Chapter 15

Clark opened Tess' door and started singing. "Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you."

Tess flung upwards, eyes wide. "What's going on?"

Clark ignored her question and kept on singing. "Happy birthday dear Tess. Happy Birthday to you!" He moved out of the way for Jonathan to carefully carry a tray laden with pancakes and orange juice to Tess.

"Essa!" Jonathan held up the tray, a contagious smile on his face.

"What is this?" Tess looked at Clark, still confused.

"Breakfast in Bed." Clark answered as if it were obvious.

"Why?"

"It's your birthday, remember." Clark sat on the edge of her bed.

"I actually forgot." She blushed and took the tray of Jonathan, "Thank you."

"I can tell you how old you are if you've forgotten." Clark gave her a cheeky grin.

"Say it aloud and you'll regret it." Tess threatened playfully, cutting up the pancakes. Jonathan climbed up on the bed and started eating one of the pieces. "Yes you can eat that Jonathan. Thanks for asking." The light-hearted sarcasm was lost on the little boy – he merely looked up and grinned with lips covered in maple syrup. Tess smiled at him before looking at Clark. "Want to join me?"

Clark stared at her. Join her in bed? When she was only wearing that ridiculously short but perfectly fitting nightdress? "Ah…" He could feel his cheeks heat up.

"I meant the breakfast Clark." Tess gave him a look. "There's a two year old in here. Mind out of the gutter."

"Of course you did." Clark moved up the bed and snagged a piece. "This is good. Remind me to give compliments to the chef."

Tess rolled her eyes. "An inflated ego is not attractive Clark."

He leant forward, spearing another piece with a fork, never loosing eye contact with her. "And what is?"

Tess swooned into her pillows dramatically. "Fitzwilliam Darcy." She sighed with her forearm over her forehead. "My husband."

Clark dropped his fork on the quilt cover. "You're married?"

Tess burst out laughing, rolling over onto her side. Jonathan looked at her like she was crazy before mimicking her, laughing and rolling around like a lunatic. "I wish!" She said, still laughing hysterically. "I can't believe…" She was having trouble breathing now.

Clark sat her up. "Easy now. Breath."

"I can't believe." She was still laughing, a little calmer now. "You thought that…"

"Why?" Clark asked, curiously. "Who is he?"

Her laughs subsided into chuckles as she calmed down. "The main male from Pride and Prejudice." A dreamy quality entered her voice as she continued. "You know the tall dark handsome somewhat shy but absolutely wonderful man."

Relief flooded Clark. "Oh that's ok then. I thought you were being serious for a second."

"I would've told you Clark." Tess took his hand. "You know all of my secrets now. Including my unrequited love for Mr Darcy." Her lips quirked at the last words.

He squeezed her hand back. "I know. You're just full of surprises sometimes."

Jonathan leant forward put a finger in the sticky mess Clark had created when he dropped the fork. "Bad dada."

Tess nodded seriously. "Bad bad Dada. He's going to have to do the laundry again." She held back a smile. "Or he could bring me out the ballet tickets he's hiding in his sock drawer."

"How do you know about that?" Clark asked. He was sure he'd managed to keep that a secret.

"Oh Clark I know everything." She gave him a wicked smile and popped a piece of pancake into her mouth in almost seductive manner.

Just a friend. Just a friend. Clark looked at her. Was she flirting with him? Or was she just being friendly? He'd always been bad at working out the difference. "Ok then," He stood up. "When you're done get dressed because there's something you don't know."

"Really?" Her eyes lit up with interest. "What is it?"

It was his turn to smile wickedly. "Wait and see. And dress for summer."

She put the half finished plate on the tray and placed it on her bedside table. "Done."

"Tess, you barely ate." Clark frowned at her.

"Please, there were enough calories in that to keep me going for a week."

"Eat." He ordered her, leaning over to pick up Jonathan.

"Or what, you'll make me?"

"You asked for it." Holding Jonathan under his arm, he grabbed a pancake and stuffed it in her half open mouth.

She made a muffled sound that was either his name or a four letter word he didn't want Jonathan to learn. She chewed and swallowed. "Happy now?" She licked the excess syrup off her lips.

Clark watched her tongue move around her mouth and imagined kissing that same mouth. "Very happy."

"Well then get out."

Clark looked up, startled. Could she tell what I was thinking? Oh God, He panicked. "Why?"

"I have to get dressed don't I?" She gave him a pointed look.

"Right. I'll leave. I'll be… in the kitchen." Clark backed hurriedly out the door, still carrying Jonathan who looked up at his father, mouth covered in maple syrup. "Cleaning Jonathan up."

"Essa 'pise now?" Jonathan asked.

"Soon," Clark promised, putting him next to the sink in the kitchen. He grabbed a clean washer and wiped Jonathan face. "Honestly, I think one of you're abilities is super messiness."

"No, that's what most children are like." Tess walked in, dressed in a light blue sundress with a long sleeve white cotton shirt over it. She twirled for Clark. "Summery enough for you?"

"Perfect."

"Essa Pretty!" Jonathan crowded. "Now Essa pise?"

"Now we can go to Tess' surprise." Clark told him and picked up a full picnic basket.

Tess looked out the window to the white ground and falling snow. "Clark, where are we going? It's snowing."

"Not where we're going." He deposited Jonathan in her arms and picked her up bridal style.

"Where are we going?" Tess repeated as they took off out the door and up into the sky.

"A place you've love."

"That's specific." Tess said sarcastically. "Jonathan," She smiled sweetly at the boy lying in her arms. "Where are we going? You can tell Essa."

Clark chuckled. "Someone's desperate."

"Essa' pise." Jonathan answered.

"Well that worked."

"Sarcasm isn't attractive Tess." Clark parroted her words from before and she rolled her eyes. "Oh look, we're here." He landed them on an isolated beach.

Tess jumped down and knelt to let Jonathan go. "It's beautiful." They stood on a small strip of pristine white sand with crystal clear water lapping on the shore. The sand faded into palm trees that lined up in a near perfect straight line. Tiny red shells littered the shoreline and the marine biologist in Tess wanted to scream with delight as she saw a turtle swimming along the shore. "Clark…"

He smiled at her. "Told you you'd love it."

"How did you find this?" She gestured to everything.

"I spotted in one of my patrols in Australia and thought you'd love it." Clark shrugged like it was no big deal but he was over the moon that she loved the place. He reached in the picnic basket and pulled out a blue picnic blanket, laying it out for her. "Milady."

Tess laughed as she took his chivalrous hand to help her sit. "Thank you Milord." She sighed and leant back on her elbows, watching Jonathan play in the shallows. "So you did all of this yourself?"

"Yep." Clark nodded proudly. "Even the cooking."

"Impressive." She looked at him, green eyes meeting green. "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure."

"I mean it. No one's ever been this kind towards me." She smiled at him. "We practically have our own beach."

Clark couldn't help a jealous monster rise. "Doesn't Oliver have a private beach?"

"We're not going there Clark." She cut him off with a grimace. "Please don't drag the past into today."

"Sorry. How about a game of Frisbee?" Clark offered, changing the subject.

"You thought of everything, didn't you?" Tess gave him an appraising glance. She'd known he could be thoughtful but this was something else.

He fished it out of the basket. "Yep." He grinned and threw it then ran over to catch.

Tess laughed. "Show off."

"Me pay. Me pay." Jonathan ran out of the water to join them.

Clark gently threw the red Frisbee towards him. Jonathan caught it with a cheer. "Essa." He threw it wide but Tess got there in time.

"Good throw Jonathan!" She exclaimed happily before tossing the Frisbee to Clark.

They played for a few hours before Tess decided to go for a swim. Clark looked pointedly away as she stripped down to her red bikini. Just a friend. Just a friend. She looked over her shoulder at him. "Are you coming or not?"

"In a minute." He called back. "You go ahead."

Tess ran into the water, Jonathan on her heels and they proceeded to have a splashing war. Clark watched with a smile. He still remembered how guarded and secretive Tess was when he first met her and compared to now, she was a different person. A happy person. Clark was glad for her, knowing that the change didn't come easy. She'd become the closest person to him since Lois died, somehow filling a hole he didn't think would ever be filled and yet at the same time creating a different space in his heart for her. He didn't really understand it. He didn't think he'd love anyone after Lois but now he wasn't so sure. She made him feel, he searched for the word, whole.

"Hurry up Clark!" Tess yelled at him, bringing him back to reality. "Your son is beating me."

Clark ran and joined in, splashing both of them. "Now I'm winning."

"Me win." Jonathan shouted at him and kept splashing him. He walked a little too far out to where the sand bar declined and he went under water.

Clark pulled him up by the neck of his sun top a heartbeat later. "Stay behind me and Tess, ok?"

Jonathan nodded. "Kay," and Clark set him down back on the sand bar where Jonathan's chest was above the water.

"Tess-"he turned back to where Tess was but she wasn't there. A sudden weight jumped on his back and he resisted the urge to buck it of. He knew it was Tess. Jonathan laughed at them. "What is it Jonathan? A monster?" He asked playfully. "An ugly monster?" Tess hit him on the shoulder.

"Pretty!" Jonathan crowed, still giggling as Clark turned around in a circle faking an attempt to remove the 'monster'.

"What is it, a mermaid?"

Jonathan clapped, jumping up and down. "Airi."

Clark reached around and grabbed one of her legs, "No, not a mermaid. She has legs." Very nice legs, a voice in his head whispered.

Tess tried to shake him off but ended up sitting on his back like she was getting a piggy back. "You can let go now." She whispered in his ear.

"And surrender? Never!" Clark yelled playfully. "I know what you are, "He reached around and grabbed her around the middle, careful to avoid her healing ribs. He brought her around his front. She squirmed in his grasp and Jonathan laughed at their antics. "You won't escape my clutches – you Essa you." He lifted her up above his head like he was a weightlifter.

"I'm an Essa now I am?" She drawled dryly. "How imaginative of you."

He dropped her back into the water and she came up spluttering, both glaring and laughing. "How was that for imaginative?"

"Very clichéd." She said before turning to the beach. "Can we have lunch now? I'm starving."

"Sure. Jonathan!" Clark yelled. "Food!"

The little boy zoomed out of the water, a blur to Tess, and stood waiting at the picnic blanket. "Food." He smiled. "Now."

"Patience is a virtue." Tess told him as she walked up to him. Clark wrapped a towel around her shoulders. "Thanks." She glanced up at him. "Now let's see what we've got here." She opened the basket to find wrapped sandwiches, fruit and chocolate brownies. She gave Jonathan a sandwich and he unwrapped it eagerly. "Which one do you want?" She asked Clark.

"You're the birthday girl. Take your pick."

She took the one on the left. "Thanks."

"Stop saying thank you." Clark told her, unwrapping his sandwich. "It's your birthday. You deserve to be spoilt rotten." He spied their Frisbee floating away in the oceans current. "Be back in a flash." He told her zooming off to grab it before they lost it. "Miss me?" He grinned at her.

"Barely notice you were gone." Tess grinned at him, taking a bite. "This is good."

"Don't sound so surprised." Clark told her before following suite. As he chewed he realised something was grainy in the sandwich. He swallowed then turned to his son who had a guilty smile on his face. "Jonathan!"

"What did he do?" Tess didn't see him do anything but that didn't mean much when the boy could move faster than she could see.

"Put sand in my sandwich." Clark wrapped it back up, noticing the grains and shells imbedded in it. "I'll just duck into the next town to grab another one. Will you be ok?"

"We'll be fine." Tess told him and he zoomed away. "Jonathan Samuel Lane Kent – when are you going to learn to behave properly?"

Jonathan looked at her sadly. "Sowie."

"You can say sowie to your father when he gets back."

Clark ran to the next town, feeling restless for some reason. He thought stretching his legs might make the feeling go away but it didn't. It got stronger. As he passed a major highway, no one noticed the blur streaking past them or the fact that for a split second his green eyes turned red.