They walked mostly in silence for fifteen minutes. It gave Clark time to try to take stock of how far - literally and figuratively - they had come since he had first heard the knock on his door this morning.
Literally ... well, that wasn't quite so earth-shattering - not for a man who could circumnavigate the world in less than a minute.
But figuratively ... it felt like Lois had been in his life for years - yet that in no way reduced the newly discovered wonder of simply being able to hold her hand.
He didn't even want to think of what his life had been like without her ... and he vowed with every last ounce of his powers that he would do everything to ensure that she always wanted to be with him.
Because, as he knew with complete certainty, life without Lois was ... unthinkable.
Part 26
Clark ambled along the track that weaved a welcoming path through the lush forest. To his left, a crystal-clear stream rippled blithely over smooth stones. To his right, Lois walked by his side - her hand fitted securely into his.
"That's the Johanna River," she said. "It runs into the sea just a few kilometres south of here."
They came to a wooden seat perfectly positioned to offer a place to watch the river as it tumbled down a little drop.
"Let's eat," Lois suggested.
Clark agreed, and they unpacked the soft, fragrant bread rolls with their colourful toppings.
"No red beets," Clark noted with a smile.
Lois answered his smile. "I thought your American palate found beetroot quite objectionable."
"The red beet in the steak sandwich was surprisingly good," Clark said. "Although that could have been due more to the fact that I had finally managed to ask you for a date than the food."
"Do you even remember what it tasted like?" Lois asked.
"No," Clark admitted.
Lois chuckled, and they ate their lunch accompanied by the steady twitter of the bird-life and the music of the creek.
When Clark had finished eating, he put his arm across Lois's shoulders, and she snuggled into his side. He laughed quietly.
"What?" she asked.
"I was remembering the times I put my arm across your shoulder and held my breath in case you told me to back off."
She wriggled closer. "I was wondering exactly what you were trying to tell me."
"I was trying to tell you everything."
Lois casually rested her hand on his knee, and Clark smiled. The simplest touch from her felt like a little portion of paradise. "Is there anyone else around?" she asked.
Clark tuned in his hearing. "No," he said. "Just us."
"So we can talk openly?"
He nodded, wondering what she wanted to talk about and relishing his total lack of apprehension. He could relax. Whatever she asked, he would willingly tell her. He wanted no secrets from Lois.
"Tell me about being Superman," she said.
"What do you want to know?"
"I know Superman first appeared about two years ago ... what happened before that?"
"I always knew I wanted to use my powers to help people," Clark said. "What I've never been able to determine is the best practical way to achieve that. I can't stand by and watch people suffer, but by helping, I risk someone discovering the truth, and that could threaten the safety of my parents."
"Aw, Clark." Lois reached up to her shoulder and cupped her hand over his. "You're in such a difficult situation."
"I kept trying to help discreetly, but I wasn't very good at thinking up reasonable explanations, and it wasn't long before people would start to regard me with suspicion."
"What did you do?"
"Moved on to somewhere else."
"But moving on could only be a temporary solution," she said.
Clark didn't want Lois feeling sorry for him, so he constructed a smile that he hoped would permeate his voice. "Yeah," he agreed. "The same thing would happen, and then I'd go somewhere else."
Lois turned her head enough to place a soft kiss on the back of his hand. "It must have been hard to maintain friendships when you kept moving on."
"I'm not sure I can have a lot of close friends anyway," Clark said. "It's imperative that I protect the secret because people like Trask would have no qualms in using my parents as targets if they knew." He took a deep breath and forced himself to continue. "And if you stay with me, you face that risk, too," he said.
"I know that," Lois said evenly.
"You've thought about it?"
"Yep - from every possible angle."
"And you're OK with it?"
Lois brushed her cheek against his hand. "I'm here, aren't I?"
Again, his love for her rolled through him like a huge wave. He kissed her head. "Aw, Lois ..."
She entwined her fingers in his. "What happened when you got to Metropolis? Is it because of the suit that you've been able to stay there longer?"
"Yeah," Clark said. "Working at the Daily Planet was my dream job. When Perry gave me a trial - more based on a recommendation from my college professor than anything I'd done - I knew I wanted to stay. My mom thought of the idea of a disguise so I could try to be two people - one a remote and mysterious being with strange powers, and the other, an unremarkable reporter from Kansas."
"Even with the disguise, it couldn't have been easy."
"No," Clark said. "I would hear of an emergency, and then I'd have to make a quick excuse to get away - Mayson never took that well."
"No one ever recognised you?"
"No."
A little spurt of laughter quivered through her body. "I didn't," Lois admitted. "I looked at that photo on the front page of the Daily Planet, and despite sitting right next to you I didn't see any resemblance at all."
"I think people only see what they want to see - that's what my mom said. No one is expecting Clark Kent to fly around in blue tights and a red cape - so they just don't see me."
"It's more than that," Lois said. "Last night, I got onto the Internet and found a few photos of Superman. He always looks so ... so isolated, so unapproachable."
Clark winced. "Yeah, I know."
"Did you plan that?"
"Not consciously. I think I was so used to hiding my powers when I was Clark it just seemed natural to try to hide everything about Clark when I was in the suit. I didn't want anyone to hear my voice, or get a good look at my face, or see anything in me that was suggestive of Clark."
"What changed?"
"What do you mean?"
"I read the reports about you defusing the bombs," Lois said. "They were astounded that you had spoken so freely ... and you even gave Mayson a short interview. So, what happened?"
Clark smiled. "What happened?" he echoed. "Lois Lane happened."
She lifted from him and turned, her face filled with surprise. "Me?"
He nodded. "You. You thought you were telling me how to be a football player. Instead, you were telling me how to be Superman."
"And did it work?" she asked.
"It worked wonderfully," Clark said.
"Until Trask and the green rock."
"No," Clark said, shaking his head. "That was different. After the bomb emergency, I felt so good. I had never felt so good about being Superman. Even when I'd saved people and helped them, skulking around always afraid that someone would recognise me never felt good. But after the bombs, I felt so ... so *able* to be what they needed me to be."
"I can't imagine you not being what people needed," she said.
"You believed the best of Superman ... even before you realised that you knew him."
Lois stroked the curve of his jaw. "I understand why you thought it was best to keep your distance and not let anyone see anything about you except for a ... a stunning physique in an oh-so-tight suit -"
"My mom made the suits." Clark could feel his ears reddening. "She said no one would be looking at my face."
Lois's laughter rang through the forest. "She was right," she said.
The heat crept down from his ears and to his neck.
He glanced away to give himself a moment to recover and then faced her again. "I think you and my mom are going to be a formidable combination," he said, hoping she would ask about meeting his parents.
She didn't. "Have you ever thought about allowing people to see a little more of who you are - not Clark - but Superman? Have you thought about showing the world not just his powers, but his heart, his compassion, his caring?"
Clark considered for a moment. "I didn't know how to be more open without risking them seeing far more than I wanted them too."
"The stories after the bombs were quite positive," Lois said. "Except for Mayson."
"Mayson hasn't liked Superman since the first time he appeared."
Lois shrugged. "That's her problem," she said dismissively. "Have you read any reports since Trask and the hostage situation?"
"I got on the Internet last night and tried to read some of it - but I wasn't able to concentrate too well."
"The reports I saw were slanted towards Trask being a loose cannon whose interpretation of Superman's motives had missed the mark by a long way. There was even an editorial that expressed regret for how we humans had treated a visitor to our planet." She laid her head on his shoulder. "Have you decided what happens with Superman now?"
"What do you think I should do?"
"I think it has to be your decision."
"Do you have any thoughts?"
"I think now could be exactly the right time for Superman to do a little work on his public profile," Lois said. "If people got to know you - even just a little of you - they are going to fall in love with you, and very soon, you'll find yourself as the world's great superhero."
"You think so?" he said dubiously.
She nodded.
"I've never really wanted the clamouring interest. But the interaction, working together with others - that felt good."
"Teamwork," Lois said quietly. "Mateship, common goals. It sounds a lot like footy."
"Yeah," Clark said. "Do you really think I could do it? Do you think I can be more than just a package of powers and strange abilities?
"I'm sure of it."
"Will you help me?"
"Every last millimetre of the way," she vowed.
She had choked him up again. He was sure he'd fail dismally if he tried to express what he was feeling, even supposing his congested throat would allow for speech. He swallowed roughly and said, "Do you know I have dreamt about you for so long?"
"Since you came to Melbourne?"
Clark shook his head. "No," he said. "A long time before that."
"How could you have dreamt about me?" she said with a little smile.
"I was still young when I knew that, more than anything, I wanted to find someone to share my life. I fervently hoped that somewhere on this planet there would be a woman who could love an alien man. I didn't know what she would look like, but I knew she would be beautiful. I didn't know anything about her, except that she would be able to accept someone as different as I am." Clark's thumb slowly slid over the back of her hand. "Then things like the flying and the heat vision started appearing, and I doubted there was *anyone* who could overlook all of that."
"I have no intention of overlooking any of that," Lois said.
"You don't?"
"No. I intend to treasure everything about you." She kissed his cheek. "And don't ever forget that I'm incredibly fortunate, too."
"You are?"
She nodded. "I think the best thing that ever happened to me was when your sports reporter got the mumps."
Clark shuddered. "Without that ..."
Lois smiled. "Without that, there would have been another way for us to meet."
"You think so?"
"I know so. We are *meant* to be together."
His love for this woman swelled, surged, and flooded through him. He knew it would be impossible to find the words to convey even a fraction of his heart, so instead he gently surrounded her face with his hands and thoroughly kissed her lovely mouth.
||_||
Half an hour after resuming their drive, Lois and Clark were again greeted by the Southern Ocean. The Great Ocean Road swept them west along the dramatically zigzagging coastline that had been assiduously carved by centuries of pounding waves.
They stopped at various places along the road and marvelled at the power of the waves that leapt high up the rock face after thundering into the base of the cliffs.
The sun was well into its descent when they reached the collection of rock stacks called The Twelve Apostles. There were no longer twelve - some having succumbed to the might of the waves - but those that remained were truly spectacular.
Clark stood behind Lois on the viewing platform. He put his arms around her waist, and she leaned back and rested her head between his neck and his shoulder. He touched a kiss to her temple.
"Lois," Clark whispered against her ear. "This has been the best day of my life."
She folded her arms over his. "Mine, too," she said.
"What about all those Hawthorn premierships?" he said, trying to inject some levity into the question.
"They were wonderful," she said. "But they don't compare to this."
Clark's arms tightened around her. "Lois," he said. "You've given me so much - and all in just a few hours."
She turned in the circle of his arms and faced him. "Does that concern you?" she asked. "Does it seem like too much, too soon? Are you worried that I will change my mind?"
"No," he said. "But it's been so quick, it takes my breath away."
She smiled. "The truth, big guy, is that I've wanted to be like this with you almost since I met you ... but I was worried about my heart being mauled."
"You're not worried about that anymore?"
"Not at all."
"You have such belief in me," he said with awe.
She kissed him. Her lips bore the slight saltiness from the ocean breeze. Clark longed to seek her lips with his tongue, longed to taste her more intimately.
He resolutely kept his tongue in his own mouth. They had travelled so far today - not for anything was he going to push too fast and risk causing Lois to back away.
Their kiss ended, and he felt Lois shiver.
"How far to Port Campbell?" Clark asked.
"Not long. Fifteen minutes."
"We should go, you're getting cold."
"Once the sun has gone, it cools down really quickly." They moved towards the Jeep. "Are you OK?" Lois asked.
He was absolutely wonderful. "Yeah. Why?"
"You seem to have recovered from yesterday."
"I have," he said. "Sunshine and large doses of Lois Lane - works wonders."
She smiled, but Clark noticed it took effort to keep it from degenerating into a yawn.
"Would you like me to drive the rest of the way?" he asked.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because you look tired."
"Thank you," she said, smiling. "I'd like that."
Clark opened the door for her. "I guess you didn't sleep much the past two nights," he said.
"No."
"Sorry," Clark said. "That was my fault."
She smiled. "I lost one night's sleep because I didn't know about you and the next because I did."
Clark shut her door and climbed into the driver's seat. "There's no reason why you shouldn't sleep well tonight," he said.
"No reason at all," she said.
||_||
Once in Port Campbell, they found the motel and took their bags to their adjacent rooms. Lois wearily dumped her bag on the floor and looked ruefully at the double bed. If Clark had asked ... hinted even ... she would have welcomed him into her room. But this was Clark Kent - the man who lived by his own moral compass so unwaveringly he hadn't even kissed her until he had been staggeringly honest with her.
And that made her heart sing.
But her body lament.
She abruptly turned from the bed and met him at the door of her room.
"Where would you like to eat?" Clark asked.
"There won't be too many choices in Port Campbell," Lois replied. "Not mid-week at this time of the year, but we can probably find something quite decent."
"It doesn't have to be in Port Campbell," Clark said.
She thought she understood his implication, but she still had to ask, "What are you suggesting?"
"That you can choose anywhere in the world."
Lois grinned - Clark said it with such nonchalance. "I suppose you just happen to carry currency from every country?" she said.
"No," he admitted. "But many places will take American dollars."
Her exhaustion warred with the notion of exactly how much fun it would be to pick a place somewhere on the planet and go there to eat.
"I can see that you're tired," Clark said. "Let's look in Port Campbell."
Lois smiled her thanks as her exhaustion prevailed. "You know what I'd really like?"
"Name it," he said.
"I think I'd like Room Service. That way we can relax totally."
"Same room?" Clark asked. He tried to say it casually, but it was obvious that the thought of eating alone in his motel room didn't appeal to him at all. Lois didn't care for it much, either.
She clasped his arm and smiled. "Of course, same room," she said. Then she summoned the last traces of her energy. "Is that OK, Clark? We've never had our date. If you'd like to, we can dress up a little and go somewhere nice."
"No," Clark said, as he took her hand. "Let's go to my room and see what we can find on the menu. We'll have plenty of other times to have our date."
||_||
The next morning, Lois awoke in Clark's bed.
Alone.
She was still dressed, only her runners had been removed.
She sat up and saw her bag on the chair next to the bed.
Clark.
After she'd fallen asleep, he must have put her into his bed, swapped their bags, and moved himself into her room.
Lois checked the clock and realised she had slept for nearly twelve hours. She leapt up, feeling energised and invigorated. The day stretched ahead - a whole day to spend with Clark.
She practically skipped as she went to the bathroom and was humming as she turned on the shower.
Never had she been so happy.
Never.
||_||
As Lois put the final touches to her makeup, she heard a light tap on her door, and her heart soared.
She knew he would hear her footsteps, but that didn't stop her racing to the door and flinging it open.
There he was ... looking as sensational as ever, his smile wide and his hands occupied with two cups of coffee and a large paper bag.
"Good morning, honey," Clark said.
"Good morning to you," she replied, knowing she was grinning quite ridiculously, but totally unable to contain her excitement.
"You're looking beautiful this morning," he said.
He was, too, but Lois wasn't completely sure how he'd take being told that. "Thank you," she said. "Come in. Is that breakfast I see?"
He walked past her and placed the food on the table. He turned, and Lois could wait no longer. She threw herself into his arms and was met with an embrace equally as enthusiastic as hers.
"Did you sleep well?" Clark asked as he backed away just enough to look down into her face.
"Wonderfully well," she said. She grinned up at him. "In *your* bed."
"I figured it was easier to settle you here than risk waking you by carrying you through the cold to your room."
"Thank you," she said. "What do we have for breakfast?"
He didn't turn to the table. "I was hoping for a kiss before breakfast," he said.
She reached up to him and his hands gently cupped her head as he kissed her with just a little more intensity than any of his kisses yesterday. It seemed he had missed her, too.
When they drew apart, they were both a little breathless. Clark turned to the table and said, "I got these from a French bakery."
"Tell me, Kent," Lois said. "Does 'French' describe the location of the bakery or the goods it sells?"
He grinned and pulled out a seat for her to sit down. "Both," he said.
Lois chuckled. "So, you've fully recovered?"
"Completely." Clark opened the bag and offered it to her. "I got a selection," he said.
Lois chose a plump croissant that had been drizzled with chocolate. "Thanks. Did you stop by and see your parents?"
"No. I thought about calling them, but I have no phone signal."
"You can call them when we're in Warrnambool."
"OK."
She heard hesitancy in his voice. "You don't want to call them?"
Clark removed the lid from his coffee and ripped the top from three sachets of sugar. "I'd like to visit them," he said.
"Sure," she said. "They must be eager to see you ... after the whole Trask thing. And they might have updates on what's been happening since. Like whether he really did manage to banish all of the green rock into the vastness of space."
Clark took the bag and peered into it. "Would you come with me?" he asked. "Please?"
Lois paused. "What if I'm not what they were hoping for?" she said quietly.
Sharp surprise cut across Clark's face. "Lois," he said. "You're perfect."
She sighed. "My parents didn't think so."
He covered her hand with his and looked solemnly into her eyes. "Do you know what my parents have always wanted for me? They wanted someone who knows everything about me and still loves me. They wanted someone who makes me feel as if all my differences don't matter in the least." He squeezed her hand. "And they are going to positively adore you."
Lois smiled. "When do you want to go?"
"It might be best if we took off in the dark. I can be gone so fast no one would notice, but I'll have to slow down a bit for you."
"So ... tonight?"
"I was thinking perhaps we could get up early tomorrow morning and go to Kansas for breakfast." He grinned. "Though it will be late afternoon there."
Lois laughed. "You make it sound so normal," she said.
Clark smiled. "Would you come?" he asked. "Please?"
"Yes, I'll come."
"Thanks."
"Are you going to wear the Superman suit?"
"Probably not. I usually don't wear it just to fly home. Why?"
"I've never formally met Superman."
"I'm sure you will."
"Is the suit as tight as it looks?"
"Yeah. Mom says it helps with aerodynamics." Noting she had finished her croissant, Clark pushed the bag in her direction. "What do you have planned for us today?"
"I thought we could go further west. Warrnambool is about half an hour away - it's the main city for south-western Victoria. Then, a few kays past Warrnambool is Port Fairy - a quaint little fishing town that is just beautiful."
"Kays?"
"Kilometres."
Clark smiled. "Sounds wonderful - just being with you is wonderful." His brown eyes rested in hers. "I love you so much, Lois."
Lois smiled, and suddenly her tears surged. Tears of joy, tears of disbelief that life could be this good, tears at the wonder of being loved by someone she trusted implicitly. "You're going to make me cry, Kent," she said.
He tenderly brushed the tip of his thumb along her lower eyelid. "Only tears of happiness, honey," he said. "I never want to hurt you again."
"You didn't -"
"Yes, I did. I ran away. I let you wonder ... and worry." He smiled. "There will be times when I have to run away again, but you will know why. And you'll know that I will always come back."
"I was wondering about that," Lois said, swallowing down her heightened emotions. "How do you decide when to go and help?"
Clark stared at the table for a long moment. "It has always been difficult," he said. "Obviously, throughout the world, I could be rescuing and helping all day, every day. But if I did that ..."
"You wouldn't have a life."
"No. I know there are advantages to the suit, but I don't enjoy being the focus of everyone's attention. And I've always feared that the number of times I can appear is limited ... the more photos taken of me, the more people see me, the more chance someone will recognise me." He absently folded the now-empty paper bag. "So, I never went looking for emergencies. If I heard or saw something where my powers would be significantly more useful than human effort, I would spin into the suit and do what I could."
"So that's why you haven't been constantly darting back to the States?"
"Yeah. That, and the fact that every Superman appearance prompted another rant from Mayson. One of the reasons I came to Australia was to give me time to make some decisions."
Lois put her hand over his. "Had you planned what you'd do if you saw an emergency here? I mean, it wouldn't be good for Superman to suddenly turn up in Australia - at exactly the time Clark Kent happens to be here. Someone - Mayson, or Perry perhaps - would be sure to make the connection."
"I guess if I saw something I would try to help discreetly - like I used to before Superman."
"Like you did yesterday."
He grinned. "Like *we* did yesterday," he corrected. "You were definitely the brains of the operation - I was merely the brawn."
Lois laughed, reflecting that brawn had never looked so good. She decided that lingering on Clark's physical assets was probably a less-than-prudent track, so she stood abruptly. "Give me two minutes to freshen up," she said. "And we'll be on our way."
||_||
Warrnambool was a large regional centre that effortlessly combined the bustle of modern living with the relaxed ambience of a coastal village. Lois and Clark stopped at Cannon Hill and looked down upon a tapestry of lakes woven into verdant grass. Beyond the lake area was a strip of golden sand and then the deep blue of the ocean.
Clark checked his phone. He had a signal. "I'll call my parents," he said.
Lois smiled. "I'll go and check out the cannon," she said.
Clark caught her arm. "Why?" he asked. "Because you have a voracious interest in cannons? Or because you think I want some privacy?"
"The latter," she admitted.
Clark shook his head. "I don't need privacy," he said. "Not from you. Stay here? Please?"
"Are you sure?"
In reply, Clark put his arm over her shoulder and pulled her gently into his side. "I know this trip is going to end," he said. "And I know that, as much as I want to be with you every second, it isn't going to happen that way. But for now, I don't want to let you go - even for a moment."
"OK."
He dialled his parents' number.
"Clark," his mother greeted a moment later. "It's so good to hear from you. Your father and I have been wondering how you are."
Clark knew his most goofy grin was wandering all over his face. "I have never ever felt as blissfully happy as I do right now," he said.
Simultaneously, he heard his mother's sharp in-breath and Lois's partially stifled laughter.
"Oh, Clark," his mom said. "We are so pleased for both of you."
Clark grinned wider. "I'm currently standing on a hill overlooking the ocean ... and right beside me is the lady I love." His arm tightened, and Lois looked up to him with a smile.
"Ah, Clark," Martha said. Even from so far away, he could hear the delight bubbling in her voice.
"Would you like company tomorrow?" Clark asked. "Late afternoon?"
"Company?" his mother shrieked. "How many?"
"Two," Clark said.
"Eek! Clark, that would be wonderful. We can't wait to meet her."
"I promised you we would come," Clark reminded her. "But first, I had to explain to Lois about our travel arrangements."
He heard both women chortle, and he couldn't contain his grin. He was really looking forward to seeing his mom and Lois together.
Martha sighed, and Clark wondered if there were happy tears glistening in her eyes. "Clark," she said. "You sound so incredibly happy - happier than you've ever been before."
"I am," he said. "We'll see you tomorrow, Mom."
"Bye, Clark."
"Bye, Mom."
Clark replaced his cell in his jeans pocket and enfolded Lois in his arms. "Mom and Dad can't wait to meet you."
Lois looped her arms around his waist and leant into his chest. Clark kissed the top of her head.
Contentment and optimism surged through him. No longer did the future stretch uncertainly before him. No longer did he fear that his life would be lived alone.
