Chapter 18
Clark sat on the steps leading into the pool as he watched Lois dive head first into the lukewarm water. It was too warm for his taste, but then again, he wasn't exactly the epitome of human tolerance. He smiled as he watched Lois swim towards him, a small squirt of water funneling out of her mouth as she gently waded.
There was no one else in the pool or even in the whole room. He figured that the sauna or the hot tub would have been in use, but it wasn't. He continued to smile as Lois finally made her way to him. The water was up to his shoulders as he sat.
"Are you just going to sit there?" she asked, bending at the knees so that the water was up to her neck.
"What? And risk drowning in the deep end? I don't think so Lois." He grinned as he played her little game.
The heat of the room had fogged the windows, steam softly rising from the warm water in the pool. The lights were down low, more from the effect of him playing with the dimmer switch by the entrance. When he had noticed that no one else was around, he had thought of locking the door, but he wasn't one to do something that was in any way malevolent.
"The boy scout is afraid of the deep end?" Lois mocked, resting her hands on his knees and looking at him. "Come on," she said, pulling on his legs as he leaned back, his arms outstretched and resting on the steps.
"Fine," Clark responded, relenting to her begging. It wasn't that he didn't like deep water, but it was more of a distaste for treading water. Swimming he could do, but to tread endlessly in a pool was not his idea of fun.
Lois held onto his hand as she pulled him out and into the middle of the pool. There was something about the darkness of the room, the steam rising from the water, and the fogged windows that caused her to fantasize. They were all alone too and that had her not only hot and bothered, but incredibly curious.
"So," she said, spinning around and facing him as she stood on her tip toes so that her chin was just above the water. "What can a man with special abilities do in water?"
Clark looked at her awkwardly and shrugged. "I haven't really put it to test, but if I can remember correctly, something about swimming fast I believe."
"Care to demonstrate?" She got up tight to him, her breasts poking against his chest as he could feel the heat from his nostrils hitting her face.
"I'm not sure, Lois, this is a public place after all." He looked left and right in a rather suspicious manner.
"Come on," she coaxed him, lightly trailing a finger down his chin and chest, making sure to pull his trunk's elastic. She grinned wildly as she watched his eyes bulge out in surprise.
"Lois," Clark gasped in agony, not sure if he could contain the ever growing bulge in his pants. When she looked at his chest and then back up at him, her eyes flashing seductiveness, he groaned and did what she asked. Out of fear more than need, he slipped below the water and looked up at her. Her face was visible through the blurry murk of the water, but when he looked right in front, he was greeted to the splendor of her chest. Gulping, he tore his eyes away and sped away.
Lois watched in fascination as Clark sped around under the water, his body almost completely invisible as he moved at an incredible rate. Soon enough, she lost sight of him and looked around. "Clark?" She suddenly became worried as he didn't answer. "Smallville?"
Clark smiled a he hid in the darkness of the deep end. With the lights dimmed, the depth of the pool wasn't visible. He slowly allowed himself to drift upwards. Peeking above the water, he slowly moved towards her. She had her back turned and he got right up to her, his left hand reaching around her stomach and turning her towards him, his nose almost touching hers. "Right here," he said softly.
Lois's breath caught in her lungs as she was spun around, but she let her heart beat steadily once again as she could feel his hot breath on her cheek. "You scared me."
"Something tells me you like being scared." He lifted his right hand out of the water and put it softly on the back of her head. "It's hot in here," he commented, his lips getting closer to hers by the second.
"It sure is," she replied, her eyes closing as she waited for him to capture her lips. It never arrived though, a sudden shout breaking them apart as she opened her eyes. The lights suddenly went to full brilliance as she squinted in pain. The moment had been so perfect, so serene, and now that it had been interrupted she wanted to put the person who had interrupted them on a spike. "Who the h-."
Clark put a finger to her mouth to keep her from spewing out a curse. "Kids," he said, lifting his finger from her mouth and smiling.
"Kids?" She turned her head, only to see a young boy jump into the pool and splash them both with a high wave. She spit out a mouthful of water as Clark laughed. "What's so funny?" she asked.
"Nothing," he responded.
"I hope we didn't disturb you?" An older woman asked as she held a little girl in her arms.
"No, I do believe that this is a public pool," Clark answered. When the older woman nodded, he swam away from Lois and went up the steps. Walking along the edge, he found a pool chair and grabbed his towel.
Lois followed him out of the water and to the chair. She grabbed her own towel and draped it around her shoulders. "So much for a nice swim."
"It's not our pool, Lois."
She rolled her eyes at his defensive words. "Your corny attitude is really starting to bother me."
Clark grinned and said. "And you love me for it." It was bold comment, but he knew she'd react just the way he hoped.
"Maybe," she replied slyly, rubbing the towel into her hair to try and dry it out.
With his towel in hand, he grabbed Lois by the arm and directed her towards the hot tub. It was situated not far from the pool, but it was still a good length away so that no one could hear them.
"Let go of me." Lois swatted him playfully as she allowed him to guide her to the warm water of the hot tub. Normally she wouldn't allow him to direct her anywhere, but she was thinking the same thing he was.
"Yes ma'am." He let go of her and slipped into the hot tub, burying himself in the hot water. Again, it wasn't to his comfort, but he just wanted to be alone with Lois. Smiling, he extended his arms out onto the edges and sighed. "Heaven."
Lois dropped her towel next to Clark's on the brick floor and strode down the steps into the warm water. She exhaled pleasantly as she allowed the warmth to soak her arms and legs. She crouched, allowing the water to catch most of her body. Smiling, she sat beside him and leaned her head back on his left forearm. "Heaven it is," she said as she closed her eyes in delight.
Clark smiled as he looked at her. Normally any man's eyes would have gone to her bust just perking up out of the water, but his eyes were transfixed on her face. She looked even more beautiful when wet, something he had heard her say to him many a time.
"Clark?" Lois asked suddenly.
He cringed. He knew that tone and it was one he had been looking to avoid all night. "Yeah?" he asked with a deflated voice.
"I don't want to pry, but you seemed upset earlier. Is it because of Candice? If I've invaded your friendship with her, I'm sorry."
"No, it's not that." He gave her a weak smile and wrapped his left arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. "I got some news about those Phantoms I told you about."
"Oh." She snuggled into the crook of his arm. "Anything troubling?"
"Not really. I'm just concerned."
Lois smiled and tapped his chest with her left hand. "The day your concern leaves you is the day the sun stops shining."
"What do you mean?"
She looked up at him. "I'm just saying that you feel for everything and everyone. Your concern for this world, the people around you, it makes you who you are. You're unique, there aren't many like you on this world."
Clark nodded and said. "I can think of a few others, but maybe none more than you."
"Me?" she asked with a frown.
"Yeah, you. You accept me for who I am, yet you still fee an obligation to protect me even though I am invulnerable. Sure, you feel more for those close to you, but so does everyone else. What I see that most others don't is an overwhelming sense of self pride. Your mask of selfishness is only a barrier to hide your true love for your fellow man. It's simple really, you just go about it another way than I do."
"Meh," Lois commented, waving her hand in the air to dismiss his words.
Clark laughed at her attitude and felt a sudden rush of water hit his face. Closing his eyes, he wiped away the water and opened them. He was greeted with a grinning young boy of about six.
"Hey!"
"Hello," Clark replied as he felt Lois disengage herself from him. "Can I help you?"
"Nope," he kid replied, shaking his head as he smiled ruefully. "Who are you?"
"Curious little bugger isn't he?" Lois asked.
"Lois," Clark said with a warning tone. She really needed to watch her language around children. "I'm Clark, who are you?" he asked as he kept his eyes on the young boy.
"Stewart. Are you two married?"
Lois almost spit. "No!"
The boy, startled by the woman's outburst, pushed back against the other side of the hot tub.
Clark put his hand on her knee underneath the water. "No, Stewart, we're not married."
The young boy frowned. "You look like your married."
Lois looked to Clark, who returned her awkward glance. "Why do say that?" she asked.
The little sandy haired boy shrugged. "You two hold each other like you're married."
Clark smiled at the young boy. "People don't have to be married to hold each other."
"Or kiss," Lois added.
"Lois," Clark warned again.
"What?" When he frowned, she rolled her eyes and laughed. She looked back to the young boy who was getting out of the water. "Leaving already?"
"Yeah, I'm going to go ask my mom if what you two said is right."
"Why?" Lois asked.
"You two look happy, so I thought that if I find a girl to hold like that, I could be happy too." He ran off to his mother, leaving the other two occupants in the pool to themselves.
Clark laughed and leaned his head back.
"Kids," Lois said with a snort. "Doesn't anything put a damper on their curiosity?"
"Nope, but when they get to our age they'll realize that all it takes is one woman to wrap their minds so tightly that they can't think of anything else."
"So you think of me all the time?" she asked with a smirk.
"Constantly." He pulled her to him and turned to face her. "You have no idea how much I think of you."
Lois gulped as she felt his eyes burning a hole into her soul. "How much?" she dared.
"More than you could ever know."
"Try me." She grinned wickedly.
He chuckled and pressed his lips to hers, putting no concern to whether or not they were alone. She slowly positioned herself and put her right leg over his knee. He felt her left hand go to his cheek as she pressed harder into his mouth. Everything about her tantalized him, her touch, her smell, and her taste even. "Lois," he said in a heated breath, desperately trying to pull himself back into reality.
"Shut up," she hissed, trying hard not to lose her focus. It proved much easier than she thought, his lips begging her to continue. Her love had never felt stronger, her heart beating a mile a minute as she continued to lose herself in his embrace. She was ripped out of her pleasure when he forcibly removed her from his lap and pushed her away.
"We aren't the only ones here."
Lois pushed her wet hair away from her eyes and frowned. "Way to ruin the moment," she said as she sat on the other side of the hot tub from him.
"Like I said, there are other people here too. Children even."
"So? It's not like we would be scarring them for life." She grumbled and looked away from him.
"And I thought I was the one who would have trouble restraining my urges." He smiled as she glared at him.
"Who said I wasn't? Your reservations about intimacy are stone age, Kent."
Still grinning, he drifted over to her and crouched in front of her. "It's not intimacy that I'm worried about; it's about setting a good example."
Lois closed her eyes and shook her head laughing. "God, I'm starting to really love your Boy Scout routine."
"It was only a matter of time," he replied, his teeth splitting his lips in a toothy grin.
Lois rolled her eyes for the hundredth time and grabbed his hand, pulling him in for another kiss. She only let it last for a moment before she let go of his lips with her teeth. "Time is something that I wish we had forever, but I think you know I'm not a big fan of getting wrinkly."
Clark laughed with her and got out of the hot tub, lifting his towel off the ground and draping it over Lois's shoulders as she exited after him.
"Ever thought about wearing a Speedo?" she asked suddenly.
"What?" He looked down to his old swim shorts and said. "I think these things work well."
Lois shook her head. She spied him through the towel, looking him up and down. "I'm just curious as to how you look in a tight bathing suit."
Clark stared at her humorous and twinkling eyes, not sure whether or not he should feel embarrassed or proud. "I don't know, and I don't want to know."
"Come on Smallville," Lois pestered.
"Maybe for your birthday," he relented.
She pointed a finger at him and waggled it. "I'm holding you to that."
"Only if you promise to strip for me again," he replied, grinning wide and wiggling his eyebrows.
Lois's jaw fell down, but she quickly closed it and walked towards him. "Remember, Smallville, the whole world doesn't know about you night light, but it would only take a couple minutes before they did."
Clark looked down at her evil stare and nodded. "A Speedo it is," he replied tentatively, his eyes blinking over and over.
"That's what I thought." She flung her towel around her shoulders and headed towards the chair by the pool. The young boy that had jumped into the hot tub with them was now in the pool and swimming around like a fish. She smiled as he kicked and flailed wildly.
Clark sat down beside her in the other chair. "You okay?" he asked, seeing the strange look on her face.
"I'm fine."
He followed her line of sight and noticed the young boy shouting to his mom, who was wading in the shallow end with her daughter. "Getting soft?" he asked.
"What?" she replied loudly, tearing her eyes away from the young boy and looking to Clark. "Soft? Me? Ha! I don't think so." She turned away from his gaze and hid her face. Truth was, she was getting soft, and she blamed Clark for it. She even had thoughts about having children with the alien, even though she wasn't one to rush into a relationship. Well, it wasn't any kind of relationship, it was something more profound and deep than anything she had ever experienced.
"Let's go," she said suddenly, standing up and heading for the change room.
"What?" Clark asked in confusion, standing up and following after her. "What's wrong?" he asked, catching up to her and placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Nothing, I just feel like getting back to our room." She shrugged out of his grasp and went in the women's change room, leaving Clark standing rigidly.
He watched as she left his sight. Something was wrong, he knew it. With a few wary steps, he slipped into the men's change room and sped through his dressing. It took only a matter of seconds before he was fully dressed. Finding a plastic bag, he wrapped his trunks in his towel and slipped them in. Tying up the handles, he slung it over his shoulder and exited. He leaned against the wall as he waited patiently for Lois to come out.
Lois sat on the bench, her head buried in her hands as she looked down at her feet. She didn't know why, but at the moment she was incredibly anxious. She was incredibly worried about whether or not Clark would be able produce children. What if he couldn't produce a child with a mortal woman, what if he couldn't have a child with her?
She looked up from her feet and slowly undid her wet top, still thinking hard. She hated jumping to conclusions, even if she knew she shouldn't be, but she loved him more than life itself, and being her, she just couldn't stop. Sighing heavily, she dressed quickly and made her way out of the change room.
"Lois?" Clark asked, worried.
"Yeah?" She put on a fake smile as she almost bumped into him on her way out.
"I hate to be a stickler, but I don't it when I know something is wrong and you won't tell me what it is."
She took a deep breath and walked past him, quickly making her way to the exit and the elevator. She could hear Clark quickly chasing after her.
"I'm sorry I'm being nosey," he apologized.
"No, Smallville, it's me. I know I'm acting a little prickly, but just give me a few minutes, okay?"
He nodded and walked by her side, gently taking her hand in his. She gripped back tightly, as if she was scared. He could feel the uneasiness in her touch and the tension in her heartbeat. The pulse on her wrist was beating ferociously as he accompanied her into the elevator and up to their room.
It didn't take more than a minute, but once they were inside their room, she opened up.
"I don't want to throw this on you now, and I know that we've decided to take things slow, but you and I both know how we feel about on another." Lois dropped her bathing suit into the bathroom sink and came back out. "Something struck me earlier, and it has me worried."
"What is it?" he asked softly, dropping his bag on the floor and taking her hands in his. Her touch was cold, almost clammy.
"I've been thinking. Can you have children with a human?" Her eyes lifted from the ground and bore into his.
"Why are you asking this?"
Lois let go of his hands and walked from the bedroom and into the living room, finding a spot on the couch in front of the TV. "I know I don't jump to conclusions or act irrationally, but it really struck me down at the pool."
"What struck you?"
Lois sighed as he sat down beside her. "What if you can't have children Clark? I know I don't seem like the kind of person who could raise a kid, but should one day I decide, well, we decide to have kids, I'd like to know if it is even possible."
"What's brought this up?" he asked, taking her hand in his again as he shifted himself to face her.
Lois could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as she faced him. "I was staring at that young boy in the pool and I couldn't help but wondering what it would be like to have children. Then I realized that you were the only person I could imagine myself ever conceiving with. It hit me a second later though. You're not human, and who knows if it's even possible for you to have children."
Clark pulled her into him as he felt her tears fall down her cheeks and land on his arms. "I don't know if I can or not Lois, but I promise that I will try to find out." He felt her pain, but he truly didn't understand where it had all come from. Lois was never one to jump to conclusions, but he figured it must have been something she didn't think of often. Her fright was unnerving and incredibly uncommon. "Stranger things have happened Lois, you getting pregnant with an alien child, my alien child, is not as far fetched as you may think."
"Really?" she asked, lifting her tear stained face to stare at him.
"Really." He wiped away her tears and smiled. "I don't know, but I know I love you and I would do anything in my power to make you happy. I'll admit, the talk of children frightens me, especially because we're so young and we've only been together a day, but I do understand."
"You do?"
Clark almost laughed. It was so unusual to see Lois so unsure of herself, but it was also comforting to know that he had the words that could make it better. As much as he could save lives, mending the heart was impossible, but he would always try none the less. "Of course I understand, it's not like I don't think of these things. Take it I used to consider these things about Lana, but now that we've found one another, I can't think of no one else I would rather have a child with. Of all the people I know, you'd be one who could do it. You're the strongest woman I know and there is no doubt in my mind that should that time ever come, we will try our best."
Lois smiled and wiped away her tears. "I hate acting foolish like this," she said.
Clark gripped her chin and lifted her eyes to his. "It's not foolish, just a little quick. This conversation would have happened eventually, you and I both know that, but it's good that we can talk about it openly. Dwelling on the unanswered questions we may both have is not healthy. Being in love means we share everything with one another. I know that now and I wouldn't have it any other way."
She nodded and kissed him softly. "You always know how to make me feel better."
"I try my best," he replied, dropping his hands from her face and wrapping her tightly in a hug. He kissed the top of her head as she leaned into his chest and sighed. It still surprised him at how quickly her emotions could get the best of her. Over the past day he had learned so much more about her than he could have ever imagined. Love played havoc with her mind, it was obvious, but it made him incredibly happy to know that she loved him enough to trust him with everything. Her fears had always been her own, but he knew that sharing them with him was the final piece of the barrier that had to fall.
It was near ten when she finally fell asleep on his chest, but not for one moment did he think about moving. Her slow rhythmic breathing was soothing and relaxing. Finally daring to move, he slowly gathered her up and carried her to their bedroom. He wasn't tired himself, so he simply laid her down on the red mattress. With a heavy sigh, he closed the door. Things were getting more difficult than ever before. The idea of dealing with another criminal from the Phantom Zone was seemingly more dangerous. He now had a lot more to lose.
-
Jimmy slipped the card into the lock and opened the door. He and Chloe had walked Candice back to her hotel room just a few floors down. He couldn't say that he had had a great time shopping with the three women, but he wasn't perturbed about it either. He allowed his girlfriend to enter first as he followed after.
He heard Chloe says Clark's name as he set the many bags he was holding down. He looked up to notice Clark sitting at the dining room table, his hands folded one overtop of the other as he rested his chin upon them. His elbows were sitting rock solid on the table as his back was slumped.
"What's wrong?" Chloe asked, walking over to her large friend and sitting aside from him in an empty chair.
"Nothing," Clark responded, taking a deep breath and looking at his best friend.
"Where's Lois?"
"Sleeping."
"Why? It's only eleven," she said as she checked her watch.
Clark sighed again and folded his arms across his chest as he leaned back.
"Did something happen between you two?" Chloe asked with a worried tone.
"No, well not in the sense that you're talking about, but yes, something happened."
"What?"
Clark tried to smile, but failed miserably. "She had some questions, well, concerns about whether or not we could have children."
"Oh," she replied with surprise. "I didn't think you guys would talk about that sort of thing until you were married."
Shaking his head in wonder, he said. "We've been together for a day, yet she is already having reservations about having my children. Her fright is warranted, I'll give her that, but for the love of it, why so soon? I love her more than anyone in the world, but it just made things worse."
Chloe motioned with her head as she looked to Jimmy.
He caught her drift went to their bedroom, closing the door behind him.
Clark waited until Jimmy was gone before he continued. "I jut don't get it. This isn't the Lois I know. Usually she would be the last person to think of this sort of thing. Her sudden rush to conclusions has me worried."
Chloe understood, but she also knew there was another reason why Lois was acting like she was. "You must remember Clark, Lois doesn't know how to react when she is in love. She was hurt by Oliver, it was inadvertent, but she was hurt none the less. Now she has found something so strong, something she wants to fight for, and she is confused. Her worries are not foreign either, I have them too. Every woman has them, but usually we don't think too hard about them."
Clark was still upset and confused; he didn't feel any better about it all.
"Clark, you have to get it through your head that Lois is in uncharted territory and she's scared. She loves you so much that she can't help but acting like she does."
"I just don't know what to do. There is so much I have to lose now. She wants to have my children, Chloe!"
"Being a hero means having to sometimes put others in danger, but you know full well Lois can handle it. Why do you think you told her everything? She is the love of your life Clark, even though you've only been together one day. Deep down you know this too, but you must realize that Lois is the strongest woman on this earth. She would sacrifice herself for you in a split second, just as you would for her. It's okay to be scared when she goes a little crazy like she did, but I think you know that she'll e okay in the end."
He dropped his head onto his arms as he fell towards the table. "I hate seeing her so upset. I just wish I could make all her worries disappear."
"That, Clark," Chloe began, "is the reason why you're a hero, not a god."
He looked over to Chloe and smiled weakly. "Thank you."
"Anytime," she replied, squeezing his arm softly. She stood up and left him to his lonesome, entering her and Jimmy's room. She closed the door and leaned up against the back of it heavily.
"Something wrong?" Jimmy asked.
"No, but for a moment there I thought there might have been."