A Second Chance:
Chapter Twenty:
Oliver Queen was completely and utterly speechless, as he danced, quite awkwardly with the beautiful blonde, who seemed to fit perfectly into his arms, and he had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do—what he was supposed to feel—what he was supposed to think.
Over the past few weeks, he has become acutely aware of his growing feelings for the fiery woman, but he had made the decision to ignore them, but right now in this moment all those emotions were rising up to the surface, and he honestly, didn't know how he was supposed to deal with them.
He liked her.
He knew that.
There was a part of himself that wanted to confront her—that wanted to tell her exactly what he was feeling for her, but the other part of himself was terrified that she didn't feel the same way, and that was one of the many reasons stopping him from even considering doing anything about these surprising and confusing feelings.
Did she feel the same way?
It doesn't matter, he thought to himself, they were friends, and they would probably remain that way for the foreseeable future.
"So, um, is there a reason you dragged me to the dancefloor?"
Chloe breathed a sigh of relief when he finally spoke. Honestly, standing this close to him, and having his chest pressed against hers, as they danced quite intimately was making her extremely nervous, but it was also making her think of things she has been pushing down to the deepest parts of herself ever since they met.
That night they met, she had been immediately attracted to the man, but had found it within herself to push down those confusing feelings for one reason and one reason alone. She didn't know if he felt the same way, and honestly, she wasn't entirely sure she was ready for things to change between them, especially with everything that was going on.
But…
The past few weeks with him have been better than amazing, of course the only reason they were with each other all the time was so that what happened at the Fourth of July celebration never happened again, but there was a part of herself that couldn't help wondering if it was more than that.
Was there something between them? Or was it all in her head?
She didn't know, but as soon as they dealt with Lex she would delve deeper into her feelings, and figure out what she really wanted from the man holding her in his arms.
"It's complicated, and something we can't discuss right now. I'll explain later."
He cocked a brow at her, feeling intrigued by her words before smirking down at her. "Do you really have something to tell me or did you secretly want to dance with me?"
Chloe rolled her eyes at his words, and wanted to take back all the things she was thinking less than sixty seconds ago, but couldn't stop the feeling that rose in the pit of her stomach from just the mere thought of being this close to him. "You wish, Queen. I'll have you know that as soon as this song is over, I will be putting some much-needed distance between you and this dancefloor."
Oliver chuckled, loudly before swirling her in a circle away from him, and pulling her back into his chest, surprising her, slightly. "Admit it, Sullivan. You enjoying spending time with me."
She rolled her eyes once again. "Spending time with you? I don't think so, but your dance moves are quite impressive."
A wide grin spread out across his face, as he moved a little closer to her. "I've got moves you've never seen."
"Is that right?"
He nodded before swirling her away from her, so they were standing arm's length away from each other before spinning her in several seconds, making her giggle, and pulled her back into his chest, loving the way she chuckled into the side of his neck. "I warned you."
Chloe pulled away from him, slightly with a teasing glint lingering in her eyes. "You should have started with that."
"Trust me. I have more surprises up my sleeve. Stick around and you'll see that I'm more than an arrogant playboy."
She gulped, silently from the implication behind his words, but quickly pushed down those thoughts before resting her head on his shoulder, loving the way he tightened his arms around her waist, and couldn't stop the smile that spread out across her face from the things she was feeling.
There was a part of herself that knew the dynamics of their relationship was changing, and it wasn't in a friend type of way, but the other part of herself was well and determined to deal with the craziness of their lives before she even thought of confronting her feelings for him.
It would happen, but first they needed to deal with Lex, and they needed to deal with the fallout that would happen either when her cousin confronted her best friend, or when he finally found it within himself to be completely honest with her.
Speaking of, she thought to herself before glancing across the room to find them dancing not too far away from them, and couldn't help grinning at what she was witnessing.
Clark had his arms wrapped, loosely around her waist, his head resting atop of her own, as his eyes were closed, and he looked completely and utter happy. Lois, on the other hand, had her arms wrapped around his neck with her eyes closed, as her head rested on his chest, and she had the widest grin plastered across her face.
It was like they were the only two people in the world.
"Well, don't they look happy."
Oliver frowned at her before following her gaze to his friends, and couldn't stop himself from smiling, widely at the way they were dancing with each other. It wasn't exactly dancing. It was more like holding each other, but he could admit to himself that it was one of the most beautiful things he has seen in a very long time.
"When are they going to realize that they are better off together than pretending they are just friends?"
Chloe chuckled, softly at that. "Oh. They already know that, but neither of them are ready. I have a feeling that that will change very, very soon."
He frowned down at her, slightly. "How do you know?"
"I just do."
"Another one of those things you'll tell me later?"
She nodded.
They turned their gaze away from their friends, focusing on each other, as they tightened their arms around each other, and continued dancing, both of them enjoying the mere fact that every single one of them could have one night where all they had to worry about was each other instead of the problems they were facing.
On the other side of the dancefloor, Martha and Jonathan were dancing in the middle of the room, both of them enjoying this little moment of peace they could share with each other without being harassed by press of bombarded with questions from bystanders, but more importantly, they could relish in the happiness they were feeling instead of focusing on the several problems they were facing.
"I think this night turned out pretty well."
Martha nodded. "It gave us all a chance to relax for one night."
"And that's all thanks to you. You're one hell of a Senator and an even better wife."
Martha couldn't help but grin at his words. "You know, you can be sweet when you want to be."
"I try."
As they continued dancing, Martha noticed her son dancing with the woman he was completely in love with a few feet away from them, and grinned from ear to ear at the pure happiness that was radiating off of them in waves.
The way they were holding each other, as they swayed to the soft music made it obvious that their affections for each other were only growing stronger and stronger.
As much as she understood that they had their separate reasons for remaining friends instead of becoming something more, she couldn't help wanting them to be this happy for the rest of their lives.
It was obvious that neither of them were ready.
Her son had very good reasons for holding back. He didn't want things to end the same way it had ended with Lana. He wanted to be completely honest with her before they embarked on a new romantic journey, but his fears of her turning her back on him were stopping both of them from being completely and utterly happy with each other.
Maybe it was time to change that, she thought to herself.
Jonathan noticed the cogs turning in her head, and frowned, slightly, wondering what was running through that mind of hers, but sighed, quite heavily when he followed her gaze to his son and the woman, he hoped to call his daughter one day. "Don't even think about it."
Martha glanced up at him with an expression of feigned cluelessness. "Don't think about what?"
"You can't fool me, Martha. I know what your thinking. Just let them have this moment."
"I know, Jonathan, but look at them. Don't you think it's time they stop pretending they're just friends?"
Jonathan glanced back over at them, and smiled, widely at how extremely happy they looked, but quickly shook those thoughts away before focusing on the woman in is arms. "They do look happy, but they will figure out what they want in their own time."
"You know better than anyone that our son isn't going to be honest with her anytime soon. He's too scared. All he needs is a little push in the right direction."
"I don't think that's a good idea, Martha. Things will change between them when it's supposed to, and not a moment sooner."
"You have a point, but what if she witnesses him using his abilities? I'd hate to watch their relationship fall apart just because he wasn't honest with her."
There was a part of himself that knew she had a point, but the other part of himself also knew that things that were meant to be happened on their own. "I don't think that will happen. If anything she'll need time to adjust. Our son will be honest with her when he's ready."
She gave him a look. "You know that he will never be honest with her unless he's forced to. His fears are overriding his judgement. It'll be better if she finds out from him. Not from someone telling her or worse her witnessing him doing something he shouldn't be able to do. I'm determined to give him that push he needs."
It was useless trying to talk her out of this, he thought to himself before continuing to dance with his beautiful wife, deciding not to broach the subject any further, knowing that she was going to do what she believed was the right thing to do.
Of course, he wanted them to be together in a more romantic way, but he was willing to wait for them to come to that conclusion on their own. His wife, on the other hand, was more than willing to take matters into her own hands, and he knew without a doubt that it was only going to complicate things, but it's not like he could stop her.
She was one hell of a determined woman.
It's one of the many reasons he loved her.
As soon as the song came to an end, Martha made her way over to the beautiful couple, who were still dancing to only music they could hear, and regretfully interrupted their moment, but this needed to be done. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but could I steal my son away for a quick dance?"
Clark and Lois, who were lost in their own little world, quickly came to the realization that they weren't alone anymore when they heard her voice, and pulled away from each other before Lois grinned, widely at the woman standing in front of her. "Of course. He is all yours."
Lois watched them disappear into the crowds of people with a soft smile gracing her lips before turning away from them, intending on giving them this moment, and even though she was enjoying their little moment of happiness, she also knew that they couldn't stay like that forever.
It would be nice, she thought to herself, but it was impossible.
At least for the time being.
Clark allowed his mother to drag him away from her, and swayed to the soft music in complete and utter silence, as his mind mulled over why he felt empty all of a sudden—why he felt like he had lost a part of himself, but figured that it had more to do with the fact that she wasn't in his arms anymore, and he desperately wanted to go back to their little slice of happiness.
It was something he had never experienced in his entire life.
Not with Kyla.
Not with Alicia.
Not even with Lana.
Every single one of those relationships had been filled with complications, but when he was with her—with Lois all of his problems faded away until it was the just the two of them, and he never, ever wanted that to change.
She made him feel like himself, even though she didn't know everything.
She made him feel alive.
She made him feel like he could have anything in the world, and deep inside he knew that she would always make him feel like this, whether they were together or not.
Now that he had a taste of what it felt like to be completely and utterly content, he didn't want to go back to the way things were—he didn't want to go back to pretending they were just friends. He wanted so, so much more.
"What are you thinking about?"
Clark quickly shook away his thoughts at the sound of her voice. "Nothing."
Martha gave him a look that he was all too familiar with. "Nothing, huh? Are you sure you're not thinking about a certain tall, beautiful brunette? I saw the two of you dancing. It was like you were lost in your own little world. I can tell that both of you are growing closer, so, have you decided to be honest with her?"
"Not this again," Clark muttered underneath his breath before sighing, heavily. "Mom, can we please not discuss that?"
"Why not? You like her, don't you?"
He stared at her like she had completely lost her mind. "Of course I do. You already know that."
"And you want more than friendship with her?"
"Yes, but—"
"But nothing," she interrupted him. "You know that you can't start a relationship with her unless your honest with her. It will only hurt her more if she finds out from someone else or worse witnesses you doing something unbelievable. It'll be better if she finds out from you preferably before you delve any deeper into your relationship."
"I know that, mom, and I will be honest with her after we deal with Lex. As for our relationship, if or when something happens between the two of us you will be the first to know."
Martha grinned from ear to ear at her son before continuing to dance with him.
It would only be a matter of time.
Sooner or later, her son would be honest with the woman she already pictured as her daughter, and they would embark on a journey that would bring them closer.
Of course, it was quite possible that things could get a little complicated when she found out the truth, but she had faith that Lois would accept him—that she wouldn't turn her back on him—that she would she would treat him as an equal not a superior.
This was their chance at complete and utter happiness, and she couldn't wait for the day they became happier than they were right now.
It was practically written in the stars.
Lois leaned against the nearest wall to the dancefloor with a soft smile gracing her lips, as she watched Clark and Martha dance.
It was one of the most beautiful things she has seen in a very long time.
Ever since she moved here, she had noticed the unbreakable bond between them, and in more ways than one it reminded her of her relationship with her own mother.
It was something that couldn't be severed.
Not by an argument.
Not by a disagreement.
Not even by death.
A wide grin spread out across her face, as she watched Clark twirl his mother around in a circle before bringing her back into his arms, causing both of them to chuckle, and in that moment, she realized something that she has been questioning for the past few weeks.
Martha, Jonathan and Clark were her family.
Of course, she had her cousin, her mother, her sister and her best friends, but none of them made her feel as amazing as she did when she was in that dynamic duos presence.
She loved her family.
She really did, but she loved this family just as much, and that's exactly what they were.
Her family.
No matter what happened between her and Clark, deep inside she knew that she would always have them in her life.
Just like her own family.
As she continued watching them dance, she couldn't stop her mind from gravitating back to the moment they had just shared less than five minutes ago.
It was something that has never happened between them.
Maybe it was because they were growing closer—maybe it was because she had finally realized the truth—maybe it was because she had made a very important decision regarding their future.
She didn't know, but she did know that she wanted to keep sharing these little moments of happiness with him for the rest of her life.
A slow smile spread out across her face from the mere thought of spending the rest of her life with him.
It was something she has never thought of in her entire life, but he had a way of making her do things—say things that she would never say or do, and she wanted the things she was feeling to never stop. She wanted to keep relishing in these small moments of happiness, but she knew that it wouldn't last forever.
There were too many things keeping them apart.
From both of them being terrified that this could ruin their friendship to the huge secret he was keeping from her.
As much as she wanted to just forget everything that was keeping them apart, and embark on this new journey with him, she knew that that would never happen unless he found the courage within himself to be completely honest with her.
Hopefully, that would be soon.
"Isn't that beautiful. A mother and son bonding is quite a wonderful sight, wouldn't you agree?"
Lois groaned, loudly, as the sound of his voice echoed from directly behind her, ruining every good thing she was feeling, which wasn't all that surprising since he had a bad habit of showing up when she was completely and utterly happy.
Didn't he have anything better to do?
Of course, he didn't, she thought to herself, as she turned around to face the last man she wanted to think about, let alone see tonight, and wanted to smack the devilish smirk that was plastered across his face.
What the hell was his problem? Why couldn't he just leave her alone?
"Lex."
"Hello, Lois. Having a good time?"
"I was until you showed up. You couldn't give me one night—one night of happiness, could you?"
Lex grinned, evilly. "I gave you one month. Now it's time that you give me what I want."
"I don't know what your talking about."
"Yes, you do. I've been watching you ever since you moved to the city, and it just happened to come to my attention that you did exactly what I asked of you. It took you long enough. I thought it would've happened as soon as I left you that night, but nevertheless, your going to share that information with me."
Lois gulped, silently not only from his implicating words, but also from the dangerous glint lingering in his cold, pale blue eyes, and she could feel her heart pounding inside of her chest like a jackhammer, as fear for everyone she loved gripped her, tightly.
Even though she was feeling slightly terrified in this moment, there was no way in hell she was going to give him what he wanted. He would never get the truth, even if that meant risking her own life to protect the people, she loved with all of her heart.
He wouldn't get his hands on them.
No matter what, she would keep them protected.
"I didn't do anything you wanted. Last time we spoke you made some threats and we stopped investigating you, but that doesn't mean I took your words to heart. Clark isn't some metahuman. He's just a normal guy, who you've been obsessed with for years, and—"
"Stop playing dumb, Lois," he interrupted her before moving closer to her, causing her to take several steps back away from him until she was cornered against the wall. "I know for a fact that you did exactly as I asked. You see, I have people everywhere including The Daily Planet. For weeks I've been wondering why you haven't done anything to figure out the truth, but all my doubts vanished when I was informed that that friend of yours helped you figure it out, and spilled his guts to your cousin. Not only does your cousin know, but now so do you, and that's all thanks to one spunky photographer."
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, she felt fear seep into her bones from the thought of him coming after her friend or her cousin just because they played big roles in her figuring out the truth. "Don't you dare lay a hand on either of them! They have nothing to do with any of this! This is between us. No one else."
"Your right. This has nothing to do with them. One of them is clueless, while the other is just protecting her friend, but they did play a major role in helping you, didn't they?" At her complete and utter silence, he grinned from ear to ear before taking another step towards her, their bodies only mere inches away from each other. "Don't worry, Lois. Your cousin and friend are safe for the time being. The only person I'm interested in is Clark, and your going to give me the information I want, whether you want to or not."
Her hazel eyes glared, heatedly at him, as she felt a deep, raging anger course throughout every single fiber within her being. "I'm not telling you anything!"
"You know, I could always force you. I could easily take away the man you love, and you would have no choice, but to give me what I want."
"I'm not telling you anything, Lex. If you really wanted to do something to him then you would have done it already. Your just playing games with us, and I'm officially calling your bluff."
It was the truth, he thought to himself, there were still certain things he needed—wanted to know before he could do anything to his former friend.
Little did she know, she would be giving him what he wanted, whether she knew she was doing it or not. "Your right. I don't plan on doing anything to him right now. I just need a little more information before I take him away from you, your friends and that family you love so much."
"You're not going to touch any of them!" She told him, as she felt that rage boiling to an absolutely high level within her body. "Your not going to do anything to them, and your definitely not going to get anything out of me."
A smirk spread out across his face from her words. "I'll get that information one way or another."
She narrowed her eyes at him, not liking the look in his eyes, and definitely not liking the words coming out of his mouth.
What was he planning?
"And how do you plan on doing that?"
"Don't worry, Lois. You'll find out soon enough."
As Lex disappeared though the main doors, he pulled out his phone, dialing a familiar number, and spoke into the device once they answered, "Do you recall that conversation we had this morning?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do it." Lex hung up the phone, and quickly made his way towards his vehicle, intending to watch this all unfold with his own eyes.
Lois watched him disappear before practically collapsing against the wall, as her heart pounded inside of her chest, the sound ringing in her eyes, loudly, and she honestly, didn't know what the hell she was supposed to do in a situation like this.
On one hand, she could just pretend like that confrontation never happened, but on the other, she couldn't squelch the fear that was coursing through her veins, and as hard as she tried denying the truth, she knew that this was all her fault.
If she would have never gotten involved with him, none of this would be happening, of course, he would still want the truth about Clark, but he wouldn't be threatening her every chance that came his way.
Why was this happening to them? Why couldn't he just leave them alone? When was this going to be over?
Never, she thought to herself, they would have choice but to continue dealing with him until he either made a mistake, which was highly doubtful, or he did something to her and to the man she wanted to protect.
Nope.
That wouldn't be happening.
Lex could do whatever he wanted to her, but there was no way in hell she would allow that man to lay a hand on Clark.
No matter what, she would do whatever it took to protect him.
Chloe, who had been walking away from the dancefloor, noticed the last man she expected to find here walking away from her cousin, who looked completely and utterly disgruntled, and quickly rushed over to her, pushing people out of her way just to get to her. "Lois. Did I just see Lex?"
Lois quickly shook away her thoughts, as she locked eyes with her cousin, and nodded, formidably, her mind, heart and soul still attempting to grasp everything that had just happened.
"What did he want?"
"The same thing he wanted at the Fourth of July celebration."
Chloe roamed her eyes over her entire body, expecting to find a mark of some kind since this man had a habit of leaving bruises on her, but breathed a sigh of relief when she found nothing. "Did he hurt you?"
Lois shook her head from side to side before she stared deeply into her eyes, the fear she was currently feeling radiating from them. "We have a problem, Chloe. He knows. He knows that I figured out the truth. He knows that you know, and he knows that Jimmy helped me figure it out."
Well, he didn't actually know anything, she thought to herself, just like her cousin didn't really know anything, but it's not like she could tell her that. Clark had to be the one that opened those can of worms, and hopefully, he did it before Lex moved past confrontations to physically doing something to her cousin.
"What did you tell him?"
Lois stared at her like that was the stupidest question she has ever heard. "What do you think? I didn't tell him anything, but he made it perfectly clear that he would find out the truth, whether I told him or not."
Chloe felt the fear seep into her bones from the true meaning behind those words. "Do you think he plans on doing something to you just to force Clark to reveal himself?"
She nodded, nervously. "I think so."
"We're not going to let that happen." Chloe placed her hands on her shoulders, instantly realizing that she was shaking, slightly, and knew that she was more upset by this than she was letting on. "Lois? Are you okay?"
Lois shook her head from side to side once again. "No. Chloe, I'm not okay. I'm so tired of this. I'm so done with Lex playing these games with us. Why can't he just leave us alone?"
"Because he's a manipulator. He won't stop until he gets what he wants, but I promise we won't let him do anything to you or to Clark." Chloe sighed, heavily at the way she just nodded like she wasn't even listening to her. "Come on. Let's just enjoy the rest of this night, and we'll deal with Lex tomorrow."
"Deal with him? How do you expect to deal with him? We tried investigating him and that got us nowhere. This is never going to end, Chloe."
Chloe stared directly into her eyes. "This will end, Lo. I promise we will find a way to deal with Lex, but there isn't anything we can do tonight."
Lois just nodded, knowing that her cousin had a point, but she couldn't help feeling this foreboding doom looming over every single one of their heads. Things were bad enough, but deep inside she got the feeling that things were going to get so, so much worse, and there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop it from happening.
What the hell were they going to do?
"Come on. Let's find everyone else, and enjoy the rest of the night."
She smiled, softly at her. "You go ahead. I think I'm going to get some fresh air."
Chloe stared at her like she had completely lost her mind. "If you want fresh air then I'm coming with you."
"No." She took a step back away from her. "I just need to be alone right now."
"You do realize that this is exactly what he wanted, right?" Chloe informed her before sighing, heavily. "He wanted to get underneath your skin. He wants to get you away from everyone here. He wants you to be completely alone. What if he does something to you?"
Lois never took her eyes off of her. "Then at least I'll know he isn't anywhere near Clark."
"Not this again," Chloe muttered before staring directly in her eyes. "Lois, I thought we agreed that you wouldn't do anything stupid just to protect him."
"And I'm not. I'm just getting some fresh air. It's not like I plan on storming the gates of his mansion. I'll literally be right outside those doors." She smiled, softly at her. "You have nothing to worry about. Nothing is going to happen."
Chloe watched her cousin disappear with a heavy feeling slowly consuming her heart, and even though her cousin had been absolutely positive that nothing was going to happen, she had a feeling deep inside of her gut that this is exactly what he wanted.
He wanted to scare her.
He wanted her to isolate herself.
He wanted her to be completely and utterly alone.
And he had just gotten his wish.
Over my dead body, she thought to herself, he would not be laying a hand on her.
Not tonight.
Not ever.
As she was walking past the crowds of people, searching for the two people that could protect her cousin better than anyone else, she heard the very people she was looking for calling her name, and turned around to find Oliver and Bruce making their way towards her. "Just the two men I was looking for."
Oliver smirked, intending to tease her, but the second he noticed the fear lingering in her beautiful green eyes the smile from his face, and he instantly knew that something was wrong. "What's going on?"
"Lex was just here, and he confronted Lois again."
Bruce felt his heart begin to accelerate inside of his chest from the mere idea of that man confronting his best friend again, and glanced around his surroundings, hoping to find her, but of course, she was nowhere to be found. "Where is she?"
"Look, I don't have time to explain everything, but all you need to know is that Lois thinks Clark is a metahuman and Lex knows that she figured something out. It's obvious that this was another way for him to get her completely alone. I tried to stop her, but she was determined to be alone."
Oliver had so many questions running through his mind, but before he could get any of the answers to those questions, he needed to find his best friend and make sure she was okay.
That was the most important thing.
"This is what you were planning on telling me, wasn't it?"
She nodded.
Bruce ignored both of them, and took an intimidating step closer to her. "Where is she?"
"She went outside."
Bruce quickly took off running in the other direction, intending to get to her before that man did anything to her, whole Oliver rested his hand on her shoulder, and smiled, reassuringly at her. "Don't worry. We'll keep an eye on her."
As she watched him disappear, she really, really hoped that Lex didn't do anything to her, and even if he managed to do something, she prayed that Oliver and Bruce were there to protect her.
Just like they always were.
Clark, who was enjoying spending some quality time with his mother and father without the press in their faces, noticed that his best friend was wandering around the room like she was completely lost, and without saying a word to his parents he made his way over to her, instantly realizing that something had happened. "Chloe, what's wrong?"
Chloe laid her fear-filled eyes on her best friend, and sighed, inwardly, knowing that he deserved to know, but she didn't want him to do something stupid like reveal himself just because the woman he loved could potentially be in danger.
But…
There was no way she could keep this from him. "Clark, I don't want you to freak out or do something dumb, and I also want you to keep in mind that Oliver and Bruce are dealing with it."
Now, he was worried. "What is going on, Chloe?"
Here goes nothing, she thought to herself.
"Lex confronted Lois again."
All the color drained from his face, as his eyes widened to the size of saucers, and his heart pounded inside of his chest faster and faster, the sound reverberating in his ears, loudly. "He threatened her again?"
"I don't know what he told her. She didn't tell me much except for the fact that he was determined to get the truth."
Those words had absolutely no effect on him, especially since it's all he's heard from the moment he became a major problem, and honestly, he didn't care about what he had told her.
All he cared about was her.
"Where is she?"
"She went outside, but you have nothing to worry about. Bruce and Oliver are going to make sure that nothing happens."
"Don't worry? Are you serious? Chloe, one month ago he threatened her, and now he has done it all over again. How am I not supposed to worry about her?"
Chloe sighed, heavily at him. "Clark, I know your determined to go after her, but we have it covered. It's better if you stay here instead of doing something that could quite possibly put both of you in danger."
"You know, you keep saying that, but it doesn't change the fact that it's happening again. I wasn't there for her last time, but this time I'm going to be there for her."
Chloe took a step back from the pure emotion radiating off of him in waves, and as she stared into his determined blue eyes, she realized that something had changed in her best friend.
Was is the fear he was feeling? Was it the moment they had shared on the dancefloor? Or did he finally realize that they could no longer pretend that nothing has changed between the two of them?
She didn't know, and as much as she wanted to figure that out, she knew that she needed to stop him from doing something reckless. "What if your forced to reveal yourself not only to her, but to Lex?"
He stared directly into her eyes. "I don't care anymore."
And with that, he walked away, intending on finding her before Lex did something to her.
Something has definitely changed, she thought to herself, as he disappeared out the front doors, and it had nothing to do with the urge to want to protect her.
That was just him.
This had everything to do with his feelings for her.
Did he finally realize that they were better together than apart? Did he finally realize that she needed to know everything?
She really, really hoped so.
They had come so far in the past few months, and she didn't want the secrets they were keeping from each other to ruin their relationship.
Outside, Lois was walking a little further than she had promised her cousin, as her mind was consumed with everything that has happened from the first moment, she laid her eyes on Lex at that benefit to this moment, and honestly, she felt like a complete idiot.
Without knowing it, she had played right into his hands once again.
It was just like the first time she experienced how manipulative he could be, except this time it was ten times worse.
When was she going to learn that he would always be one step ahead of her?
All of a sudden, two men wearing black ski masks appeared directly behind her before one of them wrapped his arms around her body, lifting her off the ground, slightly, and started pulling her down the darkened street.
"Let me go!" She screamed out, her legs kicking in every which direction, relentlessly, attempting to get away from this man, but he was stronger than her, and she honestly, felt useless, as he dragged her to wherever the hell he wanted.
As soon as they made it to the black van, where they were obviously planning on throwing her into, she quickly elbowed the man holding her in the ribs, causing him to loosen his grip on her, and slammed her head back against his, effectively escaping from him.
Those fighting lessons with Bruce and Oliver were quite handy, she thought to herself, as she turned around, attempting to run in the other direction, but the second man quickly pulled out a gun from the front of his jeans, and slammed the bud of it across her face, causing her to collapse to the ground, her hands instantly covering her throbbing cheek before her terrified eyes locked onto his determined ones.
"Don't you dare make another move or this is where you'll meet your end."
"What the hell do you want with me?"
"It's nothing personal, love, but you pissed off my employer. We're just following orders. Try that again, and I'll be forced to hurt you in more ways than you could imagine."
In that moment, she knew that her cousin was right. Lex had only confronted her in the hopes that she would isolate herself from the party—from her friends, so he could enact whatever he had planned for her, and as much as she wished she would have listened to her she also knew that he would have found a way to get to her one way or another.
This was all a part of his plan.
Just like everything he has done from the moment she met that man.
As hard as she tried to stay brave—to stay strong, she was completely and utterly terrified, but this wasn't the first time something like this happened, and she highly doubted that it would be the last time either.
No matter what, she would not break.
Not for these men.
Not for Lex.
Not for anyone.
At least this was happening to her, and not the man she was determined to protect.
Clark, who had been rushing down the isolated and darkened streets, rounded the corner just in time to watch a man wearing a ski mask knocking the woman he was searching for to the ground, and felt his heart sink to the deepest part of his stomach at the mere thought of what was going to happen to her. "LOIS!"
Lois quickly looked up from the ground at the sound of his voice, her heart beating like a jackhammer inside of her chest at the sight of him running towards them, and as her terrified eyes connected with his equally scared ones, she could feel that all-consuming fear seep deeply into her, surrounding her heart like a vice. "Clark! Get out of here!"
The man standing above her quickly spun around at the sound of his voice, and pointed the gun directly at his chest, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. "Don't take another step or she will watch you die."
The tears built in her eyes, as she stared at the man, who she was more in love with than she was ready to admit, before they cascaded down her cheeks like a waterfall, and even though she had a feeling that those bullets wouldn't do anything to him she couldn't—wouldn't watch this man hurt him. "Clark! Please! Get out of here!"
His heart broke from the look in her eyes, as he took another step towards them. "I'm not going anywhere, Lois."
The man cocked his gun when he moved closer to them. "I told you not to take another step."
Clark glanced between the man threatening him down to the woman he was completely and utterly in love with, who was shaking from her own tears, and he honestly, had no idea what he was supposed to do right now.
On one hand, he could easily take out the man threatening them, but that would mean revealing himself to her, and on the other, if he didn't do anything just in the name of protecting his secret from her, she could possibly get killed.
There was no way in hell he was letting that happen.
Decision made, he thought to himself, as he took another step, but before either of them could do anything an arrow came soaring through the night sky, slicing right through his shoulder, causing him to scream, loudly in pain, as he collapsed down to the ground.
Lois and Clark quickly glanced up towards the rooftop, both of them grinning from ear to ear at the sight of Oliver standing there in his Green Arrow persona with his bow pointing directly towards the man on the ground, but their relief was short-lived however.
The man, who was recovering from her headbutting him, quickly stood up, grabbed his own gun, and pulled her up off the ground, his arm securing her against his chest, as he pointed the gun at her head. "Did you forget I was here?"
Clark' heart dropped to his stomach, at the sight of her being held captive by this man, and took a step towards her, intending to stop this man himself, but was stopped by his next words, "Don't even think about it or this will be the last memory you have with her."
He glared, heatedly at the man. "Let her go!"
"Do as I tell you, and nothing will happen to her. We're going to get inside this van, and neither you or that super friend of yours are going to stop us. If you try anything, I'll kill her right here in front of you."
Clark took another step towards him, attempting to find a way to get him away from her, but stopped his movements, as soon as he heard her voice, which was laced with a sadness he had never heard coming from her in the entire he has known her. "Clark. Please. Don't."
His eyes locked onto her tear-filled ones, his heart breaking from the expression that was plastered across her face. "I won't let him hurt you."
Lois smiled, sadly at him, more for his benefit than her own. "It's going to be okay."
Clark immediately noticed the resolve lingering in her eyes, and in that moment, knew that she was prepared to do whatever it took to make sure that nothing happened to him. "Lois…"
"It'll be okay."
Oliver quickly dropped down from the skies directly in front of them, and pointed his bow at the man holding his best friend captive. "Let her go."
He tightened his hold around her body, and pressed the gun harder against her temple, causing her to wince, visibly in pain. "You don't scare me."
"You should be," Bruce spoke from directly behind him.
The man quickly spun around at the sound of his voice, not expecting anyone else to be there with them, and took several steps back away from him, but stopped as soon as he felt the arrow pressing against his back.
"Now, I'm only going to say this one more time. Let her go."
As he glanced between the two vigilantes on either side of him, he knew that he was backed into a corner, and even though his boss would probably end his life for giving them what they wanted, he also knew that there was no way out of this.
He slowly loosened his grip around her body, and dropped the gun to the ground, fully expecting them to just let him walk away, but when he turned around to leave, he came face to face to the man, who had came to her rescue.
"I don't think so," Clark told him before punching him across the face, knocking him out, unconscious.
As soon as the man fell to the ground, Clark rushed over to Lois, who was already making her way towards him, and relished in the feeling that encompassed him, as she was locked in his strong embrace.
Never, in his entire life had he been as terrified as he was in that moment, and he never, ever wanted to experience a fear like that again.
He tightened his arms around her body, lifting her off the ground, slightly, as he swung her from side to side, and breathed in the scent that was purely her before he pulled away from her, his eyes roaming over every inch of her face, noticing a large bruise on the side of her face. "Lois. Are you okay?"
Lois never removed her arms from around his torso, as she stared deeply into his concerned eyes, and smiled, softly at him like this was the only place she could imagine being right now. "I'm fine, Clark."
Clark rested his forehead against hers, his eyes never leaving hers, as he tightened his arms around her body, their chest pressing together, softly. "I thought those men were going to hurt you."
"But they didn't. I'm right here. Clark, I'm not going anywhere. Your stuck with me."
Those words caused him to grin, widely at her before he pulled her back into his arms, loving the way she melted into him like it was the most natural thing in the world for them, and he never, ever wanted her to leave his embrace.
It just felt right.
Lois clung onto him like he was her lifeline, her fingers curling into his shirt, and closed her eyes, softly, as she listened to the sound of his rapidly beating heart.
Just like she had done on the dancefloor.
The moment he had appeared she had been so terrified that he was going to do something that would not only reveal himself to her, but also to Lex.
That was the last thing she wanted.
As much as she wanted him to be completely honest with her, she also wanted to keep him protected, and tonight she had been absolutely positive that that was going to change. Those bullets might not have the capability of hurting him, but if he would have used his abilities then Lex would have figured out the truth, and that was something she never, ever wanted him finding out.
She tightened her arms around him, loving the way her entire body molded into his like they were a perfect match, and honestly, couldn't imagine being anywhere else, but right here, in his arms.
It was the safest place in the entire world.
"Thank you, Clark," she whispered.
"For what?" he whispered back.
"For being here."
He pulled away from her, slightly, and stared deeply into her hazel eyes. "I'll always be here for you."
They smiled at each other, both of them knowing that things were changing between them, drastically, and melted into each other's embraces again, relishing in the feelings encompassing them, neither of them noticing the smiles plastered across their friends faces, as they watched their heartfelt moment.
All of a sudden, an onslaught of people came rushing towards them from the benefit, and surrounded them before a reporter from The Daily Planet pushed past everyone, her eyes glancing between the two vigilantes. "Aren't you Green Arrow and Batman? The heroes of Gotham and Star City? What are you doing in Metropolis?"
Oliver and Bruce shared a look, both of them knowing that their lives were about to change once again, and even though this wasn't the way they wanted to reveal themselves to the citizens of Metropolis, they were more than thankful that they were here when their best friend needed them. "We're just doing our job, ma'am."
"But you'll be seeing more of us," Bruce added.
The crowd gasped in complete and utter awe, as they both disappeared into the night before the reporter turned her attention towards the woman, who she has seen working at The Daily Planet several times, actually, she had helped her a few times. "Your Lois Lane. You intern at The Daily Planet, right?"
Lois nodded, not really wanting to be interviewed right now, but also understood that this was her job, hell, this would be her eventually.
"Do you have anything to say? What happened?"
Clark quickly tightened his arm around her shoulders, his face holding little to no emotion, as he stared down the woman in front of them. "She has been through enough—"
"It's okay, Clark," she interrupted him before returning her attention towards the woman. "These two men came out of nowhere, and attempted throwing me into that black van, but luckily Green Arrow and Batman were here to stop that from happening. We should be thankful that they are here."
The woman nodded before locking her eyes onto the son of the Senator. "Clark Kent. Do you have anything to add? What was the son of the Senator doing out here? How do you fit into all of this?"
"I was just in the right place at the right time. Now, if you'll excuse us." Clark quickly pulled her away from the reporter, and started walking back towards the main entrance of the benefit, intending to get her as far away from here as possible.
"Lois! Clark!" A familiar voice screamed out, causing both of them to turn around to find Chloe, Martha and Jonathan rushing towards them with worried expressions plastered across their faces.
As soon as they were inches away from each other, Chloe noticed the bruise on the side of her cheek, and felt her heart sink from the mere fact that she had been right. Lex had done something to her. "Oh my god! Lois! Are you okay?"
Lois smiled, softly at her. "I'm fine, Chloe."
Jonathan stared at her for the longest time like he was trying to figure out if she was actually okay or not. "It was Lex, wasn't it?"
"No, but it was two of his men."
Martha shook her head from side to side, not able to believe that he had went from simple threats to actually harming the woman she loved with all of her heart. "What happened?"
Clark stepped closer to them, keeping his arm tightly wrapped around her shoulders before he took a deep breath, and reiterated everything that had happened from the moment Lex confronted her to the moment he stopped that man from escaping.
Martha just couldn't believe that she had went through all of that, and quickly rested her hand on the side of her face with a worried expression slowly spreading out across her face. "Are you sure your okay, honey?"
"I'm fine. Just a little sore."
"You should get checked out at the hospital."
Her face scrunched up from the mere idea of going to the hospital. That was the last place she wanted to go right now—right now she just wanted to go home, preferably with the man standing next to her. "I don't think that's necessary. I just need a long shower and some rest. I promise I'm fine."
Chloe shook her head from side to side. "I agree with Jonathan. You should at least make sure you don't have a concussion or something. From what Clark said, you've been through a lot tonight."
When she attempted fighting against her words, Clark spoke up, "It wouldn't hurt, Lo."
Why did he have to say something?
Honestly, she just wanted to go home, but there was no way she could say no to him, especially when he was looking at her with those cerulean eyes of his, which were practically pleading her to listen to him.
"Fine! But I'm not spending the night."
"I'll break you out myself."
She smiled, softly at him. "You better."
Martha grabbed her hand, and squeezed, softly, as she smiled at her. "We're going to wrap up this benefit, and meet you there, okay?"
Lois shook her head from side to side. "You don't have to do that."
"Yes, we do. You're family, and family is always there for each other."
She just smiled at him, loving the way they both saw her as part of their family.
"And I'll be there as soon as I can," Chloe added. "I want to make sure these men are taken care of. It might not stop Lex, but it will halt his plans for the time being."
Lois just nodded before allowing Clark to pull her away from every single one, and even though she hated the idea of going to the hospital, she loved the idea of being with him—of being with Clark.
No matter what, she would always feel this way around him.
In Smallville, Lex Luthor was sitting down in his office with a victorious grin etched onto his features, as his mind replayed every single that had happened tonight from the moment, he confronted Lois to the moment he watched Oliver and Bruce save her life.
It wasn't what he had wanted to happen, actually, he had wanted his former friend to be the one to save her, inevitably giving him the answers he wanted—needed, but even though that didn't happen it did give him a little more insight on their growing relationship, and he would use that to his advantage.
It was quite obvious that he was more than willing to reveal himself to her, especially when she was in danger. Unfortunately, Oliver and Bruce had beaten him to the punch, but even though his plan had failed it had made one thing absolutely clear…his feelings for the feisty brunette ran deeper than he previously believed.
And that was the key to his success.
The fear he felt while she was in danger would undoubtedly give him all the answers he needed and wanted. It had been a mistake to do this in a place, where so many of his superpowered friends were, but next time he would be successful—next time he would be getting what he wanted…the truth about Clark Kent.
It would work.
All he had to do was find the perfect time and the perfect place to enact his plan, but nevertheless, the outcome was inevitable.
He would get what he wanted.
It was just going to take a little more time.
Several hours later, Clark was sitting on the couch in the living room of the familiar apartment, while Lois was in the other room taking a shower, wanting to cleanse herself from the things that had happened tonight.
After arriving at the hospital, the doctors had ran every single test they possibly could, wanting to make sure that nothing was internally wrong with her, which only irritated her to an extremely high level, but as soon as their friends and family arrived, she had calmed down, slightly.
As soon as the doctors had informed them that she was perfectly fine, aside from the bruise on her face and the soreness she was feeling, he had insisted on bringing her home, which is exactly what he had done after allowing his parents, Chloe, Bruce and Oliver to spend some time with her, every single one of them feeling thankful that Lex hadn't gotten what he wanted.
It was only a matter of time before he tried something like this again, but they were all determined to make sure that nothing like this happened again, which meant that she was to be protected at all times, of course Lois had hated the idea, but what else were they supposed to do?
Lex intended on using her to get to him, and as long as she had someone with her, he wouldn't get the chance to come after her again.
Clark leaned his back against the couch cushions, his eyes staring up at the white popcorn ceiling, as his mind thought of nothing other except the woman in the other room.
Their night had started out so blissfully, but just like that everything changed, and now—now he couldn't squelch the fear of something like this happening again. He could have lost her tonight, and honestly, he didn't know what he would do if he did lose her.
She was everything to him.
Lois slowly walked out of the bedroom into the living room, and stopped in her tracks when she noticed him sitting on the couch with a miserable expression plastered across his face, and instantly knew what was going through that head of his.
Over the past few hours, she had tried getting him to understand that she really was okay and that something like this would never happen again, but it was like her words were falling on deaf ears. It wasn't because he didn't believe her, but it was because he was terrified.
Just like she was.
She wanted him to believe that everything was going to be okay, but how could she convince him?
"You're still here."
Clark quickly sat up at the sound of her voice, and looked over at her with an unidentified expression lingering on his face, as his eyes held a million and one emotions in them. "I'm not leaving you alone."
A heavy sigh escaped past her lips before she slowly made her way over to the couch, and sat down next to him. "Clark, I don't know how many times I have to tell you this, but I'm really fine. I might have some bumps and bruises, but other than that I'm okay. I'm safe in my own apartment. Nothing is going to happen."
"How do you know?"
"Because Lex isn't dumb enough to try something so soon."
"What are we going to do if he does something like this again?"
"Then we'll deal with it." At the expression of pure dread slowly spreading out across his face, she shuffled closer to him, and placed her hands on both sides of his face, her eyes staring deeply into his own. "Do you know how I know that we'll get through this?"
"How?"
"Because I have you." She smiled, softly at him. "I always feel safe when I'm with you. When I was in your arms tonight, I just knew that that was safest place to be. I will always feel that way."
A soft smile graced his lips from her words, but it quickly fell. "Lois, I was absolutely terrified that I was going to lose you tonight."
"I know, but I'm right here, and I'm never going anywhere."
He rested his forehead against hers before softly closing his eyes from the sensation, and when he opened his eyes again every single thing, he was feeling poured out of them wave after wave. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to you."
Her eyes never left his. "You'll never lose me, Clark."
"Promise me."
"I promise."
His eyes gazed deeply into hers, as he felt everything fade away from him until it was her—just Lois, and glanced down to her lips, loving how she did the same exact thing.
In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to kiss her, of course, he knew that he shouldn't, but he had almost lost her, and the only thing that mattered right now was how he was feeling.
Without hesitation, he slowly leaned forward, loving the way she closed her eyes when their lips were a breath width apart, and pressed his lips against hers, ever so lightly.
The feel of her lips moving against his own caused a fiery reaction to boil in the pit of his stomach before he moved closer to her, effectively kissing her a little harder, his hands tangling in her hair, as she wrapped her hands around his neck, her fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.
Clark gasped, loudly at the sensations he was feeling from just her touch, and pulled away from her, slightly with a wanting look lingering in his aquamarine eyes before he leaned forward once again, wanting to feel her lips against his—wanting to have her in his embrace again—wanting to just have her.
Lois watched as he moved closer to her, and even though she knew that they shouldn't be doing this—that they shouldn't be acting on their feelings for each other when they still had so many things to figure out, she couldn't stop herself from wanting to feel his lips against hers—wanting to be wrapped up in his embrace—wanting to just be with him.
When his lips were seconds away from reaching hers once again, she gripped the back of his head, and crashed her lips against his, surprising him, slightly before she pressed her entire body against his, leaving absolutely no room between them.
Clark moaned, softly against her lips from the sudden movement, but kissed her back with just as much fervor before his hands slowly trailed down her body until they were resting on her waist, and squeezed, softly, loving the feel of her body pressed so tightly against his own.
Lois could feel her heart pounding inside of her chest from just his touch, and honestly, she didn't want this moment to end—she didn't want to stop feeling him—she didn't want them to stop, but deep inside she knew that this couldn't last forever.
After several more seconds, they both pulled away from each other, simultaneously, their unsteady breaths mingling together, and as they stared into each other's eyes they knew that they had just crossed a line neither of them could come back from.
"Lois, I—"
Lois pressed her finger against his lips, stopping him from saying another word. "Don't. Please. Don't say anything. Just let us have this moment."
He nodded.
She very slowly lowered herself down to him, resting her head on his chest, loving the way he leaned backwards, and placed his hands on her back, his fingers drawing invisible designs.
As she laid there in his embrace, she couldn't stop the face-splitting grin from gracing her lips at the thought of what had just happened between them.
Finally.
They had finally kissed.
It wasn't what she intended on happening, but it did, and she would not feel guilty for the happiness she was feeling.
They still had a lot to figure out, but right now—right now she was going to bask in this moment with him.
Clark continued drawing designs on her back with a soft smile gracing his lips, and as hard as he attempted, he couldn't stop replaying their kiss in his mind over and over again.
It wasn't supposed to happen.
He didn't mean for it to happen, but he couldn't stop himself, and now that he knew what it felt like to have her this close to him, he only wanted more.
They still had things they needed to work out like the fact that she needed to know everything, but right now the only thing he cared about was the feel of her in his arms.
Soon, they would both get what they so obviously wanted from each other, but for now, he was going to relish in the feelings that were encompassing him.
It was the only thing that mattered.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
It only took twenty chapters, but Clark and Lois finally kissed. I never intended on it taking so long, but in my opinion, the best things happen over time. Not when it's rushed.
Hope you enjoyed chapter twenty