The truth was that she wouldn't tell a soul even if his parents didn't exist. She just wanted him to feel a little of the pain she felt. Because while her anger appeared to be dissipating, the hurt still remained. For some reason she seemed to be feeling more…more…. More what? Lois shook her head as she pulled on a shoe. Well, just more than she'd felt before. But what on earth did that mean?
Love it. Lois feels more hurt than anger, because Clark makes her feel...
more... than she has felt before. Perfect.
Clark just meant…more. More than Claude, more than any other man had ever meant before.
Yes, that's it, Lois. You love Clark so much more than you have ever loved a man before... in fact, Clark is the only man you've ever loved.
“Did you get a chance to go over those dates of supposed Cost Mart shipments last night?”
“Yes, I-”
“Well? Did any of them match up with our other information regarding Intergang?”
Dougal's smile wavered. For some reason, this morning Lois Lane seemed immune to his natural charms. “Not really. That's why I'd like to talk to you about-”
“They didn't?” Lois pulled a face. “How can that be? I was so sure…”
This doesn't sound good. And what reason do we have to believe that Dougal did a good job checking it out? And how can we even know that he isn't deliberately hiding the truth from her?
“Sometimes these things just don't work out, Lois,” Dougal said soothingly, placing his hand on her shoulder in what Lois was sure was supposed to be a reassuring manner. “Sometimes you just need to give up and move on to something else.”
No!!! Dougal wants her to give up on her investigation!
She was about to inform him that Lois Lane did not give up, when something – later, she wouldn't be able to say quite what it was – caught her attention about her partner and stopped her. Her instincts told her that something was wrong in this situation. That "something' was either the words being said, or the actions, or simply the person. She glanced at Dougal: what was it that had made her wary enough to bite back her retort? That was something else that Lois Lane didn't do. Not usually, anyway. Something wasn't right here…
Good that Lois begins to suspect that Dougal has a hidden agenda.
“-and then the mayor's assistant said that she'd left the office at eight fifteen, right? So I checked the mayor's statements and he said she left no later than six thirty. There's a whole hour and a three quarters difference! So I asked around, and those sources who watch city hall closely report that the mayor's assistant did in fact leave at around six thirty, and, I quote, "She looked fine'.”
But Diana seems to be taking her and Clark's investigation seriously.
“-and then the mayor's assistant said that she'd left the office at eight fifteen, right? So I checked the mayor's statements and he said she left no later than six thirty. There's a whole hour and a three quarters difference! So I asked around, and those sources who watch city hall closely report that the mayor's assistant did in fact leave at around six thirty, and, I quote, "She looked fine'.”
But considering the way she's coming on to Clark, I don't exactly have to like her!
Clark stifled a loud sigh: in spite of everything, he'd still rather go with Lois Lane.
Good. Clark still wants to go with Lois, even if she is angry at him.
That settled it. He had to say no to Diana. He had to stop her flirting – because that's what it obviously was; even he, the naïve farm boy, could see that – and let her down easily. She was young: she'd bounce back quickly. Maybe he could even set her up with Jimmy at some later date.
You've got to love Clark here. He is so considerate.
"You just have to say, "Diana, I'm sorry; I can't go with you to the Kerths. It wouldn't be right.' It's easy, you can do it,' Clark told himself. But the words that came out of his mouth did not seem to match those swirling round inside his head. “Uh, do you mind if I think about it and get back to you, Di?” Instantly he berated himself for this response, but nevertheless he couldn't seem to get his mouth to form the right words: the harder words. Because he didn't want to hurt Diana, but it would be inevitable, eventually. He couldn't lead her on – but he was! Clark pictured himself pounding his head against a brick wall in penance for his stupidity. Done mentally it didn't hurt him either; he supposed wryly that that meant the Man of Steel had a steel brain as well.
I feel sorry for Clark. I don't like his behaviour, but I can't be angry at him. He is such a nice guy that he can't bring himself to say outright to the hopeful young woman that there can be nothing between them. Sooner or later he will have to tell her, and putting it off won't make it easier to finally say it. In fact, it will make it worse. But that's what it's like to be unable to shatter a young woman's hopes.
And this might be the reason why he didn't tell Lois about himself. He wanted to, but he feared making her angry and disappointed at him for lying to her. And the longer he put off telling her, the worse it got.
Attempting to collect herself, Lois counted to ten under her breath and then glanced up, directly into the deep brown eyes of the man she'd been trying so hard to avoid. Her heartbeat seemed to quicken again and she found her breathing hard to control. She had to get away from him; he was dangerous, even now, even when she was mad at him. He was chocolate and she was the dieter. But those eyes – a careful balance between an intense untapped passion and Clark's own extraordinary tenderness and compassion…
I love how you've written this! It's just adorably sweet. Oh, how she loves him!
“I understand why she's mad, Mom. What I don't understand is why she's asked Perry to partner her with Dougal instead of with me! I mean, surely the entire situation would be easier on both of us if we just talked it over? Right?”
“Uh, Clark…”
“I mean, talking about a difficult situation helps to work out the problems and to solve them! Talking soothes hurt feelings. If I don't get to talk to her, how am I ever going to convince her that I'm sorry and get her to see that I had to keep this,” gesturing at the Superman suit, “from her? And Lois likes to talk: she likes to babble. I love that about her. So why won't she talk to me now? I want to talk: she doesn't want to talk. Doesn't that seem like a complete paradox to you? I-”
“Clark Jerome Kent! Stop!” Martha Kent stood in front of her son, her eyes behind their glasses firm. “You're babbling just as much as Lois does. Now calm down, take a deep breath and stop pacing! You're making me dizzy.”
I love his babbling!
Ann