A/N: This story was inspired years ago by a blog post I came across. The story idea fluttered in my head for a long while until recently when I saw the same story appear on a standardized test (ha! the irony!). I decided to turn this in to my first published Smallville fanfic. Both the book and the location exist in real life. I'll include the translation to the Italian at the bottom of the chapter.
Feedback is always welcome and very much appreciated. :)
...
Lois ran through the rough underbrush. Branches dragged at her legs, cutting her as she tore through, arms jerking away anything that got in her way. Her heart raced, pounding through her chest, her bag bounced against her hip. Her lungs pulled for air, causing her to gasp as she ran, her pursuers surely nearing. A shot fired from behind her, she didn't dare turn to look. Leaves slapped at her face, roots threatened to tangle her and bring her to her knees. Her shoes had long been discarded, an impediment to her hurried escape.
A second shot fired in to the night as her chest began to tighten. Her leg muscles ached, begging her to stop. Lois continued to push through the woods, ignoring the pain, willing her body to overcome it. Orders to stop and mumbled threats called out to her. She didn't dare obey. As she leapt over a fallen log her foot landed in an awkward position, throwing her to the ground. Her shattered breath caused her chest to heave in exhaustion. At the sound of guns cocking behind her, she rolled slowly on to her back ready to face her eventual killers.
"È bella, no?" A voice boomed from behind the row of armed men. "I have 11 men, each with a gun pointed at your pretty little face. Got anything you want to share?" The voice taunted, challenging her to reveal all that she knew, all that she'd effectively stolen.
Propped up by her elbows, Lois narrowed her eyes and glared at the shadowed figure hidden behind the gunmen. "You'll have find out like everyone else," she dared. "On the front page of the Daily Planet."
The voice laughed from the darkness. "You Americans. Always so willing to die for what you think is right. Your choice then."
Lois felt her breath catch in her throat, her heart palpitated understanding that these were to be her last moments.
"Whenever you're ready then…"
Lois turned her face from her executioners, eyes cringing and her body tense as she awaited her fate. Her fingernails dug in to the cold dirt, clasping at what was to surely to become her burial ground.
She heard the trigger release on one of the guns. The others followed in quick succession.
In a flash she wondered what death would be like. She felt arms tighten around her body, the soft scent of amber permeating her senses. The bullets must've hit her, sounding as if coins would if they'd hit metal. In a flash the scent disappeared, the comfort of the arms ripped from her. She turned her head forward, too afraid to open her eyes. She could hear the bending of metal and cries of protest. Confused by the painlessness of the moment, she welcomed the returned familiarity of the arms that had held her tight.
As suddenly as the arms had encircled her, she felt her body lift from the ground. Her hair tossed violently in a rush of wind, her hands inched their way toward the shoulders of her saviour.
When her body came to rest in what she perceived to be a warmed room somewhere, she hesitantly opened her eyes, cautious of what would greet her.
As she pulled back and let her eyes move from the chest, then to the shoulders and finally to the face of her hero, her words caught in her throat. She'd recognize those eyes anywhere. They'd crinkled lovingly when he'd laugh at her terrible jokes and softened when he was concerned at having watched her throw herself headlong in to danger countless times.
"Clark?" She finally managed to blurt out, shock evident in her voice.
"Lois! Are you okay?" He asked; his eyes crinkled worriedly as he ran his hands along her face down to her shoulders.
Emotions overcoming her, she grabbed at Clark's shirt and pulled him closer. Tears stinging her eyes, she whispered his name. "I knew you'd come…. I knew you'd save me. Wanted you to-" Her voice caught in her throat and she silenced herself instead. Tears of relief fell to Clark's blue shirt, staining it.
"I wasn't sure you could…" she began, hesitantly. "How'd you get here?" She looked up and noted that they were safely within her hotel room.
Clark closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath and pulled himself back from Lois' embrace.
"Why'd you go in to the warehouse?" He asked, avoiding her question. "I told you Intergang was monitoring it!"
Lois ran her fingers across her face and steadied herself. "Can you grab the kit from my bag?" She asked. The scratches on her legs had been minor, but she could see splotches of blood pooling on the hardwood floor.
Clark pulled her travel sized first aid kit from her bag. He smiled in spite of the situation, noting that Lois was prepared for even her own magnetic attraction to disaster.
He dabbed some rubbing alcohol on to a cotton swab and knelt beside her again. Lifting her leg lightly at the ankle, he gently dabbed at the scratches which marked her calf.
"You gonna to tell me why you were in that warehouse?" He asked again.
Lois had been sent on assignment to a small town outside of Rome in Italy. She'd come across a connection that had seemed microscopic at the time between Intergang drug mules and the Corgilioni family which based themselves out of Italy. The Planet could only afford to send one reporter and despite Clark's hesitance, Lois went alone to investigate. She'd managed to pick her way in to the warehouse where she'd successfully found documents to finalize the connection between the Corgilionis and Intergang. As she'd stuffed the documents in to her bag, it seemed that she had tripped a silent alarm. The next thing she knew, she was running blindly through a nearby forest, fearing for her life.
"I found it Clark. The connection we needed! You remember those boxcars we'd looked at last week that were all empty in Metropolis Harbour?" Clark nodded as he continued to tend to her injuries. "Corgilioni was shipping drugs in them; the shipments were masked as Japanese electronics."
"So those DVD players and television sets that were on the shipping manifest were really once inside?"
"Yes! But they were just shells. Inside, they were holding thousands of pounds of cocaine, heroine… you name it!" Lois winced as Clark dabbed at a particularly sensitive spot.
"And you managed to get proof before they found you?"
"What do you think this is Clark? Amateur hour?" She smiled proudly. Lois held up her fingers and numbered off her finds. "I got photos of the electronic shells, the drugs and their client lists. So many people are gonna go down for this one."
"Front page?"
"Front page," she confirmed.
Clark smiled in spite of himself, recognizing Lois' tenacity. He could chastise her as much as he wanted about throwing herself headlong in to danger, but the truth was she always got her story and left no stone unturned.
"Clark?" she asked hesitantly. "How did you get across the Atlantic so fast? I'm not exactly in Kansas." As far as she'd been aware, his powers still hadn't included flying.
Clark paused, his hand hovering over her scratches. Gently, he returned her leg to the floor and stood. His shoulders slumped; he chose his next words carefully. "I heard you Lois," He said slowly. "I always listen…and when I heard the panic…" He paused to gather his thoughts. "I knew you were nervous, but then suddenly… it was just—" He shook his head at the memory. "It… I don't know." Clark's face reddened.
Lois nodded, encouraging him to continue, confused by his apparent shame in telling her.
"It just happened." He looked down at her, unsure. "I flew Lois."
A wide smile broke across her face. Lois carefully lifted herself to her feet and pulled him in to a deep embrace. "That's fantastic, Clark!"
"You don't understand, Lois," he said shaking his head. He pulled away from her hold. Lois' eyes widened, taken aback by his distance. "If I fly… it means that I'm wholly Kryptonian."
She stepped toward him and cupped her hands to his face. "What's so wrong with that?" She asked gently.
"I can't…" He looked away from her. "I can't shed my human side. I can't be that person."
"Oh Clark!" His devastation evident, she understood the fear that marked his face. "Flying won't take your humanness away." She smiled softly, her words cautious. "You've flown before."
"Not as Clark, I haven't."
Lois chuckled lightly. "Yes, you have. You can call it leaping or jumping or whatever. But you flew those times," she said recalling the many instances he'd come to hers and others' rescue.
"It's not the same," he said frustrated.
"Clark! Listen to me," she continued with persistence. "You have nothing to be afraid of. You won't turn in to Kal-El. Or an emotionless Kryptonian. All these years—despite everything— you've managed to hold on to what makes you Clark Kent." She pressed her hand to his chest, near to his heart and tapped her fingers. "What's in here won't change."
Clark shook his head, disbelieving.
"It's your confidence in there," she said, her free hand moving toward his head. Her fingers laced through his hair. "That's what's holding you back."
Clark silently considered her comments. Unable to counter her point, he gave her a crooked smile. Somewhere deep inside he knew she was right. Despite his doubts, he knew she had a point. He just wasn't willing to fully turn his mind over to his Kryptonian side at the risk of potentially sacrificing his humanized heart and his love for Lois.
"So…you saved me again," Lois said changing the subject, a sly smirk crossing her face. "I was almost killed tonight," she challenged. A tinge of sarcasm interlaced her words.
"Yah, you were," he retorted with learned craft. "You know I don't like this game, Lois."
"I know you like how it ends," she teased, moving her lower body closer to him. Her finger twirled a loose curl of his hair.
"I do like how it ends…" He agreed with a smile. In one swift motion, his lips crashed on to hers, his large hands pulled her waist flush against his own. Hurriedly, each kiss replaced the one that preceded it, enveloping her with every passing second.
Breathless, she gasped as his teeth nipped at her lower lip and moved along her jaw line toward her ear. "I just wish you'd stop getting in to trouble…" He said daringly, his voice low and drawn.
She pulled his face direct to her own, her eyes blackened with excitement. "Never gonna to happen, Smallville," she managed to say. "Never gonna happen."
He pulled at her sweater, snaking it over her head. She tugged at his belt and pushed his pants button from its secured hold. Lois' lips found Clark's once again as his pants fell to the ground, her sweater discarded next to it. Their lips tangled feverishly as Clark pressed against her, lightly pushing her toward the bed at the center of the room.
Clark's hands grasped at her waist, desperately willing her closer. He kissed along her jaw tracing a path to her earlobe.
As his lips moved to her neck where they massaged her skin with learned expertise, Lois' eyes flew open, recognizing a shift in the room. Their bodies were floating in mid air; Clark clearly oblivious to the gravity he defied. Lois breathed heavily, encircling her calves along Clark's legs. She drew herself upon him, unwilling to break his flight or draw his focus away.
He shifted lightly, his hand beneath her, guiding her toward the bed. His lips continued to play against her body, along her clavicle toward her cheek and back to her lips.
He whispered her name and languidly ran his tongue against her lips, tasting her.
Lois, acutely aware that their bodies were suspended horizontally over the bed, clung to his shoulders. Clark, unenlightened, continued and urged her lips to part, tangling his tongue with hers. A moan escaped, barreling out of the depths of Lois' chest. It startled Clark, awakening him momentarily from his reverie. Their bodies unceremoniously crashed onto the bed.
"Oof!" Lois cried out as Clark's body slammed against her own. His heavy frame sent her in to the mattress, crashing the box-spring to the floor.
Clark quickly rolled to his side, freeing her from beneath him. "Are you okay?" He asked, concerned. His eyes ran the course of her body, checking for injuries.
"I'm fine," she insisted. "The mattress helped," Lois added with a chuckle.
"I'm so sorry!"
Lois bit her lip, holding back her smile. "Nothing to be sorry about Smallville. Actually it was kinda of… sexy."
Clark brought his arm across his forehead, frustration emanating from his face. "I was flying, wasn't I?"
Raising herself on to her forearms she looked at him. Her eyes bore in to him, assuring Clark of her sincerity. "Yes," she admitted. "But trust me when I say this: you were still… very much you." Her voice teased, recalling him pressed against her.
"I dunno, Lois." He groused. "It's too risky. What if I—"
"You won't."
"But the risk…"
Lois inched her leg across his body and pushed herself on top of him so that she straddled him at the waist. Staring down at him she ran her finger along his chest, tracing an "S" across his blue t-shirt. "Sometimes there are things that are worth the risk."
...
Clark had spent much of the night tossing and turning, unable to rest his mind. He considered what Lois had said and her belief that he'd been subconsciously holding back an ability that he could easily have control over. He wondered that if he did give himself over to flying, would he be able to successfully suppress the Kyrptonian side of himself. It was that side that threatened to dehumanize him, left him fearful that it would close his heart to those that he loved and cherished.
His eyes turned to Lois who slept soundly next to him. There was so much to lose, yet as Lois reminded him last night—there was much to gain. He considered all the people he could help with an ability to fly. How he had literally saved Lois' life by being able to easily cross the Atlantic Ocean by way of the skies.
As sleep continued to elude him, he began to scavenge the hotel room. In a closet drawer he came across a discarded novel, likely left behind by a previous guest. He settled in to the slumber chair that sat in the corner of the room and began to read.
The hours faded quickly and soon enough the sun began to poke through the curtains. Lois stretched out her arms, yawning.
"Coffee?"
"Good morning to you too, Lois," Clark said with a chuckle, looking up from the novel.
"G'morning Clark," she replied with a tinge of mockery to her voice. "Coffee?"
"It's waiting for you." He pointed toward a nearby desk where a coffee pot sat full.
Lois rolled from the bed, padding her feet along the floor. As she passed Clark she pressed her lips to the top of his head.
"Whatcha reading?" She asked as she poured herself a steaming cup of coffee.
"Tre Metri Sopra Il Cielo."
Her mouth suspended at the lip of the mug, she furrowed her brows. "Come again?"
"Tre Metri Sopra Il Cielo. It's some book I found in a drawer." He turned the cover toward her. "I couldn't sleep last night, so I started to read it."
"It's in Italian," she said, looking at the cover.
"Yeah."
"Since when do you read Italian?"
"Languages are easy." Clark shrugged. "It was part of my training with Jor-El."
"Jor-El taught you to speak Italian?" Lois shook her head in disbelief. She perched herself on the edge of the bed and took another sip of her coffee.
"And Spanish, French, Dutch, German, Swahili-"
"Okay! Okay!" Lois called out, interrupting. "I get it. How many can you speak anyway?"
Clark paused. "Over 57. We're still working on Mandarin."
Lois raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "Mandarin, huh?"
Clark sheepishly nodded his head. "It's almost as hard as Kyptonian to learn."
Lois snorted. "I'm pretty sure you'll find more uses for Mandarin on Earth. So what's the book about anyway?"
"It's kind of cheesy. It's a bit of a teen star-crossed-lovers kind of book." Clark paused and looked down at the novel. "Actually it's a lot like our story."
"Oh really?" Lois chuckled. "I don't recall us ever being star-crossed-lovers, Clark. And last time I checked you're not a teenage girl."
"That whole alien from a distant planet falls in love with intrepid human reporter… no, definitely not star-crossed."
Lois bobbed her head to the side. "Okay, you win. You got a point there." She placed her cup on the bedside table and moved to sit next to Clark on the armrest of the chair. "But what I don't get is why you're devouring a book that a teen girl would like."
Clark shrugged. "I was thinking about our conversation last night and me not being able to fly and then ended up finding this book. It started off as this really annoying teen novel… but then…" He paused trying to find the right words. "Then I think I started to notice a deeper point to it." He tapped the spine of the book against Lois' leg. "I think the author would agree with you about the flying problem."
"Oh really?"
"Get dressed," he ordered with a suspicious smile. "I've got some things I want to show you."
...
"Vorrei comprare un lucchetto," Clark asked fluidly as Lois followed him through the doorway to a small local shop.
Lois stared at Clark, shocked at the ease with which he spoke the local language.
"È sempre diritto," the store's clerk replied, pointing toward a display of padlocks.
Lois pulled at Clark's arm as he headed toward the display. "Not gonna lie Smallville," she whispered. "That was kinda hot. What's the padlock for anyway?"
"You'll see," he replied with a wink. Clark quickly paid for his purchase and led Lois from the store.
As they crossed on to Viale Tiziano, Clark took her hand into his in an attempt to quell the nervousness that was building in his stomach. Numerous cyclists passed them as they followed the pathway, the heat of the August sun beating down upon them.
Unlike in central Rome where it wasn't uncommon to find gladiators sharing a cappuccino, Ponte Milvio was devoid of the typical tourist-type attractions. There were no street vendors calling to the "Americani" to purchase a miniature replica of the Coliseum, no teenagers pushing their way toward the Spanish Steps and, aside from the occasional Vespa that sped by, the street was relatively silent.
Clark bit his lip nervously, a heavy lump sat in his throat. In his mind's eye, he'd pictured an incredible bridge, resplendent in marble with tourists dotting the landscape as they peered across the Tiber.
Instead, the entrance to the bridge was simply designed and unique in comparison to the elaborate marble structures that populated the city. The grey bricks were uniformly stacked with a slight indentation at each side. Seemingly uncared for, the structure had tufts of weeds growing from it and black streaks of pollution marred what had once been a brilliant white dome. The brick wall leading to the stone archway hinted at the graffiti that they were about to encounter.
Thoughts cascaded through his head all at once: Were they are the right bridge? What if he'd read the book wrong? He could feel his hand tighten around Lois' as he tried to mentally steady himself for what he was about to reveal to her.
"You okay?" She asked, noticing the sudden shift in his mood. He nodded his response as he cocked his head and squinted into the sunlight, willing the bridge to reveal what he'd brought Lois there for.
As they walked across the bridge she scrunched her nose and looked up at Clark. "All this graffiti is so tasteless," she remarked.
The bridge was laden with colourful markings, most words having long blended into others. Dates, names and declarations were scrawled on practically every bare inch of the bridge.
Dario + Maria 06/07/06
TI AMO CONCETTA!
Mateo e Alma
"What is all this?" She asked, motioning toward the endless graffiti.
Clark shook his head, a suspicious smile crossing his lips. His heart beat nervously in his chest as he stopped and leaned against the ledge looking out onto the Tiber. Sensing his apprehension, Lois said nothing and instead leaned her head against his arm. Together they stood staring at the calm waters, the occasional bird dipping low to secure its next meal.
In the silence, Clark recounted Lois' words from the night before. Her revelation that his leaps and jumps were quite possibly masked bouts of flight had had him seriously considering what it was that held him back. He thought of the ease with which he'd flown to Lois' rescue. There hadn't been one second where he'd lost focus or reverted to a Kryptonian mentality. He had held on to his humanism and disproved all his previous concerns.
In watching Clark focused on the horizon, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings, Lois debated suggesting that they return to the hotel. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, the corner of her eye caught one of the messages that were written on the bridge.
Sono innamorato di te
Paolo e Giosetta
2007/03/02
"Hey," she said, snapping Clark from his thoughts. "What's that say?" She pointed toward the message, curious as to its meaning.
Clark stared at the message, a smile playing along his lips recognizing its English translation. His eyes followed the ledge of the bridge noting the names: some encased in hearts, some with messages written in Italian and others just plainly on display.
Adamo + Paulina
Ti amo Luigi
Lia e Danilo
"Earth to Smallville?" Lois waved her hand in front of Clark's face. "You gonna tell me what's up with you… cause you're kinda acting weird. Even for you."
What Lois hadn't realized was that the graffiti that littered the bridge hadn't been written in simple disregard for the law; rather they had been written as declarations of love.
"I just wanted to…" His words drifted into silence as he took her hand and led her toward the middle of the bridge. Lois doubled her steps to keep pace with him, bewildered by his sudden enthusiasm- it was as though he was on a mission. Clark was certain that if he continued along the bridge he would find what he'd come looking for in the first place. It also would hopefully offer the perfect opportunity to wholly welcome and reveal his newest ability.
"What's going on Clark?" She called out, attempting to avoid stumbling over the brick pavement.
Just as they'd come to the middle of the bridge, he stopped in his tracks so quickly that Lois nearly crashed into him. His eyes wide, she followed his gaze. There, off to the side of the bridge were several posts linked by chains. Clipped to the chains were hundreds of locks.
Clark moved methodically toward them, Lois following suit. When he reached the black chain he bent down and fingered one. On the lock was another set of names, the blue marker beginning to fade.
Anna e Emilio 2007
The many locks looked the same, yet the names scrawled upon them distinguished each.
"Clark? Seriously…What's all this about? Why are we here?" Lois asked, pulling him upright. She looked into his eyes, a softness reflecting back at her.
"Do you have your sharpie?"
Confused, Lois furrowed her brows. "Of course…" she reached in to her bag and pulled out the black marker. "But what does this—?" Clark pressed his finger to Lois' lips, silencing her.
"Is it Clark and Lois? Or Lois and Clark?" He asked teasingly.
Lois chuckled. "You really have to ask?"
"Lois and Clark it is then," he said with a laugh, pulling the newly purchased padlock from his pocket.
He removed the lid from the marker and wrote across the flat surface of the padlock in his messy penmanship:
LOIS + CLARK
TRE METRI SOPRA IL CIELO
Lois threw her hands in to the air. "Again with the Italian!"
Clark laughed. "Will you relax, Lois?"
"Smallville, I am relaxed. But you're driving me crazy with all the subterfuge. Will you just tell me what all this is about?"
"Flying," he answered simply.
"Flying?"
He smiled and took her hand in his, pressing his palm against hers. "You know that book I was reading?" Lois nodded, quietly processing what Clark was revealing to her. "There's this custom here... It's based on that book." With his free hand he held up the newly marked padlock. "If you put a lock on this chain, throw the key into the river, your love will last as long as the lock does."
"Forever?"
"It'd better," he promised with a smile. "The book mentioned that those who tossed their keys in to the river had a love that was like being tre metri sopra il cielo." He opened her hand and pressed the padlock on to her palm. "Why don't you put the lock on the chain?"
Confusion still muddying her thoughts, she easily agreed to his request, curious to discover what Clark was getting at. She pulled at the lock, securing it in place among the hundreds of others. Lois took the key from the lock, gave it a last glance and tossed it over the ledge.
Clark took a deep breath and continued. "There was always this part of me that wouldn't allow me to fly. It held me back; grounded me… I don't know. I was just always so afraid that it would change me."
"It won't," Lois interjected.
"It won't because I have you."
Lois tilted her head to the side and stared at him quizzically. "Smallville? It's not because of me that you're able to fly…"
"You don't understand Lois." He paused and smiled softly. "Being with you has always been like being three meters above the sky."
"Clark…"
"Being with you Lois… it's like being three meters above the sky," he repeated. "This lock is going to sit here… forever, for the next thousand years if I can help it," he said with a small, nervous laugh. "I've been grounded for so long, but then you—you make me want to fly. You make me feel like I'm three meters above the sky, that I can do anything and help anyone."
Speechless, Lois stared up at Clark as he continued. "When I heard you in trouble yesterday, it just happened—I wanted to help you and I just knew my direction. You know?"
"Does this mean you're ready to fly?" She asked cautiously.
Clark looked to either side of him to ensure their solitude and pulled her flush against him. "Let's see," He replied assuredly.
With his hands at Lois' waist, Clark held her tight and focused on the moment that they were about to share. He felt her tighten her grip on his shoulders and knew instantly that they were no longer grounded.
"Clark!" She cried out, shocked. Lois' eyes opened wide as she looked up at him, laughter emanating from her voice. "You're—you're flying!"
Clark chuckled and glanced down at the bridge below as it quickly got smaller and smaller. The people along Viale Tiziano were oblivious to what was happening above them. "Yeah, I guess I am."
As a light dusting of clouds surrounded them, Rome a mere spot below; Lois adjusted her feet on Clark's shoes. "So Mr. Kent, Metropolis would like to know," she teased in her reporter's voice. "Now that you can fly, what do you plan on doing with this new talent?"
Clark shrugged his shoulders and gave a crooked smile. "Well Miss Lane, I don't know," he replied innocently. "Maybe take my girlfriend on some pretty good dates."
The countries, cities and towns no longer resembled anything Lois was used to. They lay beneath her feet like an image from a map. In Clark's arms she felt like she was dancing among the stars. Despite the great distance below her, Lois had never felt safer and she knew that with Clark's newest ability, the world too would be safer.
"Just pretty good, huh?" She smiled hazily and nudged his head closer to her lips. As they were millimeters apart she muttered softly to him, "I'd say this is more than just 'pretty good.'"
Clark kissed her, effectively silencing her. While he had been joking, he knew that Lois was right. That moment, this newest ability was more than just 'pretty good.'
It allowed him to be, after all, three meters above the sky.
- Fin -
...
Translations:
È bella: She's beautiful
Tre Metri Sopra Il Cielo: Three Meters Above the Sky
Vorrei comprare un lucchetto: I'd like to buy a lock
È sempre diritto: Over there
TI AMO CONCETTA: I love you Concetta
Sono innamorato di te: I'm in love with you