A Love Story in Four Parts

by Cyrano the 2nd

This story takes place one year after the movie, Superman Returns and contains spoilers. I do not own Superman, but if I did, I would be rich.

Part Two- The Dance

Lois looked away from Clark, a flush suffusing her cheeks. Had she actually been flirting with Clark Kent? She shook her head. No. He was her coworker. He was a goofy guy from Kansas. He was-Clark, for God's sakes!

He looks pretty good in that tux.

Lois pursed her lips in annoyance, determined to ignore whatever strange inclinations were running through her head, and focus her attention on the happy couple. But even so, her eyes kept straying to Clark.

After the service, and the requisite toasts, and speeches, everyone was herded into the hotel's ballroom, where a DJ was busy putting on dance music. Lois, along with everyone else, sat at one of the tables along the wall and watched the bride's father lead her out into a dance. Soon, other couples had stood up, making their way to the dance floor and swaying to the music. Lois looked around. Besides her elderly pewmate and a few kids, she was pretty much alone.

Lois sighed.

Just then, a chirrup from her purse told her her phone was ringing. It couldn't be work. Perry had, in an unexpectedly generous move, given most of the staff the night off.

Which meant it had to be Lucy.

Which meant that something was wrong with Jason.

Lois retreived the phone from her purse, hating the tightening in her throat that was the phyiscal manifestation of her near-panic when it came to her son's persistant health problems. It was true that in the past year he had seemed to get better, but she still couldn't forget those nights when he was struggling for breath, or the seemingly endless drives to the ER.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Lois," Lucy's voice came from the other end.

"Lucy, what's wrong? Is Jason-"

"Oh, he's fine. I just wanted to know if he's allowed to have soy icecream."

Lois felt her eyelids slide closed in relief. "Yeah, that's fine. Just make sure he doesn't eat too much, OK?"

"Okay. Bye, sis."

Lois hung up the phone, letting out a slow shaky breath.

"Is everything all right?"

Lois looked up into Clark's concerned face. He, like her, seemed to be without a dancing partner. "Yes, I'm okay. That was just Lucy."

"Your sister?"

"Yes." She montioned to one of the chairs at the table and Clark took it gratefully. "She's watching Jason for me."

He made an uh-huh noise and a strange, wistful look crossed his face.

The music changed, became more upbeat. Clark turned to survey the dancers, that look still on his face. Lois regarded him for a moment, his tall, lanky frame jack-knifed into the short, folding chair. Clark always seemed slightly unsure of himself, just slightly awkward. But then there were times when he seemed perfectly natural. In the past few months, those times had mostly been with Jason, and she couldn't ignore Jason's growing attachment to Clark. Ever since Richard left, he seemed to gravitate towards Clark's desk, and Clark always made time to say a kind word or to play a game with the five-year old. Jason even drew pictures of him, hanging them proudly behind her desk, next to the ones he drew of Superman.

Superman. Now there was a mystery.

In the past months she had seen him only a few times, though she gathered from Jason that he came around when she was asleep. He seemed to be keeping his distance, but for what reason, she couldn't fathom. When Richard left she'd wanted to tell him, to ask him to stay- but something had told her that the time wasn't right. There were things that he wasn't telling her, and she knew that until he did, there would always be a wall between them.

Or maybe that wall was insurmountable.

Lois sighed softly, and followed Clark's gaze out to the dance floor. Jimmy was holding Jenny close, murmurring something into her ear that made her giggle. Kenny the copy boy was dancing with one of the print girls. And was that Perry dancing with her sour pewmate?

Lois made a disgusted face and turned away, noticing that Clark was looking at her with his head cocked slightly to one side, a strange expression on his face.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he answered, looking away guiltily. He never had been good at lying.

"Kent," Lois said, using her best school-marm voice. As usual, Clark turned back to her, looking abashed, and gave up the goods.

"I was just thinking that...um, well, you look beautiful tonight, Lois."

"Thanks," she said, feeling a flush of pleasure. "You don't look too shabby yourself." She smiled at him and he smiled back, and she was suddenly drawn in by his eyes. How had she never noticed how blue they were?

"Hey Clark, do you want to dance?" Lois asked impulsively. She would usually never ask a co-worker something like that, especially not a co-worker that she knew had a crush on her, but...Ah, what the hell? It was a wedding.

"Oh, uh..." Clark looked endearingly flustered. "I don't really know how to dance."

Lois stood up. "Of course you do," she said, holding out her hand to him. "Come on, I'll show you."

Clark reluctantly took her hand, and she led him out onto the floor. Lois turned to face him, and positioned one on Clark's hands on her waist, the other in her own. "Now," she said, looking him in the eye, "You just move like this."

She took a step to the side, then back, then to the other side, then forward, leading Clark along. "See? It's easy."

"Says you," Clark said in an aggrieved voice. But despite the protest, he was actually not that bad. After a few steps, he seemed to loosen up, even venturing to lead her into a couple of turns. Lois grinned up at him, amazed at how natural it felt to be in Clark's arms. It was almost familiar, almost like...

The comparison eluded Lois.

The music changed again, slowed down. Couples pulled closer together and began to sway to the slow rhythm. Lois hesitated a fraction of a second, looking up into Clark's face. He was looking back at her tenderly, his eyes soft with emotion and Lois was struck, once again, by how very blue his eyes were.

Almost without volition, she stepped closer to his body, moving her hands to his shoulders. Both of Clark's hands slid to her waist, and they began to move to the music.

He is so warm, Lois mused. Like sun-warmed metal in summer, and he smelled of fresh earth and hay and things that the city girl in Lois has only read about. Lois' eyes slid closed, and she laid her forehead against Clark's shoulder, letting him lead her across the dance floor in slow, graceful turns.

Lois felt dizzy and she knew it had nothing to do with the dance and everything to do with Clark's arms around her. She felt like she was floating above the clouds, and her stomach was doing crazy flip-flops, her pulse jumping. She couldn't account for it. She had never felt this way with anyone, except him.

A small voice in the back of Lois' head was saying, 'What are you doing? This is Clark, not Superman.'

But Clark's nearness was making it increasingly easy to ignore that voice. Her body felt langurous, completely at ease and yet attuned to ever sensation- the pressure of Clark's hands around her waist, the rise and fall of his chest, the wool of his jacket against her cheek. A warm glow suffused her body, almost like she was taking his heat into herself. It was all so perfect, and so familiar somehow.

Lois lifted her head and gazed into those bluer-than-blue eyes.

She didn't know why she did it. The music, the dance, the smell and touch and feel of Clark's body against hers; all conspired to make her stretch on tip-toes and brush her lips again Clark's.

The kiss started out chaste, but the jolt that arced from Lois' belly to her breasts was anything but. She leaned into the kiss, her hands tightening on his shoulders, and, after a moment of stiff surprise, Clark kissed her back.

And then it all came crashing into her mind. Zod. The cave of ice. Niagara Falls. Clark's disappearing acts-Superman saving a child from drowning-Clark standing in that tacky hotel room and confessing-

She broke away from the kiss, staring up at him, her face flushed, her blood racing.

"Oh, my God," Lois said. "You're-"

And then darkness reached up to claim her.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N- Wow, I am surprised and grateful for all the reviews guys. I'm sorry this chapter took me so long. Life has a way of intruding grrr

This story is indeed in four parts (hence the title, LOL). I have most of the last two written, and so my updates should be coming along more quickly. Please read and review!