Lois found herself once again standing in front of her house fumbling with her keys. She was just as anxious as she had been before her confrontation with Richard, but then at least she had known in her heart how things would turn out. Now she was at a loss. She thought she might burn the doorknob off with her eyes because she was staring at it so intently.

"What am I so afraid of?" she asked herself. But inside she knew the answer. Despite her daring attitude and strength of character, she was still like every other girl in the world. She wanted someone to love that could return that love in every way imaginable. She thought Superman was that person, but the idea that Clark and Superman were the same person was unreal. How could she think that she could care about someone so deeply when she was practically neglecting him half the time?

The thoughts of how she had treated Clark in the past made her wince. He had always been so kind to her by helping her with anything she needed and listening when she needed so desperately to talk to someone. In return she had written him off as "just some guy I work with."

"How could you be so stupid?" she thought as she buried her face in her hand. "I was so blind."

"Hi Lois!" Clark exclaimed as he strode up beside her. "I decided to get the pizza myself, since it was cheaper than delivery." He paused for a moment when he realized she was just staring at the door. "What's on your mind?" he asked concerned.

"Nothing. I was just enjoying the breeze. Let's go inside." She quickly undid the lock and ushered Clark inside. She took a moment to put her bag down and hang up her coat in the closet before joining Clark in the kitchen.

Neither one of them spoke much at dinner. Clark was going over how he would get the words out that he was Superman, and Lois was trying to sort out her feelings concerning the whole situation. It wasn't until the rest of the pizza was put away for leftovers that Clark broke the silence and suggested they talk in the living room.

Lois' breathing quickened. She tried to make herself comfortable on the couch, but she was so nervous that she was practically shaking. "Ok Clark, what do you want to talk about?"

He seemed to look as nervous as she felt. He was sitting in the chair opposite her, but soon got up and walked toward the window so that he was facing away from her.

"Lois, all this time I have wanted to be so many things for you. I've tried to be a great partner for you to work with and a best friend when you need someone to listen to you. Despite my efforts to ever develop a relationship, you always seem to push me away. At least, that is how I felt in the beginning."

He stared down to his feet, and then seemed to find the strength to turn around and meet her eyes.

"It wasn't until I returned that I realized I was just as stubborn as you. I constantly push you away every day because I was afraid you would run away if you knew the truth."

Lois was barely aware that her eyes had filled with tears. She wanted him to finish, so she did her best to hold back her emotions by blinking away the tears.

"I thought that when I saw how happy you were with Richard that I had lost you. I thought that because I hadn't let you in to that secret part of my life, you had decided to be with someone who would share everything with you. I don't want to make that mistake again. I want you to know me. All of me."

He had now knelt down in front of her. He looked down again, and slowly took his glasses off and placed them on the end table. Clark slowly raised his head and opened his eyes. He then took her hand and spoke the words Lois had silently been hoping to hear.

"Lois, I am Superman."

His touch caused a spark in Lois she had felt only once before with someone else. The warmth that coursed through her body overwhelmed her, and the tears began to slowly fall down her face.

"I know." she whispered as she touched his cheek.

"What?" he asked as he pulled away from her. "When? How?'

"This morning when I saw you in the bathroom I noticed the scar on your back. I may have been oblivious for years, but I would know that mark anywhere. It stunned me the same way it did the other night." By now her tears began to stop as the reality of the situation began to sink in. They were no longer caught up in a romantic moment, but were instead trying to overcome the lies each had started.

Clark stood up and let out a huge sigh. "I'm sorry. I wanted to be the one to tell you."

"Really? How many opportunities did you have to tell me? Clark, we work together, live together," her voice faded a little as she said the last part, "made love together."

Clark turned to look at her. "Clark, you have been lying to me for so long. I trusted you. How could you keep something like that from me?"

"I wanted to tell you. You don't realize how much it hurt to have you in my arms at one moment, and have you overlook me the next. I was afraid if I told you the truth, I wouldn't be able to be with you at all. You see Lois, being with you part of the time is better than not having you in my life at all."

"Don't do that Clark. Don't say the perfect thing when I'm mad at you. You hurt me. You hurt me when I never thought you could." She stared into his eyes to glare at the man who had hidden the truth from her all this time, but she could not find him. Instead, she realized she was staring into the eyes of the man who loved her for everything that she was.

But it wasn't this revelation that caught her off guard. Her mouth dropped open a little as she realized they were the eyes of the man she loved completely, too. It didn't matter if he was in tights or a suit. A clumsy reporter or a superhero. She loved the man.

"Lois, I'm so sorry for everything I have put you through. I just thought you should know the truth, and that I love you." When she didn't say anything he walked towards the window.

"I guess there is nothing left to say." he said as he started to fly out the window. "Goodnight Lois."

Lois willed herself to move; to stop the love of her life before he flew away forever. But instead of telling him to stop, she surprised herself by calling out "I love you, too."

He lowered himself back down on the floor and slowly turned around. "You what?" he whispered.

"I…I love you." she repeated. He began to walk towards her until there was less than an inch between them. He slowly lifted his hand and wiped away the last tear that fell down her cheek. He leaned in and kissed her lightly and then pulled away.

Lois flashed back to the Disney movie "Beauty and the Beast" that her sister Lucy made her watch every morning during her princess phase. The part when Belle looks into the eyes of the man at the end and realizes that he is the man she fell in love with was particularly poignant to her now. She simply looked into Clark's eyes and smiled as she ran her hand through his hair.

He leaned in and kissed her forehead as he whispered "Hold on tight." She grabbed hold of his strong arms as he lifted her up and floated towards the window. They glided higher and higher until they were enveloped by the clouds of the night sky.

When she was aware that they had stopped, she leaned back ever so slightly so that she could look into his eyes once more. He just stared back at her with admiration and love that made her feel whole in a way she had never experienced. This time she initiated the kiss as she moved her arms around his neck. The kiss seemed to last forever. They were both so perfectly content that neither wanted to end it. It was not until the wind picked up slightly and Lois shivered that Clark pulled away.

He hugged her tightly and then glided back down to the balcony in front of her bedroom.

"I guess we have a lot to figure out." she said as she let go of him. "How are we going to tell Jason?"

"He knows." Clark said. "He told me last night. He saw me change into Superman one day, but he promised me he had kept the secret to himself. I don't know him very well yet, but I do love him. And because of that love, I trust that he hasn't said anything."

"Wow. Even my son could see what I was blind to." Lois said as she collapsed on the bed. "He doesn't know that you are his father, right?"

"No. I figured I shouldn't tell him without talking with you first." He sat down next to her on the bed and placed one arm around her shoulders. She nestled her head into his neck and kissed it softly.

"Thank you. It's something we should probably tell him together."

"Yeah, it is going to be hard enough on him anyway." Clark gazed straight ahead as he worried about how Jason would react to the news. He didn't want to push his son away just when he was starting to get to know him.

"Clark, look at me." Lois said as she placed one hand on his cheek and turned his head to face her. "We will get through this."

He took her hand in his and kissed it before he embraced her again.

She kissed his cheek and then said softly "But I think we're both pretty tired from everything that just happened. Can we just sleep on it?"

He gave her a small smile and got up to leave. "Sure. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Clark?" she said as he glanced back at her. "Could you just stay with me?"

He didn't answer but instead covered her up with the comforter and kissed her goodnight. She thought he was going to leave, but he simply took off his shoes and then got under the comforter on the other side. He slid over and wrapped his arms around her as they both drifted off to sleep.