Disclaimer: DC Comics and WB Entertainment own everything. No profit is being made from this story. This is strictly for my own amusement.
Author's Notes: I thought I would add a few more chapters to this story, but instead of the usual, 'let's go out on a few dates and get to know each other,' I wanted something unique and different for Clois. I rarely do crossovers, but I hope you enjoy it. Reviews are love, everyone.
~o~o~
Chapter 2: Racing with Destiny
The city park, minutes later:
Lois Lane had always considered herself a practical person. She didn't believe in ghosts, witches, vampires, werewolves, or any of that supernatural mumbo jumbo, and certainly not alien beings, but that was before he had walked into her life. Or should that be flown into her life? She didn't know what to think now. If a man could fly, then what else was possible? It was as if she was looking at the world through a pair of new prescription glasses, and she could see everything differently and clearly for the first time in her life.
Hovering in the sky and staring at his profile, she thought back over the past few weeks. Superman … that was the name I'd given him, and it obviously fits, just like his costume, not to mention that smile, and his eyes. Not believing it's only been a matter of a few weeks since they had met, but here she was, holding onto a dream, a fantasy, but it wasn't a dream or a fantasy, it was real.
Clark caught her look and grinned at her. They drifted down from the sky, her arms around his neck, his eyes staring into her soul, reading her, understanding her and all she could do was gape at him like an idiot.
Soon they were on the ground, but she wouldn't let go of him. "Are you Ok?" He asked when she just stared up at him.
"Uh, huh," she replied still staring.
He grinned again. "Lois, it's getting late. We should go."
"Oh, ok," she said. "Ummm, go where?"
"Your apartment? It's not far, is it?" He asked.
That woke her up. "You know where I live?" She asked as she removed her arms from around his neck.
Now, it was Clark's turn to gape at her. "Ummm, yeah, I … Ummm … watch out for you from time to time."
"Clark, you watch out for me? How long have you been doing that?"
"Only a few days," he replied.
"A few days, but I thought you only arrived in Metropolis today."
"No, Lois, I had to find a place to stay and …"
That did it. Lois was furious with him. She stomped over to her car mumbling all the way. "You've been in town for days, and you never called me or tried to email or even text me? And now you've been checking up on me without my knowledge?" She opened the car door, got in and started the car.
Clark leaned into the passenger-side window. "Lois, wait, I'm sorry. I know I should have called, but …."
"I don't want to hear any more excuses. Apparently, I'm not significant enough in your life to give me a call, and now you're stalking me and checking up on me. Well, I don't need that type of person in my life, superpowers or not." She drove off, screeching tires in her wake.
"Lois, Lois!" She wasn't stopping. Clark ran his hands through his hair. "Dammit."
~o~o~
Ten minutes later, Lois' apartment:
Lois was still fuming and upset. Their beautiful flight over the clouds had turned into a disaster. Tears hovered waiting to fall. She was so mad at him that she wanted to scream and cry all at the same time. "I cannot believe him." She was still mumbling to herself.
Slipping out of her shoes, she walked into the kitchen, got a beer, put it back and decided to have something a bit stronger. Pulling out a bottle of wine, she poured herself a drink, but then she heard a noise. Turning, she looked at the window, and it was him hovering outside. She was so shocked that the dropped the wine glass on the floor and it broke and the wine spilled all over the floor and her bare feet.
Before she could lean down and pick up the glass with her bare hands, which would have cut her fingers, he was there on the floor picking up the pieces of broken glass and putting them into the trash can next to the counter.
She crossed her arms and tried not to stare at him, but she couldn't seem to stop. He squatted down in front of her to pick up the glass. His hair gleamed in the moonlight. His strong shoulders and long arms were huge and bulging, and the suit was glorious, so blue, and the cape flowed out behind him. Closing her eyes for a moment, she tried to regain some semblance of a functioning brain and backed up to put some distance between them.
"Don't move," he said.
"Clark, what is it?"
"There's glass just behind you." He leaned over and his shoulder touched her, and she thought she was going to faint.
"There, I got it." He stood up, and his eyes were on hers then he was standing directly in front of her.
She looked everywhere but at his face.
"Are you still mad?" He asked softly.
Her heart was pounding and then her eyes moved from the 'S' on his chest up past the sprinkle of hair peeping out from his suit to his strong throat, his cleft chin, and his lips, his nose and then his eyes. Lois could have sworn that they were twinkling. His knowing smile made her angry.
"Yes, I'm still mad," she managed to say.
"Lois, I'm sorry. I'm an idiot, but the reason I didn't contact you was because …" He hesitated.
"Because …?" She prompted.
He turned from her and went to stand over by the fireplace. "The last time we were together, I thought maybe you never wanted to see me again."
She frowned. "Why would you think that?"
He turned to her. "Because of Zod and what happened in the train station."
"You truly believed that I would turn against you because of what you did? Truly?"
"Yes, I truly thought that, but then I thought maybe you genuinely did want to see me again. So, I came here to Metropolis, entered my resume online and hoped we might have a small chance of getting to know each other." He came over to her. "But then you recognized me, and I thought maybe you hadn't forgotten what we went through, and it gave me hope."
"Oh, Clark," she whispered. "I had that same hope."
"But today at the office, I got the impression you were avoiding me."
"I was at first." She looked him up and down. "Seeing you in the suit just now was a jolt to my senses. You truly are something." She paused as she stared at him. "But today at the office, seeing you in a suit and tie, it brought it all back to me. You're just a man wanting to be with me, and I got a little scared."
"We were both scared and all for the wrong reasons." He declared. "Can we start over?"
"I'd like that." She smiled at him then the tension came back. "Well, Ummm, would you like something to drink?"
"No thanks, I don't drink when I fly." He came over to her and took her hand. She seemed to relax a bit. "I'll say goodnight, and I'll see you in the morning."
She looked down at their joined hands and up into this face. "Goodnight, Clark."
"Goodnight, Lois." He squeezed her hand. He turned toward the window.
She watched him walk away. "Clark, wait." She walked over to him and couldn't seem to stop herself, she touched his chest. "Do I have to ask?"
He shook his head at her. He came closer, leaned down and kissed her, not too forward, just a kiss, but then his head turned to gain entrance and he waited for her to kiss him back the way he wanted her to, and then it happened. He pulled her closer and kissed her over and over again.
Lois was melting in his arms, but she had to stop this before something happened. She pushed him away a little. "Goodnight, Clark." She was amazed she could actually speak.
"Goodnight, Lois."
He leapt onto the window ledge, and then he was gone.
~o~o~
Later that night, they were both alone in their beds. Lois couldn't sleep. Clark couldn't either. A full hour later, still tossing and turning, they finally fell into a restless sleep. Hours went by and then:
Somewhere in the mists of a dream:
The Daily Planet bullpen:
As their dream began, they just so happened that they were in the elevator at the same time. Making eye contact every now and then, they entered the bullpen, and they suddenly realized that it was not the same bullpen from yesterday. It was obviously different. A few people they recognized, but most of them were strangers. There weren't as many desks as before and everyone wasn't as cramped either. It was strange, but there weren't nearly as many reporters as before either.
They glanced at each other then they spoke at the same time. "Is this a dream?"
They managed to put one foot in front of the other. "Where's my desk?" Clark asked.
"Mine is missing too." Lois said.
"There you are," Jimmy spoke up. They, of course, didn't know who he was. "Welcome back. I thought you guys weren't coming back until next week. So, how was Hawaii?"
"Hawaii?" They spoke at the same time.
Jimmy grinned and shook his head at them. "Same old Lois and Clark … so, should I call you Mrs. Lane-Kent or just Mrs. Kent?"
Both their mouths dropped open in shock. They glanced at each other and then they both realized that they were wearing wedding rings.
A few moments passed then Lois finally found her voice. "Mrs. Lane-Kent is fine."
"Jimmy!?" That was Perry.
"Coming, Chief." He left them alone.
Clark tried to focus. "His name is Jimmy and he's a photographer if that camera around his neck is his, and he knows us as …" He swallowed. "A married couple?" They glanced at the rings again.
She pulled his arm. "It's just a dream, remember. It's not the future or anything like that. We barely know each other."
"Lois, this has never happened to me before. I mean, weird stuff happened over the past few weeks, but this is downright strange," he whispered.
"You're telling me?" She went in search of their desks but then spotted an office with their names on the doors. "This must be the place."
"We're partners?!" Clark exclaimed, shocked and worried. "And we're married too?"
She pulled him inside and shut the door. She glanced at him, and he didn't look well. "Clark calm down. Here take a seat."
He sat down and of course he glanced around their well-appointed office. "It looks as if we do alright."
"Apparently," she whispered and looked around. "OMG! I have another Pulitzer?"
That got Clark's attention. He watched as she walked over to the wall and there it was. "It says here that the title of the article was 'Why The World Doesn't Need Superman.' What the hell does that mean?"
"I haven't a clue," Clark muttered, jealous and upset. "We need to wake up."
"I like this." She stroked the Pulitzer.
"I'm sure you do. Look Lois, I'll pinch you and you pinch me, although that might not work with me."
"You think?" Lois deadpanned then held out her arm. "If one of us wakes up, then the other one should too. Make sense?"
"I hope so." Then he pinched her.
"Ouch!" She looked around. "No luck. Now what do we do?"
"We ride it out, I guess."
There was a knock at the door. It was Perry. "Welcome back. How was Hawaii?"
Lois played along. "It was fantastic, Perry. We wanted never to leave, right honey?" She glanced at Clark.
Clark cleared his throat. "It was perfect."
"Well, before you get settled, you know you made it back just in time for the ceremony. Its tomorrow night and everyone will be there."
"Everyone?" Lois asked.
"Ceremony?" Clark asked.
Perry shook his head at them. Too much sun, maybe? He thought. "Sure, the Planet staff, newspapers from around the world, everyone!"
"Of course," Lois said.
Once Perry had left, Clark stood up and looked out the window. "Wow, this is some dream. Lois, come look at this."
She walked over to the window then Lois was so shocked, she almost passed out. "The city is rebuilt?"
"It's a dream, Lois. The invasion never happened."
"Clark, we really, really need to wake up. Everyone must be frantic and wondering where we are. If they find us in our beds, I hope we're still alive and not in some kind of catatonic state or something."
He took her by the shoulders. "Lois, now calm down. It's only been a few minutes, and besides I don't think dreams work that way. We could be here for days or even weeks, but the time won't have changed at all. You'll see."
"Did you say days or weeks?" She couldn't fathom it. She needed his comfort. Then she went into his arms. "Just tell me everything will be alright, please Clark."
He held her close. "You know dreams are just wish fulfillment. That's all." She was always the strong one, but she was scared and he was too.
She held him tighter. "And nightmares, what are those?"
"Our fears we can't face in the real world," he replied believing it.
She pulled back, truly worried now. "Is this a nightmare?"
He touched her cheek hoping to reassure her. "I don't think it is."
She smiled at him but then she had a thought. "Clark, what about Superman?"
They both stared at his chest. He opened his shirt, and it was there.
They both sighed, happy about that at least.
Then, sure enough, Clark heard something. "I'm sorry, but I have to leave."
Lois understood. "I'll be Ok. Go on."
He wanted to kiss her goodbye, but it felt strange. She helped him out then leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Go on now."
He smiled and hurried off.
~o~o~
A little while later, still in their office:
While Clark was gone, Lois had been busy. Dying to read the article that had earned her another Pulitzer, she contacted IT, and they helped her to log on. Her password was 'Superman'? Lois rolled her eyes, but she had to grin. She read the article and it may have been the biggest mistake of her life. "This is a nightmare."
Minutes later, Clark came back, but then he saw her face, and it was streaked with tears. "Lois, what happened?"
"You have to read this." She stood up and went over to the window.
Clark sat down and read the article. "Lois, please don't let this get to you. It doesn't mean it's going to happen to us. I would never leave you, especially not saying goodbye. I wouldn't do that to you."
Lois wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "It's pretty clear that she didn't know that you were Superman, but she loved you, very much." She paused. "You broke her heart Clark."
He went to her and tried to pull her close, but she backed up. He dropped his arms. "Lois, please, this is all a dream and that article may have brought up your fears about me and whether I'll stay with you. You do see that don't you?" She shook her head as if she didn't believe him. Now he was getting angry. He then pointed to their office. "This, this is not real. This is not us." He was firm with her.
Lois also looked around. "There's more than just the article. Click on pictures."
He frowned but did as she said. "Oh no."
Tears blinded. "It's true, Clark, we had a child, but he … he didn't make it."
He glanced at her, and he had to reassure her somehow. He walked over to her and pulled her close.
Clark finally agreed with her. "This is a nightmare."
TBC!
~o~o~
Song Inspiration: One Moment in Time, Whitney Houston.
A/N: Oh, dear, me. This chapter was truly interesting to write the way it unfolded. If you've read my other works, then you know I've written a lot of SR fiction, but this was fun and tough to write, as well. To answer any questions, no, as you can tell, physically, Jason will not be in here, and neither will Richard. This is strictly Lois and Clark, their true destiny and getting better acquainted, if you know what I mean. There will be a few more chapters. Comment, please? Thank you so much.
