Chapter Ten
Another month slipped by and then one day Chloe came back to the apartment after running some grocery errands to find the place filled with flowers, on every available space was a vase of yellow daisies or red roses. He'd brought her daisies before since he'd moved in with her; often, as a matter of fact, telling her with the first bouquet he'd brought her that the sunny yellow flowers always made him think of her bright smile. But he'd never brought roses before. She set the bag full of groceries onto the kitchen counter, and dropped her coat, purse and keys on the floor when she was suddenly swept up into Kal-El's arms. He smiled down at the confused look in her eyes and then gently kissed her.
She couldn't have melted any faster had she been butter in the hot sun. "Did I forget a birthday? Or do we have an anniversary of some sort?"
He slowly shook his head, "No. I need to tell you something… But don't be angry."
That's when she noticed the eyes, "You're on Red Kryptonite, aren't you?" she asked, suddenly unsure what it meant. How had he gotten a hold of it in the first place? Who had done this to him?
"Yes," he replied calmly, his arms pulling her tighter, his lips raining teasing kisses along her cheeks and chin.
"How? Why?" she asked, trying not to worry.
He held up his right hand and she saw a familiar high school ring, "I thought those were all collected and destroyed."
"Collected, yes; destroyed, no. That jeweler had a lot of money invested in those rings and he lost a lot when he had to replace the stones with actual rubies. He wasn't about to lose a chance at making up for the loss. He still discreetly sells them at his Metropolis location. I bought one."
"Why? Why risk this? It was careless and dangerous, Kal-El!" the worry in her voice was getting more pronounced.
"No, Chloe, it was necessary. I wanted you to know that even the daredevil in me, the Kal-El without a conscience, without inhibitions wants you too; and would never hurt you again. You had to learn this so if it's ever used against me you know you can still trust me. My mother, Martha, once told me that the Red-K doesn't change who I am; it just strips away my inhibitions. I don't shy away from what I really feel."
She had no doubts as she asked it and yet she held her breath and her heart seemed to stop as she looked into his glazed eyes and waited for the answer, "What do you really feel, Kal?"
His hands came up from around her back and framed her face, his thumbs gently tracing her lips, "Don't you know?"
With her voice barely above a whisper, "Tell me," she begged against his lips, still not breathing.
"I love you, Chloe. I think I always have."
The breath she let go of was lost in his mouth as he devoured her like a starving man given his first morsel of food in years. His arms embraced her again and through her tears she barely registered that he'd lifted her up and carried her to the queen sized bed she always said was so very comfortable. In all that comfort she learned just how very much one untamed, uninhibited wild Kal-El belonged only to her.
The next morning began a rare weekend off and she awoke to it with a smiling, fully dressed Kal-El bringing her fresh coffee and bagels in bed. Once he set the cup and plate on the nightstand next to the bed, he showed her both hands were bare of any rings and then kissed her.
"I want to take you to the Fortress," he told her as she sat up and started sipping her coffee.
She just smiled and replied, "Okay."
He was in no hurry; letting her take her time to dress, eat her breakfast, read the newspaper and enjoy a second mug of coffee. They took a train to Smallville because it was too risky to fly in the daytime and he didn't want to bring her car because they would not be back until very late and he would fly them back home.
On the train ride they acted just as what they were, a young couple very much in love ignoring the rest of the world. And yet as their training was second nature, they were constantly aware of everything around them, a necessary caution they no longer controlled.
Once the last security door to the Fortress opened, he let Chloe in ahead of him and she was overwhelmed with a sight similar to what had greeted her in her apartment yesterday; flowers everywhere!
"Something else you need to tell me, Kal?" she asked sweetly.
She wasn't scared or worried; his smile, his gentleness and kindness this morning, the flowers…they all were indicators of good news; but indicators could be wrong. "Okay, go for it; I'm all ears…" she said carefully.
"Not too long ago I told you I didn't have a home. That's no longer true. You are my home, Chloe. I was a very lost and confused soul that day. But you found me, made a place for me in your heart and healed everything that was broken inside of me. I believe you know how much I love you. You have always been there for me; you have never doubted me. You are my best friend, my wonderful lover, my home and my only reason for living."
He reached into his right pants pocket and pulled out a small jeweler's box and carefully folded it into her hands as he got down on his knees and covering both her hands with his told her, "I don't ever want to leave you. I want you for my wife. I would be very happy if you accepted me as your husband. Will you marry me, Chloe?"
She slid to her knees, tears filling her eyes, "I love you, Kal. I've always loved you."
He kissed her lips softly, "I know, Chloe. Your love is what's kept me going all these years. I didn't know that until I walked away from you that day. From the moment I'd told you good-bye…I missed you. I don't want to live without you anymore. Stay with me; marry me. I promise to love you for the rest of my life…with all my heart."
Through her tears, he saw a smile start to spread; a smile that had always had the power to warm his heart, her eyes sparkled as she softly asked, "Who exactly am I marrying?"
His reaction was shock at first; he'd known she would say yes, but now he realized that he hadn't quite believed it and the joy in his eyes revealed first his realization that this meant yes, she'd marry him. The smile that crossed his lips turned to a slightly evil grin, as only Kal-El could grin when he knew he had won, but it was also a grin of pure happiness and pleasure.
But his voice was calm and serious.
"All of me..."
"...I will marry you as Clark Kent, adopted and much loved son of Jonathan and Martha Kent of the planet Earth, born Kal-El, the much honored son of Jor-El and Lara-El of the lost planet Krypton. I come to you, not completely whole yet, but with a heart free of doubt and filled only with love for you."
She smiled at him as they both were still on their knees and kissed him gently on the lips. She then spent a long moment looking around at all the beautiful red roses and yellow daisies. A mischievous sparkle brightened her eyes. "Are you asking me because you feel guilty about all that lovely wild sex we had last night?" she asked in a snarky voice he hadn't heard in quite some time.
He wasn't angry or disappointed that she asked. He knew she had plenty of reasons to doubt him; but he knew the question wasn't exactly voiced because of any doubt; in the last few weeks he'd more than convinced her he had interest in no-one but her; and he recognized the laughter in her eyes.
His answer was, however, very sincere, "No, the only guilt I could possibly ever feel about making love with you is that we didn't do it sooner. I feel no guilt for making love to you, Chloe."
It was her undoing; if there had been any doubt left in her heart, the loving look from his eyes as he'd said those words completely evaporated it. She said only one thing before she possessively hugged him close, showing him how very much she wanted him, "You're mine now and I'm never letting you go again, Kal, even if I have to find some green Kryptonite chains."
"I don't want to go anywhere, Chloe; you won't need any chains to tie me to you."
She laughed out loud and hugged him tighter, "So when do you want to get married?"
His eyebrows raised high onto his forehead as though he was deep in contemplation about the date, "Today?"
She was about to reply, when a sudden noise instantly raised them to their feet.
"I got your message, Superman!"
--- To be continued ---