart what’s wrong?” Clark came and sat on the edge of the bed next to Lois where she sat and watched him pack.
Lois smiled to herself at the endearment that apparently slipped from Clark.
“I just wish you didn’t have to go.”
“It’s only for a week. I promise you that I’ll make sure that you’re protected. My parents are here and I’ll ask Superman to fly by…”
“I guess I should be heading back to Metropolis, too, now. I’m not in danger anymore and I didn’t expect you to let me stay here forever…I…”
“Actually, I had hoped you would stay forev…for a while. Don’t go, Lois.” Clark softly pleaded.
“Clark, when I told Lex that I was in love with someone else, it wasn’t Superman.”
Clark got up and walked over to the window, his back to Lois. Clark whispered, “Who? Do I even want to know?”
Lois got up and went to stand next to him. “It’s you, Clark. I’m in love with you. It took me going back to Metropolis and making a fool of myself for me to realize it. Could we get married, Clark…still?”
Clark looked into Lois’s eyes with the shimmering of tears. “I’ve been in love with you for so long, Lois. I don’t want you to feel like you owe me anything. I’ll always be here for you.”
“But, Clark, I do owe you my honesty and that is that I love you…am in love with you and I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. But if you’ve changed your mind, I certainly understand why.”
Lois turned to walk back to the bed. Clark caught her in a couple of steps and turned her around to face him.
“Lois, I love you more than life. If you still feel this way when I get back, then yes, I want to marry you, more than anything. But if you don’t, I’ll still be your friend. I just …it would kill me…if we went through with it…if you didn’t mean it…if you had regrets afterwards.”
“I’ll miss you.”
Clark hugged Lois to him.
“Lois, there is something that I should tell you.” Clark led her to sit on the bed again.
“Yes?”
Clark ran his hands through his hair in that nervous gesture. Then he stood…and after some reluctance started spinning…and Lois stared at him wide eyed. In a fraction of a second Superman stood before her.
“Oh God, Clark. I’m so sorry.” Lois started to sob. “You knew about Lex all along and I didn’t listen to you. He tried to kill you and I almost…I’m so sorry.”
“Shhh…you didn’t…couldn’t have known. It’s okay, really. We’re here now.” Clark tried to lighten the mood. “So you won’t have to go a full week without seeing me.”
“Oh, Clark.” Lois leaped into his arms and he held her to him.
*************************************************
Lois drove Clark to Wichita to the airport on Monday morning. He hated to fly on a plane but, he had to do this for work. They sat waiting for Clark’s flight to be called. Clark had his elbows on his knees leaning forward with one of Lois’s smaller hands between his two. He thought about the last time he was at this place. But…hopefully…things are different now. Lois knew that he was in deep thought and she knew why.
“Penny for your thoughts…”
“I’m just afraid that you’re going to change…”
<First call for American Airlines Flight 5577 nonstop to New York, LaGuardia boarding business class…>
“I love you, Clark. I won’t change my mind.”
“And I love you.” Clark leaned down and kissed Lois thoroughly. When he broke the kiss he whispered in her ear, “See you tomorrow.”
Clark came home every day from Iraq. Most of the time he would find Lois outside, talking to Maci. Lois and Maci had become great friends. Clark had left Lois his truck keys so she spent a fair amount of time with Martha and Jonathan on the farm. She and Martha talked a lot.
During that week of Clark’s absence Lois had gone to the Smallville Gazette to respond to an ad for an assistant editor. Lois had has some encouragement from Martha after she had told her her plans. She was formally offered the job but she explained to the editor, Ms. Hatcher that she could not give her a definite answer until Monday but she was seriously interested.
*************************************************
Friday, evening Clark came home. It was later than his usual visit from Iraq. Lois had though that he got busy and couldn’t come home. He found her napping on the couch with a book that she had apparently attempted to read. He spun into his Clark clothes.
“Hi.” Clark whispered in Lois’s ear.
She woke up with a very drowsy, “Hi.”
“I thought you got busy but I’m glad you came. There is something that I need to talk with you about.”
“You changed your mind…”
“No! I wanted to…well…I applied for a job at the Smallville Gazette, assistant editor, but I told Ms. Hatcher that I couldn’t give her an answer until Monday. It depends on what you say…about…you know…”
“Is that what you want, Lois? I mean it’s not the big city…exciting investigations.” Clark was now sitting on the edge of the coffee table just in front of Lois. He gently cradled Lois’s hands in his and held them close to his lips. He spoke just above a whisper.
“More than anything...I want you. I want to be with you.”
“Good. Then tell her yes…that is if you’ll be my wife.” Clark brought Lois’s hands to his lips and kissed them.
“Oh God Clark! Yes!”
Clark reached in his pocket and pulled out a small purple velvet box. When he opened it, it contained a simple princess cut solitaire on a platinum setting.
“I was late because I had to make a stop in France for this.” Clark released Lois’s hands so that he could place her engagement ring. He then leaned over and kissed Lois. “I love you, honey.”
“I love you, too. How did I land someone as wonderful as you? I was so…”
Clark kissed away her attempted babble.
After what seemed like hours of talking and making out on Clark’s couch he stood to head back to Iraq.
“Will you stay…tonight?”
“I…they’re nine hours ahead of us in Iraq. I want to spend the whole night with you our first time.” He was pretty sure that he knew what she wanted and he wanted her as much as she wanted him. At the same time, he needed time to work up his nerves…and his confidence…so that he didn’t disappoint Lois. “My plane lands in Wichita on Sunday night.”
Lois smiled. “Okay. I’ll be waiting.”
Clark kissed Lois and flew off…back to Iraq.
Sunday night when Clark landed in Wichita he flew home Superman express. He had told Lois not to come for him because Superman was faster. He found her lying across his bed napping. It was late because their flight had not landed in Wichita until midnight due to a delay in New York.
******************************
He lay on the bed next to her on the side she was facing. Her eyes fluttered open.
“Hi beautiful.”
“Hi. I missed you.”
“I missed you too.” Clark leaned over and kissed Lois.
*************************************************
The next morning, Teresa came knocking on Clark’s door. She and Lois had become pretty friendly especially wile Clark was gone. Lois answered the door.
“Teresa?”
“Sorry to bother you, Lois, but I need to borrow some sugar. Ethan is back home and I want to make breakfast for him but I ran out of sugar. The strangest thing happened on Wednesday. Superman just came to my front door, out of the blue, knocked then told me that Ethan would be landing in Wichita on Sunday. Now in Ethan’s letters he said that he would be deployed three more months. I thought that maybe he was trying to evade me…didn’t want me to know when he came back home because maybe he really didn’t want to be with me, but Superman assured me that it was a sudden change and he only had time to prepare to fly home. You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Superman up close before Wednesday…but anyway… I would have never thought that he even knew who I was.”
“When Ethan saw me standing there, at his arriving gate, he came over and held me like he would never let go. He told me that he didn’t want to go home just yet, but that he wanted to come home with me so that we could talk. I brought him here so that we could talk and we talked all night. Then he proposed…again! Eventually this morning early, I fell asleep in his arms. ”
“And…”
“I said yes silly! He said that I had to love him to stand by him all those months. He also admitted that he never stopped loving me. He thought it would be selfish to keep me waiting while he went to war, just like Clark said. And it felt so good to fall asleep in his arms again.”
“Clark said?”
“Yes. Oh…and congratulations! I saw Clark at the airport last night. He told me that you said yes. As long as I’ve known him, he has been in love with you Lois.”
“I know, Teresa, I know.” Lois got a satisfied smile on her face. Apparently everyone knew that Clark had been in love with her.
“Well…sugar? I’ve got to go and make breakfast for Ethan.
*************************************************
The following week, Lois and Clark married in Clark’s back yard and Teresa and Ethan were married the following weekend in Teresa’s yard. But, too soon, Teresa’s house would go up for sale because she was moving to Okinawa with Ethan. Lois was truly going to miss her. But she had her own life changes to deal with now. The first time that she and Clark had made love, she became pregnant. Clark was so excited. And truthfully, Lois was too. She wanted nothing more that to have beautiful babies with Clark.
Who would have thought that Lois Lane…Lois Kent as she liked to be called…would be at this place in her life…right now…literally Heaven?
~fin~
