AN: Thank you for the wonderful response. It was definitely more than I could have imagined getting, especially considering how long it had been since I updated. But as promised, the time between updates won't be so drawn out again, so here's the next one. Hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 21
"Lois?"
Turning to look behind her, Lois came face to face with a thirty something looking man with light brown hair and friendly brown eyes. His suit hung a little loose on his frame, tie slightly askew and already coffee splattered. She looked down at her own black pant suit, wondering now if anyone would have even noticed the baby spit up that had caused her to change.
"I'm Lois," she answered.
"Hi," he held out his hand which she shook, "I'm Terry Hoffman – Senator Jennings' Chief-of-staff. He's meeting with Senator Kent for most of the day so he's asked me to show you the ropes."
Lois' smile tightened at the corners when Hoffman's grip lingered on her hand and his eyes roamed over the curves. Narrowing her own hazel orbs dangerously, she ripped her fingers from his grasp; the action went unnoticed on Hoffman whose gaze continued to molest her.
"Why don't you start with showing me the bullpen and offices," she spun around and headed to the elevators without waiting for Hoffman's agreement.
"Right," he punched the five, "so I've got a stack of employee files of people who're interested in staying on with the new administration. Does Senator Kent already have a staff roster put together?"
"Some key positions have already been filled by campaign workers but I would love to take a look at those files." She monitored Hoffman's distance out of the corner of her eye, careful to keep a wide breadth between them.
"Jack mentioned that this is your first foray into politics," Hoffman prattled on as they exited into the well appointed outer offices on the fifth floor; his comment was followed by a surreptitious smirk.
"I guess you could say that." Her teeth clenched in wonder at where Hoffman intended to take his small talk.
"Well, I'm more than willing to be your unofficial advisor," he smiled winningly.
"How nice," Lois bit out with sarcasm. "So PR, are on what floor?" She changed the subject quickly.
"Right beneath us. They're on the forth with tech and finance. Legal's down on three and research is right here," he indicated with a flourish. Bodies rushed around the large office, their voices accompanied by the clicking of keyboards, printers running and telephones ringing.
"And Senator Jennings' advisors? Do they work on a permanent, semi-permanent or consultant basis?" Lois asked off-hand as her keen eyes mapped the room and took in all the new faces.
Her questioned seemed to trip Hoffman up momentarily, "Uh, mostly consultants. I have names and numbers if you'd like them."
"I would, thank you." Lois kept her responses clipped but polite.
"Roger!" Hoffman called to an older man standing by the fax machine. "Roger, come here," he gestured him over. "I'd like you to meet Lois Lane, Senator Kent's chief-of-staff."
The other man sported graying wisps of hair on his head and had obviously tossed off his suit jacket already. "Hi Miss Lane, Roger Miner," he shook her hand, "it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Roger here is the senior supervising analysis and one of the people looking to hang around this place after Jack hits the road," Hoffman gave them what he figured to be a congenial smile.
Lois' eyes widened slightly at his tactless demeanor while Roger merely sighed. "It's a pleasure to meet you too Mr. Miner."
"I'm just showing Lois her new digs."
Hoffman turned for a moment to say hello to one of the PR people from downstairs, giving Roger the chance to shoot Lois an apologetic look. Lois raised an eyebrow at the older man and smirked. She was definitely feeling favourably about the analyst after seeing his reaction to Terry Hoffman.
"I look forward to sitting down with you and discussing the issues – I'm sure Senator Kent would feel the same," she smiled brightly for the first time that morning.
Hoffman caught the end of their exchange and saw his opportunity, "I'm sure you're interested to see all the pending issues on the Senatorial docket. You're welcome to share my office until I'm cleared out," he leered.
"No thanks, I'll just find myself an empty cubicle," she said, doing her best to fight the impulse to snap his arm in two.
An hour and thirty-six personnel files later, Lois had her first overwhelming urge to call home and check on – in – to check in with Clark. Her mind made that subtle adjustment. By the third ring worry began to give way to panic – but then a familiar sound settled her nerves.
"Kent residence."
"Smallville, why'd it take you so long to answer the phone?" Lois assailed.
"Hello to you too Lois. Wow, you haven't called to check up on me since the drive to Topeka this morning; your self-restraint is impressive," Clark drawled sarcastically.
"You're seriously not giving me attitude about not saying 'hello'. Pleasantries are implied in our conversations Smallville which means I'm not going to bother saying them. So where the hell were you?"
"I was looking for Ella, lost her somewhere between the west field and the barn."
Dead silence was all he heard.
"Lois?" He gulped.
"Sooooo not comfortable enough yet with leaving the baby to be able to joke," Lois warned.
"I was changing Ella's diaper. She just finished half a bottle and is starting to get sleepy," he announced the events as though it were a play by play. Pausing to contemplate her short temper, he smirked. "So I take it your first day is going great," Lois could almost hear Clark's eye-roll on the other end.
"It's been fine. Jennings' chief-of-staff has been showing me around…he's been very helpful, if a little too attentive." The last part was said under her breath but even over the phone line Clark heard her.
His grip tightened on the receiver but eased up a bit when the plastic casing groaned. "Has he hurt you?" Lois was a little stunned at how dark Clark's voice had become.
"No. Just annoying me really."
"He better not hurt you."
"Just because of what happened last night doesn't mean you need to go all caveman on me Smallville."
"This has nothing to do with last night – or this morning – we're friends first and foremost and I don't want anyone hurting my friends," he explained.
"Well, this friend is fine. Okay, well, if everything's alright there, I should get back to work."
"We'll see you later," Clark said.
"Yup," Lois didn't wait for anything further before hanging up.
Clark stared at the phone in his hand for a few seconds before chuckling, "Implied pleasantries."
At the Capital building a few hours later, Lois was still sifting through the files, setting interview times for all the employees interested in continuing in their positions. The Senate had recessed for two weeks and upon their commencement Martha Kent will have taken her seat, which didn't leave her much time to fill all the positions in the office and have things running in semi-decent order.
"Hey Lois!"
Squeezing her eyes tight, Lois wondered if she wished hard enough Hoffman might fall through the floor or something.
"Lois!" His voice was closer this time; she opened her eyes in defeat and turned to acknowledge the man. "Jack's calling us into the big room."
Getting up from her chair to follow Hoffman, she was stopped by Roger Miner, whose face seemed set in a continual apology for his boss. "I know he's crass but he gets the job done."
"I figured he must," was her sardonic reply as she kept walking to the Senator's office.
"Senator Kent," she nodded to Martha then addressed the man in the room, "Senator Jennings."
"Lois Lane," Jack smiled jovially and put out his hand, "Martha's been in here all morning singing your praises. It's a pleasure to meet you."
She resisted the urge to shuffle her feet like an embarrassed school kid. "Likewise Senator. And I appreciate you making your staff and resources available to us during the transition." She gave a confident shake to the man's hand.
"Anything to make things a little easier. How have you been making out so far?"
"I've gone through all the current personnel files and set interview times so that Senator Kent can sit in – if I could get a copy of staff email addresses I can have confirmed dates by the end of the day."
Hoffman shot her a look of wide eyed astonishment.
"The Governor called to say that he'd like to hold a gala in honor of my inauguration a week from Saturday. We'll do the ceremonial swearing-in in the morning and the dinner later that evening," Martha explained. "I'll need you to oversee some of the preparations."
"Gotcha. I'll have Julie get me the number for the Governor's office," Lois tucked her hands behind her back in an inadvertent military stance.
"Julie?" Martha wondered.
"She's a junior researcher on the floor; she's got three rolodexes full of Kansas government outlets." Hoffman sent her a puzzled look. "Five foot three with brown curls," Lois expounded then sighed as she saw recognition flash on the man's face. "I'll get you booked on a flight to DC this Friday then, to look for an apartment."
"Oh, I hadn't even thought about that," Martha admitted.
"It'll be nicer than living out of hotels for four years," Lois smiled at her boss.
"Well Martha, how does a quick break sound, we've been cooped up in his office all morning."
"Wonderful," she stood up from her seat as Hoffman moved to the door. "Would you like to join us Lois?"
"I was actually planning on working through lunch so I'm not here too late. I wouldn't want Clark to think we've abandoned him."
"Have you spoken to him since you left this morning?" Martha pulled her jacket off the coat rack.
"About thirty minutes ago. Ella had just gone back to sleep and Mr. White had stopped by for a visit."
"Speaking of Clark," Jack interjected before Martha could ask about Mr. White's reasons for visiting, "I hear congratulations are in order. But I'm going to have to have a talk with that boy – when a woman agrees to marry you the least she should get is a ring!" He joked.
Lois and Martha both glanced down at her bare hand. "Clark knows better than to buy me a piece of jewelry that I'm going to wear for the rest of my life without my input," Lois covered quickly.
"He always was a bright boy," Jack chuckled. "I couldn't be happier for the two of you." All three left the office and waited for Jack to lock the door behind them.
"I've got a few meetings scheduled for this afternoon so we'll be back soon Lois. Call me if anything urgent comes up." Martha smiled at the young woman who was already making her mark on the office.
"Enjoy yourself Senator," Lois ordered with a smile.
"Oh Lois," Jack stopped suddenly on his way to the lobby and turned back her, "before I forget… thank you for everything you and Clark did last year."
The vague reference to what Lois had come to term 'the Wingate incident' received a nod of understanding. She had a quip on the end of her tongue but she restrained herself for propriety's sake; it was rare for her to not speak her mind on any issue – but she had promised herself, for Mrs. Kent, that she would keep her stray thoughts in check and do a better job of thinking before speaking. She sat back down in the small cubicle in the corner of the room to begin e-mailing prospective staffers.
It would be another two hours before she could no longer contain the urge to check up – in – with Clark again. She was missing her baby, longing to feel the tiny body cradled against her. Wishing to know what was currently interesting the bright blue eyes that looked at everything with an innocent awe. And in the few moments that she took to truly think about it, she missed Clark; she missed their banter and easy camaraderie, the seamless sharing of Ella's needs and the warm looks that of late were venturing toward smoldering. For the first time in much too long, Lois felt as though she had a home and she couldn't wait to get back to them – it – she couldn't wait to get back to it.
Lana expelled a breath and dropped her highlighter in the valley of her text; she had lost count of the number of times her thoughts had strayed to Clark in the passed week. She replayed their conversation in the barn over again in her mind, searching for any word or gesture that gave away the façade of relationship he was claiming to have with Lois.
There was little doubt that Clark cared for Lois Lane – it was one of the amazing things about Clark – his ability and willingness to care for people….even people who didn't deserve it. As much as that particular quality made Clark attractive, it was frustrating. He was so naïve sometimes that he left himself open to be taken advantage of. The more Lana thought about it, the more the past few months were beginning to drift into sharper focus.
After the meteor shower Clark and she had committed to one another. They were happy. It also happened to be the same time that Lois had left the country. But soon things started to change for her and Clark… about the same time that Lois turned back up in Smallville. It couldn't have been mere coincidence that her relationship with Clark began to fray when the other woman reappeared. She had even paraded that lifeguard in front of Clark, hoping to make him jealous.
Lana shook her head mournfully. On top of all of that, Lois had poisoned Clark against one of his best friends. Lex was kind and helpful and willing to do anything for his friends but Lois had arrived and somehow turned Clark against him. Poor Lex.
But she was determined to stand by Clark. Lana vowed to do everything in her power to keep Lois from manipulating him further. As long as Lois had that innocent little baby around, Clark wouldn't be willing to follow his heart back to her. He would sacrifice his own happiness for that child and it was her job to show him that he didn't have to. When all was said and done, Clark would be back at her side where he always wanted to be.
Chloe opened the door to her dorm room, prepared to face the fog of tension that had been the third wheel in her relationship with Lana since she had confronted Clark at the farm over a week ago. Pausing at the door, Chloe waited for a look or acknowledgement of some kind from the other girl but when she didn't look up from her computer, the blonde closed the door and retreated to her own side of the room.
"You know, you're going to have to talk to me again eventually. We share an eleven by fourteen foot room," Chloe prodded.
"I'm not feeling up to talking much these days. But when you have your best friend lie to your face you tell me how you feel," Lana shot back.
Chloe just barely held back the instinctive eye roll that comment evoked.
"Look, you're not the only one who was surprised by the whole Lois and Clark thing but they're committed to each other so I guess we'll all just have to get used to them together," Chloe tried to stay as vague as possible.
"I find it more than a little hard to believe that Clark proposed to Lois after it took him years to even ask me out on a date," Lana countered, spinning in her desk chair to stare Chloe down.
"I don't have the answers you're looking for Lana."
"Really, because after your exclusive interview for the Daily Planet I thought you'd be in the know," Lana's snide tone drew a sigh from Chloe.
"What do you expect me to tell you? What you and Clark do is your own business. I'm not around to sure as enlightener to you both. Now, I'd like to be able to be friends with both of you – and I'll tell you, just like I told him, whatever you tell me stays between us. We're not in high school anymore so the days of passing notes are over."
The room was bathed in silence, Chloe reveling in relief that she had drawn the lines for her friend and Lana as she digested the honest answer.
"You're right," the latter finally announce. "You can't be put in the middle anymore. I promise I'll never do it again but first I want you to answer me honestly," she implored gravely.
Chloe sent a sharp nod of assent.
"Lois has been making a play for Clark from the very beginning hasn't she? She's been determined to drive a wedge between us and be there for Clark in the end," Lana deduced with obvious suspicion.
What she hadn't prepared herself for, was her roommate's reaction to her conclusion. Chloe burst out laughing; a full bellied guffaw that tipped her back on her bed with its force. When she finally got herself under control she responded.
"Lana, if you believe nothing else, trust me when I say that Lois hasn't been planning this since the beginning. I'm not sure I could even attempt to explain the sudden transition their relationship has been taking but it definitely wasn't planned." She shook her head as the chuckles still threatened to steal over her.
"But obviously she was trying to seduce Clark while he and I were still together," Lana persisted.
Chloe bit her lip hard to keep from losing it again on her clearly delusional friend
"Clark probably didn't even realize what she was doing, pulling him in until he was too deep to walk away," Lana continued. "He's not as worldly as she is – and he trusts too easily."
"I think you're underestimating Clark Kent. And as far as I know and as well as I know Lois, I can tell you that she and Clark didn't move their relationship forward until you two were over."
"I know she's your cousin and everything Chloe but I also know Lois' type."
"Lois' is a type?" Chloe parroted.
"She probably couldn't wait to get her claws into Clark and now she's got a ready made family that he'll feel responsible for."
Chloe was too busy giggling over the idea of Lois seducing Clark to truly hear the malice Lana spoke with for her cousin. If she had, she may have been able to head off the speeding freight train that was bound for disaster.
Sitting in her parked car with her eyes closed, Lois tried to expel the day's seriousness. She could remember hearing women talking about the different hats they wore during the day and that it could be trying at times to keep up with all the changes that were necessary in a twenty-four hour span. It had never been a tangible concept until that very moment as she took a moment to breathe out the trials of work in the cooling quiet of the driveway.
There was one more thing that gave her pause. Clark. She had been in a rush to head out the door that morning, sharing with him only a few words and on the phone during the day one or both of them were busy and only able to give a status report before hanging up. Now she was facing the moment of reckoning. Would things be awkward between them? Would they act so completely differently from before that the thought of having a relationship would soon seem unattractive? Or would she succumb to the same magnetism she had the night before and rebel against her own imposed restrictions? What did she feel for Clark? What could she feel for him if she let herself? Questions seemed endless and not a single one could be answered by sitting in the car.
Upon her first step out of the car, her fatigue rushed off her like water scurrying back to rejoin the lapping waves at the water's edge. Thoughts of Ella bolstered her energy reserves, giving her gait a spark of excitement on her way to the door. A quick toss of her hair and she was pushing into her unlikely haven.
"Look who's home Ella!" Clark exclaimed to the little girl in his arms.
Before she even realized what was happening, a smile split Lois' lips and she was reaching for the baby.
Clark held Ella at bay, "What happened to your hand washing rule?"
Glaring, Lois spun on her heel and moved to the sink. For her part, Ella grunted in protest at not being able to reach the new arrival. Clark would swear that the baby was leveling him with the same glare as her mother.
"Bacteria free," Lois held up her hands. "Now gimme my baby," she ordered with a quirk of her lips. Taking Ella into her arms, Lois felt the last droplets of the day's stress slip off her. "Hello my beautiful Ella," she pressed kisses to her silky cheeks and head. "I missed you today." Ella's response was a bubble of spit popping against her neck and a nuzzle against her collarbone.
Clark watched over the two girls with an indulgent smile. He was continually amazed at how easily Ella was able to soften one of the toughest women he knew. He blushed thinking of the night before when he saw the softer side of her once more; it was a scene he had been replaying in his head all day. The feel of her lips alternately surrendering and fighting under his, her glassy eyes lit with passion for him. He could see it all The moment was broken up by Lois' sudden sneeze; Ella jerked involuntarily causing Clark to press his hand to her back to help sooth her. At their feet sat the culprit – wagging his tail in earnest.
"Shelby," Lois rolled her eyes at the pup. "If I tell you I missed you too will you be kind enough not to rub up against me," she raised an eyebrow when Shelby immediately rubbed his head against her leg. Hazel landed accusingly at Clark, "I swear the mutt understands what we're saying to him. Only you would have an animal smarter than your self Smallville."
Shelby barked in what Lois would claim was agreement while Clark pursed his lips.
"Home three minutes and you've already insulted me…you're slipping," he deadpanned.
Lois looked around the spotless kitchen, "What, no dinner? Talk about slipping Smallville," she teased.
Clark's eyes widened and his eyebrows shot beneath his bangs, "I don't remember signing up for man servant duties."
"Oh the possibilities Clarkie," she gave a sultry winked. "But don't worry; I didn't expect you to go all Mrs. Doubtfire on me – I ordered a pizza on the way home. Your Mom's having dinner in Topeka."
"Sounds good to me." He patted Shelby on the head and moved to fill the dog's food dish. "I think she's just about out, want to put her down?" He inclined his head toward the baby in her arms.
"No." Lois pulled her closer to her chest, rocking a little on her feet when Clark laughed. "How did everything go today? Was Ella okay? She didn't cry too much did she?"
"Everything was great. She slept a fair bit and ate even more. Shelby hung out with her while I was working outside and I had the monitor for when she woke up." Clark dropped the dish on the floor and drifted back to Lois and Ella.
"What did Charlie White say?" She shifted Ella a bit in her arms while unbuttoning her coat and trying to take it off.
"He just wanted to check up on us. He was happy that Ella was growing so much – I guess we've been getting positive feedback in our parenting class and at Ella's check-ups." Lois shot him a look as though saying 'of course' while he reached around her to slide the coat off her arms and hang it up for her. "He also wanted to see how we were handling the press coverage. He thought we did the right thing by making a public statement in The Planet." There was a pregnant pause where Lois rubbed her cheek against Ella's scalp. "He said that we were doing a great job and had impressed a lot of people at CPS."
Still there was no response from Lois; she stared at the wall of the kitchen unseeing. Whatever she was thinking about, it had a powerful grasp on her consciousness as even the sudden silence in their conversation went unnoticed. Clark got his first unguarded look at Lois since she had blown through the door that evening and noticed that her eyelids drooped lower than normal.
Passing a hand over the back of her head and down got her to turn toward him, "How was your day?" It wasn't a simple courtesy question; Lois could see that he was genuinely interested to know.
Her initial instinct was to draw away from Clark and his gentle caress but she squashed it quickly. His touch was undemanding and easy – and she could finally rid herself of the guilt for liking the way it made her feel. Swaying on her feet, her back drifted into Clark's chest and rested there a beat longer than she would normally allow. It was a beat long enough for Clark to slide his arm around her waist in a loose imitation of a hug.
"Long," she admitted. "But it was pretty exhilarating to be in an office that you know has the power to exact change." Words abandoned her when Clark rubbed his cheek against her head as she had done with Ella. "I – ah…I – I met Senator Jennings. Nice guy."
"I guess," he answered noncommittally.
"What's with the grim face? I thought he was a friend of the family." She disentangled herself from his side in order to see his face.
"He was – is," hands stuffed into his pockets, come on Lois, you were at the Wingate last year, you know what went on there – what kind of people that place attracted. How can I respect a man who lives that life?"
"How can you not?"
Her flippant counter surprised him.
"You can't define a person by one fragment of who they are. I've been going over depositions and notes from his tenure, he represented the people of the state well. So he had a few suspect proclivities in his personal life – it doesn't' make him a bad person. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses Clark. And that's not even to say that he was bound to end up at that club eventually."
"How do you figure that?"
Lois stared at him incredulously. "Politics is still a boys' club Smallville. There are more deals made and bills passed on the golf course and over drinks than the capital buildings in Washington. Everyone who was anyone went to the Wingate – those are the people who get things done." She could see that he still wasn't sure he bought her argument. "Do you know where the term hooker came from? General Joesph Hooker used to pay women come to camp for his troops during the civil war. He believed there were benefits to allowing the men to unwind and decompress from the stress of fighting. Ultimately, his men help in the victory at Chattanooga. Just because he paid for sex didn't mean he was any less a respectable soldier."
"How do you possibly remember all that?" Clark wondered aloud.
"While you were learning how to till a field, I was learning the strategic merits of the Schlieffen Plan," she shrugged. "Look, Senator Jennings seems like the kind of guy who would put himself on the line for his friends. Those kinds of people don't come along everyday and when they do, they're worth holding on to." When she was finished, Clark stared at her as though seeing her for the first time but said nothing. "What?" Her irritation was palpable.
"It's just that you're amazing," he shook his head as though there was something he couldn't make sense of, "and sometimes I wonder what I did to get the opportunity to know you."
"Obviously something great," Lois smirked.
"So tell me," Clark moved to stand directly in front of her, his hand covering hers over Ella's back, "this really, really slow plan of ours…when does it say that I get to kiss you again?" He inched forward and was just an inch from her lips when a knock sounded on the kitchen door.
"That's the pizza," Clark smile at the note of disappointment in her voice. "You get the door – Ella's diaper's feeling a bit heavy and I'm going to change before she gets something on this suit too.
"Don't think I'm missing the fact that you're leaving me to pay for dinner," his voice followed her up the stairs.
He opened the door, distracted by looking through his wallet, "How much do I owe you?"
"Thanks for the generosity but I really don't need the money." Clark's dark head shot up when he heard Lex's voice on the other side of the door.
"Lex," rising to his full height, Clark closed his wallet, "what're you doing here?"
"Pardon my curiosity but I heard the news and had to come see it for myself. Clark Kent and Lois Lane headed for wedded bliss with mysterious baby in tow," his lips quirked at the corners, missing Clark's scowl as he closed the door behind his guest.
"Sorry, the next exhibition doesn't show again until tomorrow," he snapped sarcastically.
"Well, if nothing else, you've obviously been taking pointers on social interaction from our fiancée." Lex taunted.
"Was there something you wanted Lex?" Clark tightened his fists.
"I've got to give you credit Clark; I pride myself on being something of an expert in unraveling mysteries but you've manage to truly stump me."
"There you go again Lex, seeing mystery and conspiracy where none exist," he crossed his arms over his chest.
"I the five years that I've known you, there has been one constant – your proclamations of love and devotion for Lana Lang. Yet only weeks after going your separate ways, you're getting engaged to Lois Lane and raising a child together. I wonder if Lana's aware of just how soon after your parting had you and Lois planning a long life together. It's a little suspect, wouldn't you say Clark?"
"People change Lex, you should know that better than anyone," Clark's eyes narrowed a moment before his arms fell from his chest and he relaxed.
Lex frowned at the sudden change in Clark's demeanor, unaware that the other man had tune into the sounds of Lois moving around upstairs with Ella to calm his anger at Lex's smug barbs. He listened to a few words Lois spoke to the baby before focusing further to engulf himself in the melody of their combined heart rhythms.
"Hey Smallville, that pizza better be warm cause I'm starving!" Lois' voice carried down the stairs before she could get there.
"Lex," she stopped dead at the bottom of the stairs when she saw the second body in the kitchen. Holding Ella protectively against her chest, she shared a quick glance with Clark then pasted a smile on her face and tried desperately to channel Martha Kent's good will. "What are you doing all the way out here?"
"Hello Lois," he nodded to her, "and as I was just telling Clark here, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to offer my congratulations in person. An engagement is a special event for a couple's relationship – it's meant to be celebrated."
Lois couldn't figure as to why, but every time she had an encounter with Lex she felt a little the opening few scenes of a documentary on animal planet, right before one of the animals in the jungle attack another.
"Thank you." She wasn't sure what else to say so she left it there.
"And who do we have here?" Lex took a few steps toward Lois and Ella, zeroing on the latter.
Overcome with the feeling that Lois and Ella were being threatened in some way, Clark was swiftly at their side. "This is Ella," he answered before Lois could open her mouth. "And she's due for a bottle and bath before bedtime." Clark hoped Lois was able to read the concern in his eyes. He wasn't any more comfortable with Lex around Ella than she was. It was an eye-opening experience for him; there had been times when he was suspicious of his quasi-friend but never before had he been so suffused with apprehension.
"That's babies for you – miss a meal and you'll hear about it." Lois strode to the fridge, far from, chuckling nervously.
She was saved from having to fill the silence further by another knock on the door. This time it was the pizza guy.
"Well, I should be on my way. Enjoy your dinner and congratulations again Clark…Lois," Lex said morosely; the words were not meant to be believed.
With the house cleared of visitors and a bottle warming on the counter, Clark once more drifted to Lois' side. His hand landed on her back, massaging in gentle circles when he felt the tension that had appeared there in conjunction with Lex's short appearance.
"I know the pickings are slim for friends here in Podunk but I don't think Lex would have been my first choice….or my last," Lois quipped.
"Remember how you were saying that you can't let one event be the whole of a person's character? I think I've been doing that with Lex – just in reverse." Lois' furrowed brow caused him to elaborate. "The occasional redeeming choice he makes or aid he brings seems to overshadow all of his questionable character traits…and there are a lot of them. I think there are pieces of him that are good and want to help but if we're all just a sum of our parts then I would guess that Lex is darker than all of his good deeds can compensate for."
"I'm not about to tell you who to be friends with Clark. But I will tell you that I don't want him around Ella. I once told you that I trust my gut…well my guts try to make the great escape every time he gets within ten feet of me." Lois explained.
"That's fine with me. I don't think I'll be making many trips to the mansion in the near future anyway." He stifled a laugh when he realized that Lois hadn't put Ella down since she got home except to change. "You planning on eating while you hold her?"
"Maybe," she pursed her lips arrogantly.
"Well if that's the case, can I at least welcome you home properly?" Lois quirked an eyebrow at his request but said nothing as she watched him lean in.
The kiss was different from the night before. Clark's lips were more confident in seeking out her own but careful to keep the contact gentle and achingly sweet. They also had Ella between them, tempering the passion that threatened at every turn. One merciful touch of lips turned to two and more until the rumble of Lois stomach drew them apart.
"I guess we should eat," Clark whispered close to her face.
"Sounds good," she nodded, pressing a final kiss to his chin before vacating the space between his arms.
She still didn't have the answer to all her questions but at least she knew that things weren't going to be awkward between them. And they were definitely still attracted to one another. Now if only she felt confident that they could keep things slow…..
TBC
Please R&R if you get the chance.