Disclaimer: I don't own Superman.
I actually really, really like this chapter, it's one of my favorites, but you probably won't. I'll explain at the end. Oh yeah, and if you think it's bad or too OC, get over it and read another story. I don't need another OC review. The number of people who actually like it way outnumber the people who don't. If you're one of the many that like this story, leave a nice review! As for those who don't...why are you reading my story?
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Lois stuck a pen behind her ear, listening boredly to the witnesses. Of course, her boredom didn't affect her reporter skills; she scribbled enough notes to wallpaper the Daily Planet…all twenty nine floors. Clark seemed quite interested, though, and Lois cast him the occasional evil eye. If only she had that attention span. He looked as if this was the single most important story of his life, pushing up his glasses and talking eagerly to the witnesses.
So far, the gang didn't seem like that big of a deal; it seemed their law violations were minor at best. There was only a bit of vandalism and one attack, though it could hardly be counted as an attack. One gang member had thrown a brick at a window, missed, and struck a pedestrian. The only damage was a rather large bruise on the man's leg.
'All this way to Smallville, and nothing,' thought Lois bitterly, cursing Perry to an eternity of endless travel and jet lag. The gang wasn't a serious issue; apparently, they were just a bunch of teenagers having illegal fun. Boy, could those stories grow. From what they had heard, the man struck with the brick was hospitalized and in a coma, and the graffiti threatened the law-abiding citizens. In reality, the man was on his feet after a few days of crutches, and the graffiti was simply teenage slang.
Lois decided that she had more important things to do than listen to endless stories about graffiti and bricks. It was time to end this torture. She smiled as genuinely as she could, trying to cover her disappointment in the bad lead.
"Listen, thanks for your time and all, we really appreciate the help, and now we have to go and compare notes," she said, quite a bit quicker than she would have liked. The witnesses looked kind of pissed, so Lois grabbed Clark's arm and power-walked him to the car, trying not to run. It was no easy task, though, dragging a reluctant Clark from the scene. Once out of earshot, he started grumbling.
"…didn't even get to talk to the other witness…dragging me…good storyline…Perry's gonna fire us…"
Lois nearly laughed. Clark really pushed her buttons, but it was impossible to be mad at him.
"Oh, shut up and walk," she said, opening the car door. They climbed in, and she sighed.
"That was an awful lead! It wasn't even close to the stories we heard!" she exclaimed, sticking the keys in. Then, she turned to Clark and smiled suggestively.
"Well, partner, we have a couple hours to kill…what do you want to do?"
He looked about as alert as a dead cat. Apparently, the notes he had taken were much more interesting than an offer of a night with Lois Lane. She scowled; stupid notes.
Clark felt his heart nearly explode. Lois Lane was…hitting on him? Or was she just being funny? It was so hard to tell with her sometimes. He wasn't sure what to do. So, he compromised with shuffling through the notes. Better stall for time…
"Ahh…we could go to the carnival, it's not too far," he offered. If she wanted him to be romantic, the carnival was an excellent choice. If she didn't mean that like he thought she did, then it was suitably casual. Lois looked slightly disappointed. Did he say something wrong? But then her face hardened into that mask of indifference.
"Well, sure, that sounds like fun," she said, hardly able to keep the frustration out of her tone. Why was he so hard to read? Of course he picked something so neutral. He couldn't pick something easy to read, like the movies or a fancy restaurant.
The drive was quiet. Lois was contemplating her feelings, something she didn't do often, and Clark was trying to figure Lois's feelings out. It was actually nearly half an hour, but it seemed like seconds until they reached the carnival.
Lois thought hard about Clark, Superman, and Richard. Did she really abandon Richard for another plain, dime-a-dozen guy? Shouldn't she be with Superman, so at least Richard didn't feel he lost to some plain, goofy farm boy? Well…unless Clark was Superman. But that was impossible, right? Clark was just so…so genuine, so unique. After thinking about it, Clark far outclassed any man. He was handsome and shy, not even realizing the potential of his good looks, and had feelings for her, anyway. He was hardworking, pleasant, and all-around charming. Richard was very much the same, but he lacked the absolute devotion and humor of Clark. Was Clark worth giving up Superman for? Unless…no, don't say it, Lois. Not again. Well, if it didn't work out, they could always break up; it wasn't like she would be engaged to him anytime soon, so it wouldn't be heartbreaking.
Clark thought hard about Lois. As Superman, he could never be there for her, and she would wake up alone every morning. As Clark, he would be there for her, somehow, but he would. But…he would have to tell her the truth; which brought him back to square one. What would happen when he told her, though? Would she prefer the majestic Superman over homely little Clark Kent? Would she request that he wear his suit more often, because it swept her off her feet? Would shy, clumsy Clark Kent be enough for fiery, determined Lois Lane?
They thought and thought and thought, both of them in an equally complex situation. They actually sat in the car for an extra minute, not quite realizing that they had reached their destination. Upon noticing the loud and large festival, Clark exited the car, and opened the door for Lois. She stuck out a delicate foot, and stepped out. By the time her door was shut, both of them had come to a decision.
Lois firmly decided that she liked Clark, and wouldn't stop until she had him, and Clark firmly decided that he couldn't be romantically involved with a co-worker, not as Clark Kent.
It was a lovely sight. Lois could see the Ferris wheel, and could hear the music playing. It was growing dark, but neither really cared. Determinedly, albeit shyly, Lois slipped her hand into Clark's as they strolled up to the entrance. She noticed him shift a little, uncomfortable, so she pulled back, disappointed yet again. He didn't mention it, though.
"Um, two tickets, please," he asked the man at the ticket booth politely. He handed one to Lois, and they walked in.
The sunset lit the sky with red and violet hues, and took Lois's breath away, as it had done every night she had been here. She could smell the cotton candy and the sweet, sticky funnel cakes, and the dusty ground was soft and inviting. The music from the Ferris wheel seemed to envelope the essence of romance, and she decided that she wanted to go on it.
"Clark, let's go on the Ferris wheel!" she cried, grabbing his hand and nearly jerking him off his feet. She didn't even let him stick an opinion in. They raced up to the line, waiting to board. The woman that checked the tickets looked a little over fifty, and smiled as she saw the young, pretty brunette woman with the shy but attractive young man.
"Ah, to be young and in love," she crooned, smiling. Lois smiled back at her as she handed the tickets back, but Clark pushed his glasses up with his forefinger.
"Oh, no, ma'am, we're not…" he didn't manage to get the last part in before Lois yanked his arm again, eager to board. She hadn't been on a Ferris wheel since she was fifteen with Bobby Jones and had her first kiss on it. She was fervent on feeling that emotion again, the love and delight of the ride.
Clark sighed as the door shut. Lois watched him keenly as he sat down first, and then promptly sat next to him. It was growing dark, and the moon was beautiful and round, surrounded by shimmering stars.
The Ferris wheel wasn't young, and it creaked a little as it went up. Lois sighed, and leaned slightly on Clark. He fought a quick internal battle, deciding to humor her, without leading her on or hurting her feelings. Now wasn't the time to tell her he didn't want a relationship with her. Well, he did, but he knew he couldn't have a normal one with her. Lois sensed his negativity, though, and in only spurred her on to try harder. He must be playing hard to get, she was certain that he had a major crush on her…another reason he was…nope! Don't say it!
Of course, of course it stopped at the top. Clark could see the beautiful hills, illuminated by the light of the moon. I was so perfect it was almost unreal. Here he was, silhouetted by the moon, high in the sky (though not quite the way he pictured it) with the woman he loved desperately. The weather was lovely, a little warm with cool breezes. Spring was just perfect that way. But…he wasn't meant to have this perfection. Happiness was being with Lois, but it was also the gratitude he saw on people's faces when he snatched them from the jaws of death. He couldn't possibly have both. It wasn't fair for him, but it also wasn't fair for others.
He listened closely for any trouble, but it seemed moderately quiet. Mostly, the police were handling the problems, and they shouldn't learn to fully rely on him for assistance. There were other things he had to do. All there was to do now, though, was spend a quiet night with the woman he loved most, which he still couldn't do.
Lois felt that old determination again, the one that had gotten her a job. She knew Clark liked her, and believed that he must be playing hard to get; maybe it was time to up her game a notch. Subtly, almost shyly, she scooted closer to him, glancing up to catch his eye. All she caught, though, was his expression; it was an odd mix of pain and frustration…and it tore her apart. Feeling like she was walking on thin ice, she leaned up ever so slightly to kiss him on the cheek. It was chaste, yet romantic; surely the perfect move. Clark seemed to think otherwise.
"Listen, Lois," he began, and Lois felt a hurt that she hadn't felt for many, many years. The hurt wouldn't go away, so it was instantly vented into anger. She felt a passionate rage build.
"What is wrong with you, Clark? One day you're following me around like a lovesick puppy, and the next you ignore me like I'm trash! Are you just doing this to mess with me? I bet you're enjoying this! I bet you think I'm such a loser to think that I could ever be good enough for you, to think that maybe I could risk love again. I bet you think I'm a whore, since I've got you and Superman and…and Richard…" she didn't realize she was crying until her tears blinded her. She also didn't realize that the ride was over until she heard the worker clear her throat. Clark looked in shock.
"Lois…no…I never…"
"Well, it's too late for excuses, I'll see you around," she snapped dramatically, secretly and guiltily pleased that the worker was giving Clark the evil eye. She jumped off the steps, walking as quickly as she could. Unfortunately, Clark caught up with her.
"Lois…no, I don't think you're a loser or a whore or that you're not good enough for me…I love you so much…I just…" he tried to explain, and Lois felt a little less angry. maybe there was something possible. She sniffed and looked into his eyes.
"Kiss me," she said softly, more a demand then a request. He gaped at her for a second, and then cleared his throat.
"Lois, I…"
"Shut up and kiss me," she said fiercely, her anger growing again. He stopped talking for a second, and then leaned forward a little, as she stood on her toes. He hesitated for a few seconds, as if this was a life or death situation. Then, gently, lightly, he kissed her on the lips. It was quick and chaste, and nothing like she expected. She glared up at him.
"Now kiss me like you mean it," she growled, grabbing his shirt collar and pulling him forward, her face inches from his. He leaned forward, she could smell his breath, a little mix of mint and cotton candy, and she closed her eyes, waiting, expecting. After another moment of the dreaded anticipation, Clark pulled back. Lois opened her eyes, a look of resignation in them.
"I'm…I'm sorry, Lois," he murmured. He didn't need to look up to know she had walked away. He didn't need to look up to know she was crying.
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I told you that you wouldn't like this chapter...but don't worry, I'm a quick updater. Leave reviews! I love feedback! And I think I deserve some for the work I put into my stories. Thanks for reading!
