She was warm, her skin was soft and her touch electrified him.
The feel of her body surrounding his, cradling his in the most intimate way possible was every dream he could have ever hoped for, come true.
They moved together with a rhythm that was as old as time, but with her it was uniquely theirs because he knew without a doubt in his mind that she was the love of his life.
She was the unexpected surprise that had turned his quiet world upside down and made him happier than he ever thought he would be, or could be.
A sleepy pair of soft gray eyes were watching him when he woke with a start because her fingers were gently brushing his lips. She was laying at the very edge of the bed and her arm was outstretched so she could touch him.
She moved them into his hair, brushing the messy mop back from his face and Clark reached up to bring them back to his lips so he could kiss the pads of her fingers.
He wanted to say something to her, but the intimacy of the moment discouraged it. He was just content looking up at her sleep tousled hair that had spilled over the side of the mattress and the soft smile on her face.
He'd never seen her look so content. And it crossed his mind in a flash how content might she look if they were actually in the bed, together?
"Hey Sleepyhead." She whispered and her face flushed. How long had she been watching him?
"Hey." He answered with a smile of his own. "Gloating over the fact that I had to sleep on the floor?"
"You never had to sleep on the floor Smallville." She smiled back at him and he was aware of the fact that her fingers had begun to trace his jaw line. "I did offer you half the bed."
"Lois, I've seen the way you sleep." He felt his face warm from her touch against the early morning stubble and it created a friction that made his stomach clench. He was also a little embarrassed because he didn't think she knew that he'd ever seen her asleep in his bed, when she'd lived with him and his parents. "And you don't share."
"I still don't." She continued to brush her fingers against his skin. "But for a certain farm boy turned reporter, I could think about it."
"Do you think that's such a good idea?" Are you kidding?
"When have I ever had a bad idea?" A questioning eyebrow went up.
"Where would you like me to start?" He laughed and reached up to brush a single fingertip across her cheek.
"Name one."
"Stiletto." You would think of that first.
"It may not have been one of my better ideas Smallville." Her other eyebrow went up. "But that costume sure got your attention."
He couldn't deny that, but-.
"It wasn't the costume Lois. It was the woman in the costume."
"Yeah." Her fingers closed around his chin. "Just admit it Clark, you wanted to kiss me."
"No, that would be when I was zipping up your dress." He shook his head and was rewarded as her face flushed again. "You went under cover, without telling me, to expose that psychopath; bad idea number two."
"Going undercover, or not telling you?"
"Both." Clark assured her. "And who did you end up calling for help? Me." He struggled to sit up and as he did, Lois's eyes followed him.
He could drown in those eyes.
"As long as you're always there to answer the phone we won't have any problems then, will we?" She told him as she reached up and ran her hand down his cheek. And even though she couldn't say it again, just yet, Clark could see in her eyes how much she really did love him.
"As long as you're always there to call me, we won't have any problems." He answered just before he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
"I think you can do a little bit better than that." She whispered as he pulled away a moment later.
"You think so?" His gaze was helplessly drawn to her damp lips and without another thought, his own found them again.
Her kisses were becoming an addiction, of that he was certain. The way she pressed her lips into his, caressing his warmth with her own and the sound of her rushing heartbeat in his ears was music he'd never heard before. And the reason was simple.
It hadn't been her until now.
He'd never been in love like this, until now.
And at the moment, his heart was telling him where he really wanted to be. Lois's arms were telling him the same thing as she grabbed his shoulders and pulled.
But still-
"Lois."
"No talking." She shook her head. "Just get up here, now."
"Lois." He shook his head, it was happening too fast. "We can't."
"Get over yourself Smallville." She laughed softly. "That's not what I want you for."
"Then-" If she didn't want that, then what did she want?
"You looked so uncomfortable last night, sleeping down there." Her expression turned serious. "And I felt bad because you thought you needed to be the gentleman and guard my virtue, or something."
She had a point.
"Clark, we're big kids now." She grasped his chin again. "And I think you are so sweet to want to protect me. But I can tell you right now that nothing is going to happen in this bed that I don't want to happen. Are we clear on that?"
He didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed.
"Clark?"
He nodded. "We're clear."
"Good." She let him go. "So stop being such a Pollyanna and get that six and a half feet of handsome in this bed."
That made him smile. "Six and a half feet-"
And she rolled her eyes.
He loved it when she did that.
"Give or take." Lois smiled at him again and he couldn't help the deep breath he found himself taking as Lois blushed when he stood up.
It was still so odd to realize that he had such an effect on her. That she wanted to be close to him as she scoot over and made room for him. He pulled the blankets back and sat down on the edge of the bed, hesitating. It didn't matter that nothing was going to happen, he'd never shared a bed with her before.
He covered himself with the blankets after he stretched out in the spot where Lois had just been and he caught the faint scent of her perfume. The soft floral scent got him to close his eyes with pleasure just before he was startled with the epicenter of that scent suddenly snuggled against his side.
"Don't say anything Smallville, just enjoy it." Lois sounded almost irritated and Clark wasn't sure what he might have said to cause it.
"Why don't you close your eyes and go back to sleep?" He suggested gently as he turned his head to look at the red numbers of the digital clock. It was still early, but it was later than he was used to getting up. And Lois not being the morning person that he was, she would probably sleep for another couple of hours. So that made it a cinch as to where he was going to stay.
"Don't think that just because we're pretending to be married, you can tell me what to do." She rubbed her cheek against his chest as he ran a hand down her back.
"Wouldn't dream of it." He promised her with a smile. "Dad never tried with Mom, so why should I be any different."
"They were actually married." Her voice was growing faint and Clark knew she was going back to sleep. "We're not."
"A technicality." He told her quietly.
"I miss them." Her voice had dropped to a whisper.
"I know you do Lois, I do too." He whispered back so he wouldn't keep her awake. "Go back to sleep."
"Clark." She protested his order.
"Please." He amended. "If you don't get enough sleep, you'll take it out on me."
"-t's true." Her voice was barely audible as he felt her warm body against his completely relax and he knew she was asleep.
The feel of her in his arms, knowing she was safe, lulled him back to sleep until the urgent knocking on the door of the suite woke him again. He glanced down at Lois, but her deep breathing told him she was still sleeping.
He dropped a kiss on her hair and eased himself from under her body, trying not to wake her. He made sure she was covered, hoping that his warmth would somehow stay with her.
He ran a hand through his rumpled hair and padded out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. He walked through the sitting room and to the double doors, where he unlocked one and opened it.
Chloe?
She had a look of irritation on her face as she shouldered her way in and he murmured with a sigh as he let her. "Come on in."
"Imagine my surprise when Tess Mercer tells me that she's put you and Lois up in the Honeymoon Suite of the Regent Hotel." She stopped and turned to face him with a look of accusation. "Do you want to explain to me why you're playing house with my cousin?"
"We're not playing house Chloe." He explained to her and felt a wave of irritation bubble up. Chloe was his friend and Lois's cousin, but she was making an assumption about what they were doing there and that irritated him even more. "We're here on assignment."
"What kind of assignment would Tess give you that would put you here?" She asked and Clark saw her eyes travel down to his ring finger. "And having you wearing your father's wedding ring?"
He ignored her remark as he glanced toward the bedroom and then back at Chloe with a frown. "Would you keep your voice down, she's still sleeping."
"And should I ask where you slept?" She folded her arms across her chest, a stance he was familiar with, with Lois.
"Why are you here?" He deflected the question because it wasn't any of her business.
Their friendship hadn't been the same since Jimmy died and Clark knew she resented him for not taking the Legion ring and going back to save him as she'd asked him to do. And though she'd never said it, she seemed to resent him further because it was Lois that was partly responsible for bringing Clark Kent back, not their long standing friendship.
But the fact of the matter was, Clark didn't trust her anymore. And that was something he never thought he'd ever think about someone he'd once considered his best friend.
And as far as what was happening between him and Lois, he'd made the choice to keep it to himself. Mom was the only one who'd pretty much figured out what was going on, but even she didn't know everything.
Part of him still thought about sharing it with his friend, but they weren't in that place anymore, so he didn't. What Lois might have told her, he had no idea.
"Where did you sleep?" Chloe persisted.
"Lois and I worked it out." Was all he would tell her and he could see that she didn't like his answer. "And you still haven't told me why you're here."
"I'm here because Lois is my cousin and I don't want to see her get hurt." She answered him. "Because you have this bad habit of stepping on her heart."
Not any more.
"We've worked that out too." He replied, choosing not to fill her in on the details.
"And that's it?" She didn't like that answer either. "That's all you have to say?"
"Keep your voice down." Clark asked her again; hoping that Lois was sleeping through it. "It's between us, Chloe."
"What exactly is between you Clark?" She stepped back and had an incredulous look on her face.
More than you know.
"Clark."
"Chloe, you really need to go now." He didn't like being rude, but he was supposed to be a groom on his honeymoon and he shepherded her toward the door. "As far as the Regent knows, Lois and I are newlyweds and someone's going to get suspicious if they see you here."
"If this is just a story-" Her sarcastic emphasis made him want to roll his eyes, but he didn't. "then why are you wearing Mr. Kent's ring?"
"I've called room service." Clark started from the sound of Lois's sleepy voice coming from the doorway of the bedroom. And when he turned to face her, she was leaning against the doorjamb in one of his tee shirts.
His face warmed as he took note of her long legs that were covered to mid-thigh and had to admit that the shirt looked a heck of a lot better on her.
And then he wondered how much of the conversation she'd heard.
"We've got a lot of ground to cover today." Lois continued and Clark saw her give Chloe a look he'd never seen before. It was one of barely restrained anger; she'd heard everything. "And since the Planet is footing the bill for all of this, I ordered everything on the breakfast menu."
"And who do you think is going to eat all of it?" He smiled at her.
"I have faith in you Smallville." She smiled back at him as she pushed herself away from the doorframe. "And I'll be here to help, so it won't go to waste."
"That is if you leave anything for me." He shot back with a grin. "Mom always did say that you had a healthy appetite. I call it-"
"Don't even think about saying it." She put her hands on her hips and couldn't have been aware that the hem of his shirt hiked up, showing him more of her shapely legs. But he also saw the hem of a pair of shorts underneath.
Seriously?
He must have looked as disappointed as he felt because one of Lois's eyebrows went up slowly. "If you'll wait out here for room service, I'm going to take a shower."
"Would it be pointless to ask you not to use all the hot water?" He wondered as Lois headed back to the bedroom.
"Completely." She stopped and smiled at him again before she went back inside. "Bye Chlo."
And she closed the door.
It was the first time since he'd known Lois that she'd been even remotely rude to her cousin. She'd barely acknowledged that Chloe was there, which told him that she was a lot more upset than she was letting on.
He looked at the door she'd just closed and it took every ounce of strength and resolve not to follow her and take her back to that king sized bed and show her how much he loved her. It startled him to realize just how much he wanted to make love with her because he'd never felt that way before.
"I guess I have my answer." Chloe's sharp tone hurt him because she couldn't see how happy Lois made him. "I never realized what a tease she could be."
"Don't talk about Lois like that." Clark sighed as he turned to face his irritated friend.
"Did you know that Oliver still loves her?" She told him something he already suspected. "He still carries her picture in his wallet."
How would she know something like that?
"Lois meant a lot to him." Clark told her with a shrug.
"Should I ask if you still carry a picture of Lana?"
"No you shouldn't." He shook his head, not willing to tell her that he'd found a long forgotten picture of his ex-girlfriend in his wallet and had put it away in a photo album, with his other memories.
He'd finally and literally and with more ease than he would have ever thought possible, closed the book on Lana.
That chapter was finally finished and he'd never felt more ready to move on with his life. And he knew that there was only one woman he wanted to move on with.
Lois.
The question was, would she be willing to move on with him?
"Have you stopped to consider that while you're playing at being a reporter, the Blur isn't out protecting the people of Metropolis?"
Did she just say-
"Playing at being a reporter?" Clark was stunned. "I'm not playing Chloe, I am a reporter."
"You're Kal-El." She shook her head in disagreement. "I thought we agreed that Clark Kent is the disguise you have to use so people don't know who you really are."
He couldn't believe it. Was that really how Chloe saw him?
Didn't she see her friend Clark Kent anymore, the guy she'd known since the eighth grade?
"We didn't agree to anything like that." He was mindful that Lois was in the next room and kept an eye on the bedroom door. "You were the one that said Kal-El needed his human disguise Chloe, not me. And the thing is, Clark Kent isn't a disguise."
"Jor-El didn't send you to Earth to be a reporter Clark, or flash those puppy dog eyes at my cousin. He sent you here to save the world."
"He sent me here to save my life." Clark countered. "I would have died on Krypton with them if he hadn't."
'And I never would have met Lois.' He added silently. 'Or had such great parents.'
"You can't let Lois distract you from what he wants you to do." Chloe grabbed his arm. "You finally got serious about your training and you can't let all of this-" She made a sweeping gesture of the room with her free hand. "stop you from what you know you need to do."
"I'm not letting it stop me Chloe; I can be Clark and the Blur." He gently pulled her hand off of his arm. "I haven't given up on my training with Jor-El, but I can't give up on being Clark Kent either."
"For her, you mean." She folded her arms across her chest again and frowned at him. "Do you have any idea how that feels? To know that someone who I thought was my best friend chooses my cousin over me?"
How was he supposed to answer that without revealing to Chloe that he was in love with her cousin? He couldn't exactly tell her that he had chosen Lois.
"Or do you even care?"
"Chloe." Their discussion was going in circles.
"Never mind." She seemed to realize the same thing and closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. "Don't worry, I'm leaving. Can't be responsible for blowing your cover."
In years past, this would have been when Clark apologized and tried to make it up to her any way that he could. But he didn't feel the need to apologize to her now because she was interjecting herself into a situation that wasn't any of her business.
"I appreciate that."
"And I hope you appreciate how important the Blur is to Metropolis." Chloe walked to the door and put her hand on the knob. "This city needs him more than you need Lois."
And she was gone.
He closed the door behind her and locked it. Had she always been like that and he was just now noticing it? Had she always seen Lois as someone she needed to compete with?
Was Chloe ever the girl he thought she was?
He turned for the bedroom, even though Lois had asked him to wait for room service and opened the door. The door to the bathroom was closed and he could hear the water from the shower. So he walked to the bed and lay back down, laced his fingers across his stomach and closed his eyes.
He could still smell her perfume and it soothed him, knowing she'd been where he now was. And it comforted him further to know that she was close by.
His body relaxed and Clark could feel himself falling back asleep, until he felt a gentle hand in his hair. "Has she always talked to you like that? Like you're a five-year-old?"
Lois' soft voice got him to open his eyes and she was sitting on the edge of the bed. Her other hand covered his and her thumb rubbed his fingers in a gentle motion.
"There have been times when I've needed it." He told her honestly and noticed that she was dressed in a casual sweater and jeans. Her damp hair was loose and he caught a whiff of her shampoo.
"That's what your mother is for Clark." Lois shook her head.
"Mom's not here." He shrugged and couldn't help but wish that she was.
"But I am." A slow smile crept across her face and Clark felt his flush; she really was beautiful. "And if anybody is going to bust your chops, it's going to be me. But I don't think you'd mind."
You have to tell her something.
"She worries about you." Clark sighed. "Chloe, I mean. She thinks I'm going to hurt you."
"Chloe's always been a worrier, ever since we were kids." She explained. "She forgets sometimes that I can take care of myself; the General made sure of that."
He reached up and brushed his fingers against the soft skin of her cheek. "Lois, have I ever hurt you? I mean really hurt you?"
"Clark." She shook her head. "It's not important."
She was waiving him off and he knew a Lois Lane defense mechanism when he saw it; but he needed to know. "I'd never deliberately hurt you, I hope you know that."
"I know." She nodded. "The thing about Chloe is that she can be a mother hen sometimes and, like this morning, she went way overboard."
"She loves you."
"And I love her too." Lois told him. "But it doesn't mean she can treat you like a child."
"Things have been hard for her since Jimmy died."
"I know that too." She conceded his point. "But she's been taking it out on you and I don't like it. What happened to Jimmy shouldn't have happened because Davis Bloom was a psychopath and should have been locked up. Instead, he was roaming the streets of Metropolis killing people."
Clark knew it wasn't as simple as that, but he couldn't exactly tell her that.
"And Jimmy ended up paying the price." He sighed again and then closed his eyes because they began to tear and he didn't want Lois to see it. "After everything that happened to him, he deserved better."
"Yeah, he did." She kept stroking his hair and her touch sent a thrill through him. Was it possible to keep falling more deeply in love with her? "But you know what? He had you as a friend and I know how much he appreciated that."
"I just wish-" that I could have saved him.
"Don't say it Clark." Lois read his mind and he felt her lips on his cheek. "You have such a big heart and you care about people more than any one else I know. But even that big heart can't save everyone."
That was a lesson he was still having a hard time learning.
His abilities gave him the chance to make a difference and help those who couldn't help themselves and it was those that he couldn't help that bothered him so much.
Clark felt the bed dip and he opened his eyes just in time to see Lois climb over him. She stretched out next to him, tucked her head under his chin and sighed as she put her hand over his heart. "I don't think I've said thank you yet."
"For what?"
"For giving me your heart." She leaned back and waited for him to look at her. And when he did, she was smiling. "I'm not sure what I did to deserve it, but I'll always take care of it."
Always?
"Always is a long time Lois." He teased as he smiled back at her. "You think you can put up with me for always?"
"Do you think you can put up with me for always?" She held his gaze.
"Longer than always." He promised her and she laughed softly.
"We'll see about that."
Yeah, we will.