Jeremy Shane: Thanks!
Dispatcher652: Lol. Glad you liked the handcuffs; and I'm glad you felt a little pity towards Lois; but she did really dig her own grave that time;)
The fallen sky: Oh my God! I nearly died laughing at you. Doo doo head? I haven't heard that in ages. And me, into bondage and stuff…I'm actually allergic to pain; so I don't think I can do it.
Lol. Never apologize for being you. You didn't step on any of my toes. You're way over there…in my computer screen. I barely felt it…
But seriously; I don't get offended easily; and I know you're just joking; and I'm a big girl; well I'm not a big girl as I'm exactly an inch away from being five feet; but you know what I mean.
Oh, and thank you for making me feel better about those dreadful scenes; even if you did make me blush for three chapters straight; which happens to be about two weeks.
Shonnia22: Lol. Lois did deserve it, didn't she?
~~{(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)}~~
We both freeze and stare at each other. I'm still straddling his lap, and both of us are still naked; but surprisingly my thoughts are not on sex anymore.
"What did you say?" I ask him; but there's no use in pretending I hadn't heard him. He just said we've never played the handcuff game before. How would he know that? He doesn't remember that part of our relationship…unless he does remember that part of our relationship.
He blinks at me; like he's confused. "I said"-
"How much do you remember? Do you remember everything now?" I ask hopefully.
He looks down at my chest; then he frowns. "No, I don't remember everything," he answers sadly.
"Well what do you remember?" I'm still hopeful; and it shows.
I don't care.
He brings his hand up and touches the side of my face gently. Then he looks me straight in the eyes before whispering, "I remember you."
I stare back at him. He doesn't seem particularly happy and I sense there's more to come.
"But?" I prompt.
He moves his hand; the same hand he was using to caress the side of my face, and lowers it down to my chest.
"But what's this?" he frowns; and with the tip of his index he draws small circles over the scar on my chest.
"I don't remember this scar. How did you get it?"
I bite my lip; and try not to look away from his questioning gaze.
Clark knows about what Lex did to me and Lana. I guess I figured he knew about Lex's attempt on my life too.
"Don't do that. You always do that."
"Don't do what?"
"You're debating on whether or not you should tell me what I want to know. I recognize that look. You always tried to keep important things from me. I remember that."
"Not always," I smile.
He doesn't return the smile. This is a serious moment; and he's not going to let me treat it as anything but.
He leans forward slightly and kisses the scar; which is not on my hand or on my forehead. It's on chest; just above my naked breast. Then he looks me straight in the eyes and asks how I got the scar again.
"Okay," I relent before gently laying my forehead against his and moving my hands across his shoulders until they met up at the nape of his neck. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, concentrating on his hands as he softly glides them up and down the sides of my belly; patiently awaiting my answer.
"There was a…um," I pause there; clearing my throat and beginning to twirl the hair at the nape of his neck into tight spirals while using just my indexes. I've suddenly gotten nervous; like Clark knowing how I got the scar won't yield a good result for me…or us. Like he'll disappear again; because there's no doubt in my mind he'll go after Lex…and what if Lex isn't fully comatose…what if he's still Zod…Where's Brainiac…What if it's some kind of trap…what if Lex is just bait and Brainiac possess him…what if-
"Chloe," Clark frowns at me before manually tugging my bottom lip from my clenched teeth with his thumb. I've been biting so hard, I managed to draw blood. I didn't notice that. I didn't notice the way I've begun to shiver either.
Clark has. He didn't have a choice. I'm right here; sitting in his lap; facing him. He can see every emotion that comes across my face; can hear every quick breath I take; every beat my increasingly accelerated heart makes; and he could feel the tension in my body.
"Tell me what you're thinking about right now," he commands with the most tender and concerned tone I've ever heard him use.
"I'm thinking I don't want you to leave me," I answer honestly; just in time for a tear sneak out the corner of my eye.
"I'm not going to leave you," Clark says with so much conviction that I almost believe him.
Almost.
He can't promise me that. He's a man who saves lives on a daily basis; and in return, he risks his own life in doing so. There's always going to be a chance that he'll leave and never come back.
I learned that four months ago when he disappeared; leaving me behind to deal with the loss of him. I didn't cope too well.
Clark raises both of his hands to the sides of my face before pulling me forward a little and touching his lips to mine. It's not technically a kiss; it's just touching…with his lips; and breathing. He's really big on breathing me in. I can understand that. I do it to him too; just a lot more subtly.
Then he kisses me; and another tear nearly falls down my cheek. It's not a prelude to sex. It's him telling me that he's worried about me; that he doesn't want anything to happen to me; that he won't let anything happen to me; and that he loves me…with everything he's got inside of him, not just with all of his heart.
He moves his kisses downward; down my chin; down my throat; across my shoulder a little; until he reaches the scar again; reminding me that I never answered his question.
"Chloe?"
I wait until he looks up at me again before leaning my forehead against his once again.
"Surgery," I whisper hoarsely. My throat has swelled up without my knowledge; or permission, so it's harder for me to talk and swallow now than it was just seconds ago.
"What kind of surgery?"
I close my eyes and whisper the answer to him. I don't get any further than "there was a bomb" before the name Lex tumbles out of Clark's mouth.
He moves suddenly; like he's going to do exactly what he promised me he wouldn't do. Leave me.
"Don't leave me," I shriek while tightening my arms around him. "Not again. Please," I sob.
He freezes against me; and I realize what I'd just done. What was I thinking? He's Clark Kent. He's going to have to leave me; over and over again. I can't stop him. People's lives are at stake; innocent people; men, women…children. How would I feel if there was someone out there who could save my child; but couldn't get to him because he had a wife at home who freaked out every time he left? I wouldn't hate him. I would hate her. Everyone would hate her; until maybe that man; that hero began to hate her as well.
I pull back and mumble I'm sorry to him.
I feed him some line about my hormones going crazy.
I tell him I'm just tired and I need some sleep.
I climb out of his lap quickly and tell him goodnight before lying down on my side; my back to him.
I let him go, so he can do whatever it is he was planning on doing with Lex.
But he doesn't leave. He lays down beside me; and wraps his arm around me.
"Chloe?"
"Hmm?"
"Promise me something."
"Okay," I sigh.
He's probably going to make me promise him not to cry every time he leaves; or to be strong; or something. I don't want to; but I will.
I can feel him prop himself up on an elbow before he leans over me; pressing his forehead against my temple.
"Promise me that you won't be the one to leave me."
I freeze. I don't know how to answer that; because there's so many different ways to take that. Does he mean that he doesn't want to die after me? Because I'm human; I can die of old age while he's still "young." Is it a trick question? Is he just trying to make me understand that he can't promise not to leave me; just as I can't promise not to leave him? Or is he serious? Does he really want me to promise him that I won't leave him; because I can't do that.
I can't keep that promise.
\ Nobody can keep that promise; but I still wish he could.
"Chloe promise me you'll fight hard to stay here with me."
I turn my head a little to look at him. I can do that. I can promise to fight hard to stay here with him.
"I will; but only if you promise me you'll do the same," I tell him.
He smiles a little. A really barely there smile before telling me to "come here."
As I'm already here, in his arms, I figure he wants me to turn over and face him fully.
As soon as I'm done, he leans forward and kisses me; gently but deeply. It's not really the type of kiss that goes on forever…but it does. For so long in fact, that I need to stop and take a breath. Now.
I brace my palm against Clark's chest and pull away from him; but he follows me, refusing to release my lips.
I can't breathe; and I begin to panic a little.
Of all the ways I thought I'd go, being kissed to death was never ever in the realms of possibility; and I've got some pretty creative realms.
"Breathe baby," he murmurs against my lips…but that's what I'm trying to do!
I open my mouth to tell him that I can't…but I can't.
"Like this," he says. His lips never leave mine; but he's not kissing me anymore; just resting his lips against mine and breathing.
That's when I relax my lips as well and begin breathing through my nose; just as he's doing.
He doesn't give me enough time to catch my breath before he's kissing me again.
I kiss him back. I can't help it; it's reflex.
I go maybe five seconds before I can't breathe again. If he would've given me longer to catch up, I could've gone longer.
I pat his chest; trying to tell him I can't breathe again.
He ignores me.
I move my head backwards and away from him; he follows me easily. Then I clench my already closed eyes tight and release his lips. I concentrate on breathing in and out through my nostrils; all the while Clark is kissing me still. It's a very strange feeling; but honestly, I kind of like it.
"Good girl," he murmurs and I'm sure he's about to release me now; but he doesn't. He keeps kissing me; and when I catch my breath, I kiss him back.
About three or four more times of doing this and it becomes second nature to me; like breathing itself, but now I'm getting tired. And my jaw is beginning to hurt.
I sling my arm across his waist and let sleep begin to overtake me. I don't tell him I'm trying to go to sleep now. I think he knows. I think he's trying to make a point to me; and I think I know what it is.
If he's still kissing me when I wake up, I'll know that I was right.
~~{(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)}~~
A/N: next post will be Saturday October 23th.
