Chapter 20
- Saturday, January 16, 2010 –
Clark, Lois, Oliver and Zatanna sat under the tiki hut finishing their meal and watching the sun set on Day One of the three-day weekend. His beach house on Sanibel Island, Florida was one of the few places that Oliver knew Chloe had not installed surveillance cameras. The 6,000-foot private beach that came with the house ensured they could have private discussions as long as they wore new clothes that were purchased from local stores.
The men had opted for board shorts and sandals while the ladies bought new bikinis with wraps. They ate, had a few drinks and Lois began to tell stories about Clark that made him turn red on occasion and made Zatanna laugh harder than Lois had ever heard her laugh.
"I have a self-improvement program that I'm putting Clark through. Men are really not unlike pets; the more time you put in with them, the better behaved they become," she added, snorting.
"Oh, I could accelerate that training for you, Lo," Zee said with a wink.
"Don't even try it," Clark warned. "Not unless you think you can read a pile of ashes that used to be a spell book," he added, jokingly.
"No thanks, Zee," Lois said. "It's more fun putting in the time, you know?" she quipped and winked at Clark.
"Well I've almost got Oliver housebroken," Zatanna offered.
"Hey, hey, hey!" he objected. "I'll only be broken when it suits me," Oliver replied. "And even then it's always under a quid-pro-quo arrangement," he added, slyly winking at Clark. Lois snickered and this time Zatanna blushed.
They all laughed and after everyone had quieted down, Clark turned to Zatanna. "So everything's set with Chloe; there's nothing more to do, right?"
"No, nothing more; just give it some time," she replied. "You have to be careful for just a little while longer." She smirked. "Although, Oliver and I did give a mild little show to pique her interest," she added with a wink.
"How long do you think it will take?" Clark asked.
"'Considering it's Chloe we're talking about," Oliver began, "I'd give it a couple weeks at most. Once she starts digging, the less she'll remember and the way that Chloe digs it won't take long." He added, "Making her think the spell was working the way Zee had explained it helped expose her intentions. Once she believed she was untouchable, she really became bold about spying on all of us."
Clark nodded solemnly. "I feel like I've tricked or entrapped her. It's like we're manipulating her."
"No, Clark," Lois replied. "Entrapment compels a person to do something they shouldn't. Chloe doesn't have to continue spying on us. She's doing that of her own free will."
"And 'manipulating' is what she did to me, you and Lois," Oliver reminded. "It's time she gets a taste of what it feels like. But don't feel bad, Clark; she forced us into doing something and this is by far more gentle than the manipulation we were subjected to. This won't harm her at all."
"I'm confused. Why do they call that spell 'The Face of Innocence' when it's clearly not?" Lois asked.
Zatanna smiled. "The spell was originally created to keep identities of other sorcerers safe from the Inquisition. The Inquisition was big on getting names of others known to be 'consorting with the devil'. Their main source of names came from the people that were accused and tortured. If a sorcerer under that spell was captured and tortured by the Inquisition, the harder the sorcerer tried to remember the names of others, the faster he or she lost their memory.
"When the Inquisition finished with the sorcerers, if still alive they were like young children. It really isn't the term 'innocence' being referred to, it's 'innocents'; the term used at the time for small, uneducated children. It refers to the blank expression tortured sorcerers would end up with. With their memories gone, the world around them was new and filled with wonder. They were said to have child-like faces; hence, the 'Face of Innocents'."
Clark winced. "Where does it end, Zee? Will the spell eat away her entire memory?"
"No, Clark," Zatanna replied. "The spell has been refined over the years. Originally it would have continued to erase her entire memory. Now, it's limited to the things that Chloe wanted others not to know about. That's why I asked her to include everything before putting her under the spell. We wanted to know all the things she had done whether we knew about them or not."
"What things did she list?" Lois asked.
Zatanna glanced at Oliver and he nodded almost imperceptibly. "There were quite a few things, actually. She didn't want anyone to find out she was actually monitoring them or that she had manipulated their private lives using the surveillance files. Of course, she didn't want others to learn she had sent your father the information or the chunks of kryptonite." Zatanna paused. "There were some other things, too. She didn't want anyone to learn that she had a relationship with Davis Bloome, that she was infected by Brainiac and illegally hacked into thousands of databases over the years, or that she was responsible for the death of someone named Sebastian. She also didn't want any outsiders to suspect that she worked in the Watchtower."
"That one was troubling," Oliver said, looking at Clark. "I don't know if that's because she had bigger plans or was just protecting herself from Zod or the Kandorians if things got hairy."
"So her memory on those things is just being eaten away?" Lois asked
"Yes, but the rate increases exponentially. The more she tries to remember, the more she'll forget. Eventually, about all she'll remember is that you're her cousin, Clark's her high school friend that she crushed on for years, and that Oliver's her employer. Beyond that, she won't remember anything about the Watchtower, the Justice League, or anything to do with the events from the time she left high school. But it's not like she'll forget things she learned in school, how to eat or drive a car. Her memory degrades on issues involving the things she's listed but not specifically to those topics. She won't remember Clark is special because of his connection to so many of the events she wanted to be protected from."
"It's pretty fitting for someone that relished knowing everything, I thought," Oliver added, pensively.
"In the end," Zatanna added, "she's going to believe that she's been in college in Arizona since graduating from high school, earned a journalism degree and was hired in the Queen Industries' public information office."
"How's that happening?" Clark asked.
"I'll cast a spell that plants a memory in her head once she forgets the Watchtower. Oliver has gotten all the documentation together for her degree; I think it has something to do with a generous donation to the university's engineering program," she said, smiling slyly at him. "He has a job lined up for her in his public information office writing articles and press releases for the corporation's news page. After a while, he's going to move her out of Metropolis and to another part of the country where she won't run in to people who know her."
"The longer she goes without having any interaction with you two," Oliver said, "the easier it will be on her adjusting to the story that Zee is planting."
"So in essence," Clark began, "before the end of the month, she'll know about as much as she did when she graduated from Smallville High; except my secret." He paused. "What about Jimmy?"
"She'll remember Jimmy as the boy who took her virginity when she was an intern at the Planet," Zatanna replied. "Beyond that, she'll remember nothing about him."
Oliver spoke up. "That's why I plan to move her somewhere else, Clark. She doesn't have friends really but if she happens to run into anyone who knew about her marriage, she won't know what they're talking about and it could be a problem.
"Clark, you have to treat her like an old friend from high school once she's reached that point. There can be no record of her significance in your life that she'd reasonably be able to uncover. Once the spell runs its course, she can begin learning again. She could re-learn all of our identities and things so moving her will eliminate the opportunity to do that." He looked at Lois. The expression on her face indicated that something was bothering her. "What's on your mind, Lois?"
She snapped from her thoughts. "I don't know, Ollie; on the one hand it seems cruel to take her memories away like that. I can't imagine not remembering you two or the times I've had with Clark; even the tough ones."
Oliver interrupted. "Lois, I wish I could have just fired her; just kicked her out of the JL but she knew way too much about all of us and our vulnerabilities. It wouldn't have been safe for her or safe for any of us. The way she had become, I couldn't risk turning her against us but we couldn't trust her any longer," he replied and Lois nodded. "Were you going to say something else?"
"I was going to say that on the other hand, she deserves it; she brought it on herself," Lois replied resolutely. "You gave her the chance to stop her meddling and spying and rather than do it, it seems that she got even worse. Had she just stopped, she wouldn't be forgetting anything, right?"
"That's right, Lois," Zatanna replied. "If she was doing only what she was supposed to do in her position, she wouldn't lose any memories of the team, its members, or the Watchtower. But once she began spying and snooping again, it magnified the effect. The less she could remember, the more she dug to find out answers."
Lois looked across the serene Gulf of Mexico at the setting sun, framed from above by light thin clouds that appeared to be gilded in gold. She leaned back against Clark and he wrapped his arms around her. "It just seems a shame that it had to come to this." She paused and looked back at him. "What should I tell Lucy?"
"Tell her Chloe had a breakdown. Your Aunt Moira was mentally ill and that's hereditary. In fact, it's something that has always worried Chloe. It shouldn't be hard to convince Lucy that Chloe lost her memories of the last few years. Since Lucy hasn't been around since high school, she won't know what Chloe has lost." Clark paused. "I doubt Lucy would talk to Chloe anyway after their confrontation at Christmas. But if she does at some point, tell Lucy to just humor her and her stories after her break from reality," he added.
Lois nodded. "What about the rest of team? They're aware of what's happening, right?"
"Yes; they're all on board," Oliver replied. "When they learned what she had done, there wasn't a one of them who had any sympathy for her; particularly Bart."
Sighing, Lois commented. "You know, she always wanted to be a journalist. Maybe this will get her back on that track and she can end up being a reporter or writer after all."
"It's funny you should mention that. I own a TV station in San Francisco," Oliver said. "I was toying with the idea of putting her out there as a TV journalist once I'm sure she won't have any complications from the spell."
Zatanna elbowed him. "You have no faith in me," she complained teasingly.
Lois reached down and grabbed Clark's hand. "Hey look! There's a pod of dolphins out there just off the surf," she exclaimed, pointing.
"They're always around here, Lois. You'll see them all weekend long," Oliver replied.
Clark looked and then turned back, studying her as she stared out at the calm waters that were gently lapping onto the sand. Her beauty had always captivated him but something about the lazy serenity of the glistening sand and warm breeze seemed to magnify her beauty. Gone was the stress that secretly gnawed on her from loving two men; gone from her aura was the anxiety of having to choose. She looked as relaxed and serene as the world around her.
Perhaps her beauty was enhanced by the glow of the setting sun, nearly as red as the one in her visions and painting her with a gold-bronze hue; her face flawlessly smooth and unlined by the cares that she had left behind in Smallville.
Perhaps it was the curve of her graceful neck and the scent of her perfume that rose from it. Or maybe her beauty was intensified by the look of wonder in her face as she delighted in the sight of wild dolphins frolicking in the surf before her.
No matter the reason, there were few times in her life when she looked more beautiful to him than she did at that moment. His heart beat with such love and intensity that he wondered if she could hear it; feel it pounding in his chest as she lay back against him.
He knew that he had not told her that he loved her often enough, but she knew how he felt and he reserved those words for moments when she needed to hear them the most. Now was not one of those moments because she seemed so content; at peace with herself and existing in perfect harmony with the world around her. At that moment, he wanted nothing more from life than to hold her close to him and simply exist quietly at her side.
She turned her head back and spoke to him. "C'mon Clark," she said, squeezing his hand, "let's see if we can get a closer look. How about taking a walk along the beach with me?"
He smiled, kissed the side of her neck and whispered in her ear, "I can't think of anything else I'd rather do."
Epilogue
- Tuesday, August 17, 2010 -
Clark drove to work in his truck that day, much to the dismay and annoyance of Lois. For her, it meant awakening a half hour earlier than she had become accustomed to and the added burden of creeping home in the midst of suffocating traffic. The sun glared in her eyes as they crept West, amplifying the stifling August heat barely tempered by the air conditioning in his truck. Her blouse was sticking to her back, forcing her to lean forward to allow the air conditioning to circulate behind her.
"Remind me again why we had to take the truck today?" she groused.
"I needed to have the oil changed in it; remember, Lois?"
"And it had to be today? Hello; why not do it on the weekend?"
"We're usually pretty 'busy' on the weekend," he replied with a grin.
"Okay; enough of the innuendo, Romeo. I'm not in the mood for it." Michael Jackson began to play on the classic rock station and Lois snapped the power button to silence the King of Pop. "Classic rock my a…"
"What's the matter? You've been irritable all day." Clark interrupted.
"Oh nothing," she replied sarcastically. "It's only a million friggin' degrees in this truck, the sun is scorching my retinas, I feel like I stepped in to a steam bath with my street clothes on, I lost at least thirty minutes of sleep because you decided today was a good day to change your oil, and we're racing home at the breakneck speed of..." she leaned over to look at the speedometer, "…27 miles an hour."
"Is that it?" he replied. "Hmm. I thought a General's daughter would be a little tougher than this."
She shot him an icy glare. "And I thought a man with access to the entire knowledge of a whole host of galaxies would have learned a little more than this."
He cocked his head. "More than what?"
She turned to look out the passenger window. "Oh, I don't know; maybe a certain awareness of space and time."
He frowned. "What is that supposed to mean, Lois?"
"Never mind," she said, plopping back against the seat and imagining she heard a squishing sound. She opened the console between the seats and rifled through CDs. "Where's my Whitesnake CD?" She glanced up at Clark and back down into the console. "No Def Leppard. No Skid Row. No Guns N Roses. What the hell, Clark?"
"Oh, sorry Lois; I took them out and put them with the CD player in the house."
She pulled out one. "The Best of the Carpenters? You've got to be kidding me, Clark."
"That's my Mom's."
"It's in your truck. Jesus!" She huffed and jammed it back in the slot shaking her head. She pulled out another. "The Best of Boston. Finally! Something I can listen to." She opened it up and slid it in the CD player.
"I'm really sorry, Lois. I didn't know it would take this long to get home; I hardly ever drove to work. I didn't know the traffic would be this bad on a Tuesday."
"Right," she said sarcastically. "Well Clark, at least you know what day of the week it is."
He looked at her and made a face. "Look, I'll make it up to you, Lois; I'll take you out to dinner."
"Why, because you've made this day into a living hell for me? No thanks. I just need to get home and take a nice cool bath; I feel like a pig after sweating to death over here. It's part of the human condition, Clark; you wouldn't understand," she said and instantly wished she hadn't; it just slipped out. She was annoyed but in the seven and a half months since she learned about his secret, she had never made light of his differences. She looked at him worried that the comment had hurt him. "Sweetie; honestly, I didn't mean it like that," she said apologetically.
He stifled a chuckle knowing that by laughing, he would lose his momentary leverage. Instead he just nodded. "Look, you get cleaned up and we'll go to dinner; I insist."
"You can't insist," she protested. "You're not the injured party in this debacle. It's me that has to insist and if you must insist on taking me, then I must insist that you take me someplace decent; not the Smallville diner."
"Okay," he replied. "There's a steakhouse over on Route 12. How does that sound?"
Her face lit up. "Steak? Oh, now you're starting to get it, Farmer John. But don't think that's going to get you entirely off the hook. I mean, it's a nice start, okay? But if you think you can just buy your way out of this one with a steak dinner, you have another thought coming." She pushed the power button on his car stereo.
He rolled his eyes. "Buy my way out of what? I don't understand why you're so annoyed. You used to make this drive every day before you knew about my abilities. I'm the one…" he began and then halted, reconsidering the wisdom of continuing.
"You're the one, what?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. "Being inconvenienced because you have to drive me home?"
"Never mind," he replied just as the first notes of More Than A Feeling began to play. Lois reached out and cranked up the volume.
An hour and a half later, they pulled up to the restaurant. "Great," Lois declared with a defeated tone. "It looks like they're closed."
Clark frowned. "They can't be closed! Not on a Tuesday." He craned his neck. "It looks like there are some cars in the back of the parking lot."
"I'm sure it's just the employees, Einstein. Why would customers park all the way back there?" Although she felt less irritable after her bath, she was famished. "Look, let's just turn around and find someplace else. I'm starving. That road-kill we just passed after the intersection back there made my mouth water."
"Let's check it out, Lois." He turned off the ignition and got out as Lois groaned. The August air was still fairly humid but the sun had set and the temperature had moderated a bit. 'It's closed,' she mouthed to him as he walked around and opened her door.
"Thank you, Clark," she said and followed him up to the building. A note was posted on the front door that read 'Closed for Renovations'.
"See? I told you it was closed," Lois said. "C'mon," she said, pulling on his arm, "I'm starving to death and you're quickly burning through all of your brownie points, Smallville."
He pulled on the door handle and it budged. "Okay, I just have to use the restroom first."
"You?" she said with a confused look.
He pulled the door open and she walked in the darkened restaurant and he followed. "Clark, I don't think…" she began but was cut off in mid-sentence.
"Surprise!" was shouted by a group of voices and the lights snapped on in the restaurant. There were twelve people wearing silly conical party hats and blowing noisemakers. The restaurant was decorated with balloons and a large banner that read, 'Happy Birthday'.
Tears rushed to her eyes as she smiled. She turned around and punched Clark in the arm. "You jerk!" she said grinning, then threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. The crowd erupted into hoots and cheers. "I thought you forgot," she said when their lips parted.
"Gee Lois, is that why you've been in such a foul mood all day?" he asked, grinning. She closed her eyes and shook her head in amusement.
A huge smile spread across her face and she turned around to greet all her guests as they moved into the group. She first hugged Zatanna, followed by Oliver and then Lucy.
She made her way past them and was greeted by Arthur, Victor, Dinah, John Jones and Bart. The last of the guests were Martha, Sam, Chloe and Chloe's boyfriend, Mark. It was the first time she had seen Chloe since leaving her townhouse in January and an icy feeling ran through her. Nevertheless, she smiled and hugged Chloe. Martha led Sam to the other side of the restaurant where a large square table arrangement had been set up.
"My favorite older cousin," Chloe exclaimed. "It's been so long since I've seen you," she said, grinning broadly. "Why haven't we gotten together sooner?" She looked in Lois' eyes and detected a flash of sadness and regret. "It's okay, Lo; I've been busy too." She turned to her boyfriend. "This is Mark; we work together at Queen Industries."
Lois shook hands with the pleasant-looking guy that was holding Chloe's hand. Turning back to Chloe, she said, "We'll catch up tonight and get together more often. I promise." She hugged Chloe fiercely and tears came to her eyes. Chloe returned the hug and when she opened her eyes, she spotted Clark talking to her boss, Oliver, in the corner of the restaurant. She pushed back from Lois. "That's Clark over there, isn't it? He looks so different."
Lois released her, looked over her shoulder and then back. "Yes," she replied.
Chloe grinned wildly. "Wow! I haven't seen him since…graduation, I think. Remember the crush I used to have on him? Why is he here?"
"Remember? I had to deal with all the fallout from that one-sided soap opera." She rolled her eyes and Chloe giggled. "He's here because we're a couple now, Chloe," Lois replied. "He's my boyfriend."
Chloe shrieked. "You're kidding; you and Clark? Oh my God; all I remember is you two tormenting each other most of the time you were living with the Kents."
"We still do," Lois quipped, smirking.
"Incredible! That ranks right up there with the stories on my 'Wall of Weird'." She giggled and pulled away from Lois. "I have to go say 'hi' to him," she said. "We'll catch up later," she added and scurried off dragging Mark with her.
They ate their New York strip steak dinners soon after Lois and Clark arrived. When everyone finished, a birthday cake was brought out decorated with an image depicting a dark-haired female sitting on top of the Daily Planet globe.
After the cake was cut, the bar was opened and the music began to fill the restaurant: Whitesnake, Skid Row, Def Leppard, and Guns N Roses. Lois thought it was ironic that Clark danced with Chloe to Skid Row's ballad, I Remember You, because it was painfully clear that their days in high school were about all she remembered. As Sebastian Bach belted out the final strains of the song, Chloe smiled brilliantly, hugged Clark, and dragged him back over to where her boyfriend was standing.
Lois made her way around the table, thanking people for coming. She talked to the General and Martha, squatting down between their chairs to have a more private conversation. "Hi Mom," she said discreetly. "Thanks for being here. I know you're in recess but I also know how busy you are at your office."
"I would have flown from Washington if I had to, Sweetheart," she replied. "I wouldn't have missed this for the world."
When asked, Martha said she was growing weary of life in Washington and that she had decided not to seek another term, although the senior senator from Kansas and the party chairman were trying to change her mind. She mentioned that she was anxious to get back to her home and her family and that Lois' party was just another reminder of everything she was missing by being in Washington.
She turned to her Dad. The General explained that he had arrived in Kansas a week before to attend a meeting and extended his stay for two reasons: to attend Lois' surprise party and to coordinate with the State authorities on a matter involving an unauthorized excavation contract.
The General told her that his executive officer, Jason Trask, had authorized a contract to unearth and collect an exotic mineral that was found in the area surrounding Smallville without his or the Department's approval. The State authorities were assisting Sam with annulling the contract. Lois asked her Dad what he did to Trask when he found out about the contract.
"I relieved him and he went AWOL the next day. It became quite messy and I was worried that my unit was going to be disbanded. Trask had apparently written anonymous letters to the Secretary saying that I was too accepting of aliens to be effectively protecting humanity from them." He took a deep breath. "If that's true, I can only say that he was on the opposite end of the spectrum. As time wore on and we got more evidence that aliens did exist, I was getting very apprehensive about his over-zealous approach to seeking them out and his thoughts on how we should deal with them." Sam smirked. "After I relieved him, I had a stream of people coming into my office telling me how glad they were to see him fired. The field commanders were particularly pleased." He paused. "He's turned into a 'crusader' and the next time you talk to The Blur, you should warn him about Trask."
"So you've changed your opinion of The Blur?"
"Yeah. I was concerned for a while but between you and Lucy, I don't believe he's a threat to anyone. Still," he added quickly, "there may be others like him that aren't our friends, Lo." Sam smiled and glanced at her ring.
Lois noticed his gaze and held out her hand to display the ring that Oliver had re-created. "It's beautiful, isn't it? I love it so much, Dad."
"Thanks, Pumpkin. I noticed Lucy was wearing her bracelet, too. I'm glad you two agreed to do that. It's so wonderful to see you two together like this twice in a year's time. It gives me great hope that you two will remain this way." He pulled her over and kissed her forehead. "I'm really glad that I could make it to the party, Lo. This was nice."
"Well I'm thrilled you could be here too, Dad," she said and hugged him. "Will I see you later?"
Sam nodded and Lois continued to move around the table, stopping at Lucy who immediately made a face. "What's going on with Chloe?" Lucy asked in a low voice.
Lois squatted down next to her. "Apparently she had a little breakdown, according to Oliver. If she talks to you, just humor her. She asked me what Clark was doing here." Lois wanted to look sad but Lucy's expression kept her from doing so.
"She already did talk to me; what a wacko! Her boyfriend's pretty hot though and seems nice." She chortled. "So she's gone all Aunt Moira on us? She acted like she hadn't seen me since 2005. Then she starts talking some bullsh!t about college and writing press releases and stuff. Oh my God!"
Lois snorted, suppressing her laughter. "Shhh! Don't let on to Dad; he had a low enough opinion of her before. Look, it's like she had a break and all the tragedy in her life was erased. She seems happier and more carefree than I've seen her in years. Maybe she can get it together now and lead a normal life. Let's just try to be supportive, okay; she's still our cousin even if she's a few sandwiches short of a picnic."
"Okay, Nurse Ratched," she replied, "whatever you say." Lucy dug in her purse, pulled out a stun gun and displayed it below table level to Lois. "But in case she needs help, I've got a little shock therapy I've been dying to administer to her."
Lois laughed and hugged her sister.
"Happy birthday, Lo; I love you," she said. "You better go get your man; Chloe is monopolizing his time over there and he looks trapped." She pushed the button on the stun gun and an arc crackled across the electrodes; Lois shrieked and laughed as she headed off to rescue Clark.
Lois strolled up to Oliver. "I think it's your turn to baby sit. I want to dance with Clark."
"How about if you and I dance and Clark just baby sits; he's been really good with her," Oliver said and winked.
She pulled him into a hug. "Thanks for this, Ollie; I know you had a big hand in it. I love you, Dude," she whispered and kissed him on the cheek. "Now get your ass over there so I can dance with my man or I'll be forced to call my sister over."
At 10:45 PM, the restaurant owner announced that he had to close up. By then, Lois had danced with just about every man in attendance but saved most of her dances for Clark. The final one she enjoyed the most; Whitesnake's ballad, Is This Love? She was exhausted by the time the guests began filing out.
Clark carried birthday gifts for Lois out to the truck and then returned to the restaurant. Lois was collecting little mementos to save. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"Oh, I'm just collecting a few souvenirs." She turned and looked at him. "It's been a long time since anyone threw a surprise party for me."
"Me too," he replied, raising an accusing eyebrow.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she replied, "You're accusing me of forgetting your birthday, aren't you?"
"I don't recall you remembering it this year," he answered.
"Not so fast, Speed Racer," she countered. "There was no February 29th this year. We went right from February 28th to March 1st. I'm golden until 2012," she quipped. "If I miss that one; then you can talk to me about forgetting." She flashed a victorious smile, and then added, "I did think about making you a cake this year."
"Well, thank God for unanswered prayers then," he snarked.
"Oh my God; you're a riot, Flannel Man," she replied flatly. "Maybe you should be working at the Metropolis Comedy Club instead of wasting such comedic brilliance at the Daily Planet."
He shook his head, smirked and walked to the cake table. "So when was the last time you had a surprise party?"
"The year before my Mom died."
Clark feared that would be her answer. "I'm sorry, Lois, I didn't…" he said apologetically.
"Why?" she interrupted. "Don't be, Clark; I love that you did this for me." She walked over to him as he placed the remnants of her birthday cake in a box. "You know, every time I think you couldn't surprise me more, you find a way to do it." She put her arms around his waist and pulled him close. "You did a good job with this one, Soldier; I'm not that easy to surprise you know." She kissed him sweetly and separated. "I usually can see big things like this coming from a mile away." She winked.
"It must be your military upbringing that makes you that way," Clark postulated and finished boxing up her cake. "I guess I lucked out. How will I ever be able to top this one?"
"You won't, Farmer John. Now that I know your modus operandi, I'm afraid surprising me again just isn't in the cards. It just won't happen."
He smirked. "You seem pretty sure about that, Lois."
"I am sure," she replied. "I'm the master of deception, Clark; not you. Your chances of ever surprising me again just slipped from slim to none." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "But don't worry," she added as she walked off, "I think surprises are overrated anyway." She plopped down in a chair and grinned. "I had such a good time tonight. I can't remember the last time I danced so much, but God, my feet are sore."
"Then you just sit there while I finish taking the stuff out to the truck." He bundled up the remaining gifts, cake, her CDs from the bar and carried them out to the truck.
"Is that everything?" she asked when he returned.
"Not exactly," he replied and sat down in a chair facing her. He looked into her eyes, searching for something.
She frowned. "What is it, Clark? What wrong?"
He peered deeper and set his jaw; Lois became alarmed. His eyes sparked with an intensity that she had never seen before. After a torturously-long moment, he took a deep breath and slid his hand into his jacket pocket. "Lois," he said, slipping out of the chair and down on one knee, "I have a question I want to ask you."
**************** End of Story ****************