Chapter Twenty Eight
She just couldn't believe it. Of all the things Lois Lane had thought would happen in her life, kissing Clark Kent was not one of them. Of course the whole super-powered thing was another one but it felt good to finally know who he was and where he came from.
And he was an extraordinary kisser, she thought. They were the kind of kisses that left her breathless, wanting more. Clark's body was pressed into hers and she was vaguely aware of something digging into her lower back. Oh right, the kitchen counter. She was leaning against it, Clark's hands on her hips, holding her close.
Slowly, Clark pulled back and looked at her through hazy eyes that she could get all too easily let herself get lost in.
She cleared her throat and licked her lips, running a hand through the dishevelled hair that Clark's hands had mussed up. Neither one spoke for a few moments, each content to just stare into the other's eyes. Eventually she realised that she had to say something. But he beat her to it.
"Lois what's going on?"
She tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean? I would've thought that was pretty obvious."
Loving the way his face bloomed with colour at that statement, Lois waited for his response.
"I mean us. What are we doing?"
"It's called kissing Clark, all the kids are doing it these days. It's all the rage." She laughed when his frown deepened and she could see the frustration growing.
"You're not freaked out? Even just a tiny little bit?"
"Why would I be freaked out? You're not that bad a kisser Clark," she chuckled. Understatement of the year, she thought.
He rolled his eyes at her. "Lois will you be serious for a second?"
"Okay, I'm sorry. But why would I be freaked out?"
"Well considering the fact that less than an hour ago, you found out I was an alien…"
She held up her hand, cutting him off. "Wait, hold up. You think I see you differently now?"
He shrugged shyly. "Well…"
She grabbed one of his hands and squeezed it tightly. "Clark, I've known you're different for some time now and I have gotten used to it. The fact that you're from another planet adds mystery and excitement but it doesn't freak me out. It probably should, I mean, you're from another planet, but it doesn't." She paused for a moment to get her words exactly right.
But when she thought about what she was going to say, she found that she didn't need to think at all. It all came naturally. She looked back up at him and smiled.
"Krypton, Earth, doesn't matter to me."
"Really?" The hope in his eyes actually broke her heart a little. How many times had he feared someone finding out his secret because of what they might think of him afterwards? He must've lived a very lonely life. She felt a sudden inexplicable anger at the thought of anyone rejecting him. Not knowing where it came from, she quickly pushed it back down.
"Really. I want to say that you're the same dorky farm boy that I met five years ago but I can't, because you're not, at least to me anyway." Before his face could register the disappointment, she quickly carried on.
"Because I never had these feelings for that guy five years ago. Who you are though…" she poked his chest. "in here, has never changed. You are, however, still the same adorkable farm boy who has an unhealthy taste in plaid…"
His bark of laughter was like music to her ears. "Adorkable? That's not even a word Lois."
"Nope, but it is now. Adorable and dorky, I think it suits you," She grinned.
Clark was astonished. He knew deep down she would be able to handle the truth, and even after learning that she already knew he had powers, he'd been hesitant but not afraid of telling her the rest. But a part of him was surprised that she wasn't even the slightest bit spooked by the fact that he wasn't human.
"You're doing it again." she said, bringing him out of his thoughts. He smiled at her as she continued to watch his face intently.
"Doing what?"
"Thinking too much. Something tells me that's always been your problem. Look, the thing is…deep down, it really doesn't matter to me. Because you're Clark, and you'll always be Clark."
She punched him lightly on the shoulder. "So don't go expecting any free rides now just because you're the Red-Blue-Blur. You are the Red-Blue-Blur aren't you?"
"Yeah, I am." he replied.
She nodded. "That's good. You're doing a wonderful thing there Smallville. But, I'm still gonna bug you."
He felt his smile widen. "Good, I don't think my life would be the same if you stopped."
She studied him thoughtfully for a moment. "So…"
"What?"
"Should I stop calling you Smallville now? I mean it's a little…"
"No." His smiled faded. "I don't want you to stop calling me that Lois. I mean sure in the beginning I know you only said it to annoy me but…over the years I've kinda gotten used to it." He wrapped his arms a little tighter around her waist. "That's our thing. So please, don't stop."
She smiled and kissed him softly. "Sure thing, Smallville."
Oliver tipped back another glass of whiskey and watched as the streets whizzed by outside his limo window. After being in several different countries for the past few weeks, he'd thought he'd be glad to be coming home. That was not the case.
He'd been on various missions that required his help but he'd stayed away mostly for one reason. Lois.
She'd been on his mind ever since she'd been released from the hospital and he hadn't been able to handle seeing Clark so attentive and caring over her. And he had to admit that Clark had been doing a great job too. But that should've been his job, and once upon a time, it had been.
Now he didn't know what was going on. He'd been gone for so long he didn't even know if Lois was still living at the farm, or if she and Clark were together or still just friends. The calls he'd made to Chloe had been strictly business every time, he'd never broached the subject of her cousin and neither had she. Though he sensed she knew more than she was letting on.
His limo driver's voice broke through his thoughts. "We'll be arriving in Metropolis in about forty five minutes Mr Queen."
"Excellent." Oliver replied, his tone a little sour. What was wrong with him? He should be happy for Lois if Clark was what made her happy. And God knew she'd never given him any reason to think she still felt anything other than friendship for him.
But what if there was a small chance that he was wrong? What if there was the slightest chance that she could still feel something for him? That she regretted the way things ended between them. He had to know, one way or the other.
Then maybe he could finally move on with his life. Because right now, he was lost.
He didn't like to admit that he still felt angry at Clark for keeping the murder of his parents by Lionel a secret, but the truth was, he did. The rational voice in his mind spoke up, the one that hadn't visited in a while, saying maybe Clark had just been trying to do the right thing.
As he took another sip of his whiskey, he scoffed, of course he was. Clark always did the right thing and he…well he didn't. He'd lost count of the amount of times he'd screwed up in his life.
But the one thing he regretted the most, was letting Lois go so easily. He let the best thing that had ever happened to him, walk right out of his life because of his dedication to bringing Lex Luthor and his experiments down. But what did he have to show for it now? Nothing. He was alone, for the first time in his life, completely alone.
So he had to give it another shot. If it turned out Lois had moved on, he hadn't really lost anything he didn't already have. But if she did, then maybe his life would start looking up a little.
"Well Jimmy says that everything's fine his end. He's at home now nursing a serious headache but he's okay." Lois said as she hung up the phone and turned back to Clark, who was pouring two cups of coffee.
"What did you tell him about me? He saw me get shot." Clark asked as he handed her a mug.
"I told him it was a flesh wound and that you'd already been released from the hospital. So you may have to act a little sore around him." She perched herself on a nearby stool and took a hasty sip of her coffee, then cursed when the red hot liquid burned her lips.
"Damn it!"
Clark smiled and moved closer to her, his eyes locked on her lips. Without a word, his head swooped down and kissed her gently, his tongue tracing her lower lip. She felt a shiver run through her as he pulled away.
"Better?" he asked.
"Uh, yeah thanks." She was both intrigued and confused by his closeness.
Standing up, she made her way over to the sink and stared out of the window at the dark night sky. She knew the truth about him now, and he knew about her memories, there was nothing left to hide. But now that the earlier shock and adrenalin had worn off, her thoughts were annoying in their persistence.
She knew without a shadow of a doubt that she loved him, but what she didn't know was how he felt about her. Sure he'd kissed her, but what had that meant exactly? Did he have feelings for her? Or was it a simple case of relief that she hadn't run from the house screaming that he was an alien? She didn't know but she liked to believe it was the first one.
The memory that she'd had earlier in the evening played itself back in her head. She just couldn't shake it. He'd said he didn't love her. Whether the machine thought he was lying or not, he hadn't planned on saying yes. Which meant what exactly? She had no idea.
"Lois?" His voice, so quiet, made her turn around to face him. He was sitting on the stool in front of her, watching her intently. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah I'm fine. I guess tonight has just been a little…" She trailed off, unable to think of a word.
"Weird?"
She shrugged. "I guess. It's not everyday you hear you've been best friends with an intergalactic traveller for the past five years. What?" she added when he chuckled.
He shook his head, smiling. "Nothing it's just that…well that's what I always preferred to be called. I hate the word alien, so I always called myself an intergalactic traveller. Figures you would be the one person to see that too."
"Oh, and why's that?"
He stood up and moved closer, clearly invading her personal space and not caring one bit. "Because through all the years I've known you, you have always been the one who gets me. Who understood me on a level that nobody else did."
"But Chloe knows about you right? Surely she didn't treat you any differently?"
"Don't get me wrong, I love Chloe. She's my best friend and I don't know what I would've done without her these past few years." His face darkened for a moment.
"But she's been through a lot because of me. I never wanted her to know, she found out on her own. But when she did find out, things…changed. Unintentionally, she put me up on some kind of pedestal and sometimes I think she sees me as a hero first and a person second."
Unable to resist, Lois reached up and cupped his cheek. "You are a hero Clark. Not in the corny 'Oh my hero' sense, but you put yourself out there to protect people. You've always protected the people you love. And that is something I saw from the moment I met you. Not because of the whole 'Red-Blue-Blur' thing. That hasn't changed just because I know the truth about you. I don't define that term by how many powers you have or how spectacular your saves are, its about who you are inside and you're the most caring person I've ever known."
His hand came up to cover hers, and moved it down to his chest, pressing it against his heart. "Why didn't you tell me that you knew?"
"Because it wasn't my place to. I didn't want you to feel pressured into telling me, I wanted you to tell me if or when you felt you wanted to."
Something flashed in his eyes before his face lit up in a big smile. She wondered what had happened when other people had found out before. Because Chloe knew, so it stood to reason that maybe others did too. Oliver obviously knew judging from his not so nice reception to Clark when she was still in the hospital.
"And…maybe it was because I didn't want you to see me as 'that person' either."
"What do you mean?" he asked, holding her hand in place.
"I didn't want you to see me as the person I've always been around you. The nosy, intrusive person that I always am. I didn't want you to think that I was just trying to get information out of you for a headline on the Blur or something."
"I never thought that Lois. And you're not nosy, you're inquisitive. That's what makes you a great reporter. But the fact that you kept this to yourself means more to me than you know. Thank you."
"Just out of curiosity, how did Chloe find out?"
He blew out a long breath. "It's a long story but let's just say, she saw me use some of my abilities. She was a lot like you when she did find out. She never pressured me into telling her but unlike you, she did drop quite a few hints here and there."
"Do you wish I hadn't found out?"
He took a moment to think about that. "In a way, yes. But not because I don't trust you Lois. You're the most trustworthy person I know. But you've already been put in danger because of who I am."
She frowned for a moment, then realised what he meant. "Oh you mean that place we were sent to. What was that anyway?"
"Something I never want to happen again. Its called the Phantom Zone. Created by my birth father to imprison criminals from my planet and others. I knew exactly where I was when I woke up in that place but when I saw you there, all I could think about was getting you out." He closed his eyes and frowned. "You remember all that don't you?"
She grimaced. "Yeah, not some of my happiest memories I can tell you. Being possessed by that woman was…"
"You remember that too?" he asked, shocked. She nodded and then he drew her into his arms, hugging her fiercely.
"I'm so sorry Lois."
"Why?"
"That should never have happened to you. It was my fault."
She pulled back. "How was it your fault? I thought we cleared that up already." He opened his mouth to speak but she pressed a finger to his lips and spoke firmly. "No, it wasn't your fault. Got it?"
Slowly he nodded but she could see that he didn't agree. "But not all my memories from that place were bad." She laughed at the look he gave her, one that said he thought she was crazy. "When we were in that cave, I saw something in you that I'd never seen before. And…I don't know…I kinda thought maybe you were going to choose that moment to open up to me."
"I was close. I wanted to tell you, it wasn't fair that you'd been dragged into my mess and you knew nothing about it. But I didn't want to overload you and we weren't exactly in a safe place."
She chuckled. "I guess it is a pretty long conversation. It's taken up most of this evening."
That brought flashes of the evening back to her. "I still can't believe you got shot…for me."
He touched her cheek, making her look up at him again. "I would do it again in a heartbeat. And not because the bullet can't hurt me either."
Her heart flipped in her chest and she reached up to kiss him lightly on the lips. It never occurred to her that all these little kisses and hugs were not normally something she and Clark would do. But somehow, it just felt…right.
"Lois…" He stopped and she looked up to see him frowning down at her. "Are we…I mean is…?"
He didn't seem to know how to phrase his question. He drew in a deep breath and placed both his hands on her shoulders. Staring deeply into his eyes, she saw something. A resolve of some sort and it made her both nervous and excited at what he was going to say.
"I like you Lois."
She smiled through her confusion. "I like you too."
"No, I mean I like you. Not just as a friend anymore. I don't know when it happened, but something happened…I'm not saying this very well am I?"
She chuckled and toyed with the buttons on his shirt. "Relax Smallville."
Just as she was about to give him one of her usual friendly punches to the arm, his hand shot out and grabbed her forearm, stopping her. His eyes bored into hers, trying to convey what he was feeling and when he heard her sharp intake of breath, he knew she got it. They were past the point of being just friends anymore. Way past it.
"I think we should go out on a date. A real date." he said, trying to dampen the nerves down a little. But it wasn't working.
She let out a snort. "I think we're way past the point of a first date Smallville. We've already gotten to first base at least three times tonight."
He felt his face heating up and he knew she could see it too judging from the grin on her face, but he couldn't stop it. Every time he thought about kissing Lois, it made his whole body quiver. He wondered if their kisses had the same effect on her. Because she was playing this awfully casually, like she wasn't really bothered either way.
"I know…" he said, his voice suddenly hoarse. "But I want to do this right. I think we could be good together, if you give us a chance."
"Clark…" For a moment he thought she was going to turn him down and he realised that the thought left him feeling oddly cold. He wanted her to say yes more than anything.
Then he caught a flash of vulnerability in her eyes and it strengthened his resolve. She was just as affected by their kisses as he was. She was just putting on a front. He shouldn't be surprised really, this was Lois after all. She had never been one to wear her heart on her sleeve.
"Let me take you to dinner tomorrow night."
She held up her hand and pointed at him. "Okay but if we're doing this, its going to be done properly. So you can pick me up at the Talon at seven."
He nodded. "Okay. Seven it is."
A calm silence fell over them for a few minutes, as they simply stared at each other and Clark found himself wondering how he never saw this before. How could he have missed what had been right in front of him all this time. He drew her close, thinking that he wasn't going to make that mistake again.
"So Smallville…" she said, raising her head slightly to smile up at him with a mischievous grin. "How about you show me a few of these powers?"
He took her face in his hands and kissed her softly. "Actually, there is something I want you to see."
She shrieked as he suddenly bent down to lift her into his arms, then he opened the door and took off, running fast enough to be a blur, but slow enough so as not to hurt her.
When he set her down a few minutes later he had to bite his lip hard to keep from laughing at the expression on her face. Utter confusion, excitement and a hint of whoa appeared as she took a look around.
"What is this place?"
They both looked up at the voice that replied.
"Welcome to Watchtower Lois." Chloe said, smiling. Then she looked at Clark. "I guess it's safe to say the cat's out of the bag."
