Hi everyone!

Hmm... Yes, I am aware that it has taken me an extremely long time to update, and I sincerely want to apologize for it. Life (as we all know it) got in the way, and I won't even go into the details, and I had inspirational issues (yeah, my muse kind of died on me... But it's kind of back now). Anyways, I hope you guys like this chapter, took me a long time to get it out and hopefully it feels right.

Oh! And it's the first time I'm doing a chapter with more than two scenes, hope it truned out okay!

And, as always, a big and special Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Your support is amazing!:

Libranfate, Hanneli (Twice! Thank you sweety, I hope you like this update!), The Randomist, bailey1ak, Aznballla21, xSmile, SniperKitten, OHyea, LucyKevinfan,Callista Wolfwood, thewomanwhosoldtheworld, pnoytecknix, super12, rHoffErz.

Enjoy!

Part XI – The Mirroring

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1. Something that faithfully reflects or gives a true picture of something else.

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Flawlessness… And once again, he was fortunate enough to be able to feel it.

It came disguised as an emotion known as happiness, and for him, the feeling had started to feel foreign to his senses.

It came in the simplest of things, in the most modest of gestures and in the most discreet moments… But it was meaning behind it all, so rare and breathtaking.

Clark could only admit that at that very moment he was torn by the simple motion that Lois had presented him with; he could either wake her with a provocative touch or leave her to her slumber, finding his own comfort in the fact that he was the one holding her.

Exhaling the anguished breath he seemed to have been holding inside himself since his eyes had caught a glimpse behind the walls of the Talon, Clark shrugged his jacket off his shoulders, refraining from making any unnecessary sound. Deliverance seemed to step inside his mind, reassuring him as a certain feeling of relief washed over the distress of his thoughts. The regain of balance inside his mind and the serene calmness of his awareness came only because of the sight in front him.

Lois.

She was contently lying in his bed, her body buried in the comfort of his covers and her head relieved by the softness of his pillow. She was sound asleep, taking up that empty space next to where he slept… Taking up a place that fitted so close to his own intimacy.

Seeing her this way… So personally close to what was intimately his was… Incredible. Flawless… Beautiful.

Clark hesitated before moving forward to lay next to her, he couldn't even be surprised by his desire of wanting to watch her sleep. His perception of her had changed entirely. If her touch; the way her lips kissed him, the way her hands roamed against the muscles of his back or the way her fingers tangled themselves in his locks, made him crave her presence, the way he saw her now made him want to live, with her next to him. It was one thing to have the urge to share the intimate gestures they had been giving to each other, but it was another to willing want a person to see you completely and to want to know everything about that same person by heart… Wanting to recognize every reaction they have towards the outside world, identify every sound of pleasure that break through their lips in their most private moments, appreciate every flaw they display in front you when they're presenting you with their truest form and simply admire them for every quality and value they hold close to their hearts.

That's… That was something he wanted… More than anything… And with Lois, he had so many things to discover, and he had to admit that a part of him was truly terrified at the prospect of not having enough time with her, and that for any reason imaginable.

But at that moment, what he really wanted was to wake her, just so he could have the pleasure of feeling Lois kiss him back, just so he could feel her acknowledge the tension between them again, just so he could feel her respond to him.

Slowly and carefully, Clark's fingers grasped the edge of his covers, pulling them partially off the bed so he could ease his body next to hers. His mind was relying on the newly developed instincts and his strong arm wrapped itself around her waist, pulling her back into his chest and curling her up in his embrace. Ignoring the decency of his thoughts, Clark's lips came down to graze the skin of Lois's shoulder and he closed his eyes as he tasted her warmth, her smoothness and the closeness. The contact had been strong enough to stir up the constant flames that resided inside his stomach, but it had been light enough that he never even considered that she would stir from her slumber. And so he parted his lips over her flesh, trailing full and slow kisses down the curve of her shoulder.

He heard a small and hollow sigh escape her lips and Clark lifted his gaze towards her face as Lois angled it deeper into his pillow in a motion of contentment. He needed to let her sleep… but he hasn't even able to leave the softness her skin and he kept trailing his lips up her neck, until he could feel the distinct beat of her pulse against his mouth. He couldn't help but let out a small groan as he recognized that her heartbeat had quickened, which could only mean that she was started to acknowledge his presence and the pleasure he was slowly forcing along her body. His lips closed around the weakness, sucking her skin smoothly into the warmth of his mouth and he let his tongue trace out a few lazy circles across her throat, hoping that it would pull her out of her slumber.

Languorously, he felt Lois stir in his arm, her back arching into his chest, her legs wrapping tightly around his and her fingers pulling his wrist between the swell of her breast in an attempt to bring him closer to her. God, he loved it when she did that.

"Clark?" His teeth grazed her skin when he heard his name come out as a moan.

Finally, he relieved the pressure of his mouth from the skin of her throat and he angled his lips down to trace out her shoulder softly, as if he wanted to lull her back into her slumbering state, almost feeling guilty of waking her, "Hmm…?"

Clark felt her hips swift against his pelvis, nearly causing him to groan at the sudden friction as she turned in his arms, affording him a view of her sleepy eyes and the fullness of her lips before echoing his position. "You woke me up." She stated lazily as her mind tried to grasp on to the realms of the awakened.

His lips curved into a smile, and Clark gladly lift his leg against her invading one as it sought out a more comfortable position, "Yeah, well I figured this was my bed so… I could do whatever I want."

He caught her lazy grin as she angled her face closer into his chest and her arm came around his waist, her hand gliding up against the firmness of his back, "Hmm… Of course, I wouldn't want you to overlook your rights."

He sighed softly against her, his lips burying a kiss in her hair as he let an appeasing silence weighed on them. His lips parted in a silent breath as he felt her kiss him back, her lips pressing up against his jaw in a soft caress.

"Clark?" her voice came out softly and it matched her heartbeat; steady, profound and soothing.

"Hmm?" he inquired lazily, lost in the moment, lost in her presence, lost in the flawlessness…

He heard her pulse rose rapidly inside his mind, drawing his attention solely on her words, "Me too." and her voice was always as soothing.

Me too… Me Too…

Her too…She felt the same... She felt the same way…

Oh!

Clark felt his heartbeat rising towards a dangerous velocity and his chest tightened under the sudden warmth that sneaked its way inside his lungs. Instead of inquiring about the accuracy of her words, of doubting the clarity of her feelings and of giving her a smile that would have been the reflection of his sudden happiness… Clark just trailed his hand up across her back until his fingers could disappear in her hair and his thumb could graze her cheek, he raised her face to meet his and he let his lips catch hers blindly in a kiss, smooth, fragile, pure… real… Just flawless.

He felt Lois's lips curl into a small smile, pushing his own mouth to mirror the motion as well, before she returned the kiss he had given her. She pursed her lips between his, grasping on to his lower one, gently sucking it between her mouth and letting it go completely to leave soft kisses down his jaw, then across his throat. Clark's arms closed tightly around her as he felt Lois nestled deeper into him and he felt her try to stifle a yawn in his shoulder.

"Tired?" He inquired lightly.

"Like you're surprised." she grinned back at him, her eyes closing involuntarily.

He laid his head back down on his own pillow, "Go back to sleep." and he made sure to tone his voice down, wondering if it would reach her as much as her voice reached him.

Lois moaned slightly into his chest, "We still need to talk about a few things…"

"Tomorrow." He promised and he let his lips come down against her forehead in a reassuring kiss.

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Clark snaked his arms around her waist, desperately trying to bring her back into his bed, "It's still early." He murmured against her ear before nipping her lobe between his teeth. He smiled secretly into the curve of her neck when he felt her breath in sharply.

"I know, but I have to pass at the Talon before going to work." Lois replied trying to hide a smile as she maneuvered herself out of his gasp and into a sitting position on the edge of his bed. She threw him a teasing smirk, before bending down to retrieve one of her shoes, "Who would of thought that you'd be so clingy?"

Reluctantly, Clark let his arms drop from her waist, easily recognizing a lost battle. He raised his arms above his head, stretching himself to his full height, "I'll take that as a compliment." and he let himself enter her teasing game, if only for a moment.

His eyes trailed over her profile, "What time do you finish?" he asked, letting his hesitation filter through his voice as he straightened himself on the bed and moved until he could sit next to Lois, his arms brushing up against hers and his thigh leaning into her own. He was so unsure of how things were suppose to work between them now, their relationship hadn't been established and the meaning behind their actions were still left hanging in the air, next to the reality of it all.

He watched her carefully as she picked up her other shoe, "At nine, I should be back around ten if all goes well."

Clark forced his facial features into relaxing, forgetting about expressing his disappointment, "It's a long shift…" and his voice trailed off, unsure of what he really wanted to say.

"Yeah, I have a lot of work to do… Want me to drop by after?" and it was her turn to feel a hesitation in her voice, "So we could talk."

Clark only nodded as he perched his face closer to hers, searching for her lips, and as if it was a buried instinct, Lois angled her head backwards to welcome him, her lips pressing up against him, wanting to share the same intimate touch, that seemed to have become so natural to both of them.

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Lois twisted her keys inside the lock and turned the knob before pushing against the door.

As she stepped inside, her eyes quickly darted around the apartment, "Chloe?"

"Bathroom! Where were you this morning?" Lois's attention was pulled towards the closed door, hearing her cousin's muffled reply.

She closed the door behind her, instinctively throwing her keys on the small table and letting her purse drop on a chair. She couldn't help, but wince mentally as she felt her heart skip a beat at the inquiry, "Hmm… I couldn't sleep anymore so I went down stairs to get breakfast."

"Oh." Chloe answered with a lost interest as she made her way out of the bathroom, fully clothed and almost ready to leave. Lois's gaze trailed after the blonde as she moved rapidly around the small apartment, gathering her things and drinking the last of her coffee.

Lois raised an eyebrow at her cousin, "You're in a rush. I thought you had the day off."

Chloe couldn't even spare her a glance as she threw her purse around her shoulder and grabbed this morning's edition of The Daily Planet, "I do, it's just that something came up. I have to go, I'll talk to you later."

Lois could only follow the movements of her cousin with a certain perplexity, as she zipped passed her with a tight smile. Chloe was barely out the door before she shouted over her shoulder, "You got flowers! I put them close to your bed!"

Lois barely registered the door slamming shut as she turned her head in the direction of her bedroom.

Flowers?

Tentatively, Lois took a few steps further inside her home until her room could come into view. Her shoulder dropped as her gaze settled itself on the beautiful vase. A small feeling of anguish slowly pumped its way through her veins, reaching her heart, as she stepped closer to the immense bouquet of fresh and luscious yellow roses.

Her palm briefly lingered over the softness of the vibrant petals, before she grasped the card between agitated fingers and turned it over to reveal the message.

We still need to talk… I miss you, Oliver.

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Clark poured the hot liquid into a large mug, letting the aroma lost itself in the air around him. He lifted his eyes as his mind picked up on the sound of a car making its way up the drive way. Bringing the coffee to his lips, his fingers parted the window's curtain just in time to see a stumbling Chloe getting out of her car.

He drop his cup back on the counter, before directing himself towards the back door, pulling it open before the blonde could even attempt to knock.

"Hey!" She greeted over her shoulder as she entered the household.

"Good morning." Clark smiled and walked passed her, heading towards his forgotten mug "Do you want any coffee?"

Chloe only shook her head negatively and bit her lower lip lightly, instead she raised her uncertain eyes towards him, "Did you read The Planet yet?"

The sound of her voice forced his abdominal muscles to contract tightly and he frowned in her direction before glancing down to see the newspaper held tightly in her hand, "No."

He watched as Chloe tried to give him a smile and raised her arm to hand him the paper.

So that's about it! Yeah, I know the ending is well... not ending... oh well...

Next chapter? Clark's reaction... Lois's reaction... And... I seriously can't tell you, or I'll ruining everything!

Okay, leaving now!!

Hope you guys liked it, and please leave a review so I can hear your thoughts!