Summary: Lois has an obsessed meteor freak stalking her and putting her life at risk. In order to protect her, Clark reveals to her his secret and proposes. Proposes to pose as a married couple, that is. Do new identities also come with new feelings? Or are these fake too?
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Forged I.D.'s and I Do's
by Chinita92
Chapter Twelve:
MASK
Mask:
-noun
1. anything that disguises or conceals; disguise; pretending
Simon carefully watched the married couple's behavior. Were they in love? More important of a question... Had he been wrong? ...Was that not his Louise?
"So I was driving down the road, the rain pouring out, when my car runs over a bunch of stray nails, causing my front tire to explode-"
"-To which the car went out of control and sped into a-" Clark began, only to get cut off.
"Cornfield!" Lois said, her words mirroring the way she really met Clark in more ways than one. "I was lost and frustrated without a phone signal when a tall figure emerges from behind the crops."
"Crops? So... what are you, farmer or mechanic?" Simon asked, confused.
"Farmer?" Lois asked incredulously a nervous laughter escaping her throat. "Tod here is definitely not a farmer." she coughed. "No way."
"Not that there is anything wrong with farmers..." Clark added defensively, throwing in a smile.
"Of course not." she said, resting her hand on his forearm. "But he indeed is a mechanic."
"Oh?"
"He's great with very heavy machinery." Lois said, knowing very well Clark could not only work on heavy machinery, but lift it as well.
"So what happened?" Simon inquired, a darkness settling in his eyes.
"Well.." Lois began, waiting for the story to unfold miraculously when Clark intervened.
"I knocked on her window, and... offered to change her tire at no cost."
"I thought it was extremely sweet, I mean, who does that- for free?" Lois looked up at Clark, biting the inside of her cheek.
"Well, I'm sure you would have done the same for me." He gave a squeeze to Lois' hand, causing Lois to raise an eyebrow. The love and sincereness in his voice kept throwing her off. She shook her head, blinking rapidly- reminding herself that he was pretending, just like she was.
"Right?" Clark asked, breaking Lois away from her thoughts.
"Of course, hun- I mean who wouldn't do anything for this hot piece of meat I have for a husband?" She said and snorted.
'Hot?' Clark made a mental note to further ask her about her choice of wording later, in the mean time he was busy grinning like an idiot.
"Meeting under such circumstances makes one wonder if your meeting was of pure coincidence." Simon asked mysteriously. Lois had never thought anything about the way she and Clark had met, but now that she knew all of Clark's past and the reason why he really was in that cornfield- it made her question... was it casualty?
"I don't know- but what I do know is that meeting Erin was the best accident of my life... I've never been happier." He pulled Lois into a half hug, planting a kiss on her forehead. She looked up at him, a fragment of wonder wading in her eyes. Why did his words sound so real, and why was her stomach in a fit of knots? Without summoning it, a smile sprang to life as she rested her head on his chest.
"So we began to date shortly after, and we got married a year and a half later." Clark continued.
"When?" Simon asked.
"March." "December."
Simon raised an eyebrow at their unmatched answers, suddenly feeling he might not have been wrong at all.
"Well.." Lois began, knowing how to get out of their mishap. "We started to date in December, but I knew at the end of our first date- that he was the man I was going to marry. I always count from that moment on. I always knew, you know?"
"But we've been officially married since March." Clark added, giving Simon an assertive nod.
"And you are happy?"
Clark's head snapped in Lois' direction, expectant of her answer. She slowly began to nod, a grin curling her lips. "Yes."
"Well," Simon said, clenching his jaw, "it was nice to meet you. Sorry for my.. bad timing and confusing you with someone else. It's just that you remind me so much of my ex-wife."
"It's fine, happens all the time I guess." Lois brushed off the subject, and clasped her hands. "Well we'll be on our way, I'm suddenly in the mood for some shopping. What do you say babe?"
"Anything you want, sweetheart."
"I guess we'll be leaving then."
She took Clark's hand and they both began to walk away, but not before Lois took one last look behind.
Clark stopped in his tracks. "What is it?" He turned to face the direction of Lois' gaze. She stared at the spot where Simon had once stood.
"He's gone."
He ran his eyes over Lois' face, a mixture of relief and expectancy shading her features. "We should talk in the car. Come on, let's go."
Lois simply nodded and followed him out.
Simon stood in the shadowed alley beside the grocery store, taking the time to think. "I was wrong, it can't be her." he said, shaking his head. Would he ever find her? Find his wife? "I was almost sure she was the one this time..." He took out his wallet, finding inside a small picture. He held it between his thumb and index finger, running his finger over its surface. It was a picture of a young woman, with honey colored waves, and a smile that could knock a man dead in his tracks. He found himself lost- lost in her hazel eyes.
"I have to be sure."
Suddenly, a darkness consumed him, causing his flesh to slowlydissipate until nothing was visibly left but the grimy wall behind him. He took a silent step onto the sidewalk, standing a few feet ahead of a walking pedestrian.
"Yes, I'm turning the corner right now- yes, I'm getting the milk. Okay, see you at dinner. Love you." The stranger hung up his phone, clearly having many errands to take care of. He took quick steps to the entrance, reaching the door. Unbeknownst to him, he had just walkedthroughan invisible man.
A man with an image of a beautiful female that tormented his mind day and night. That woman?
Lois Lane.
"I think we should stay at Jimmy's apartment for a few more days, until we know the coast is clear."
"And how will we know after said 'days'?" Lois asked, sighing in frustration.
"I'll go to his warehouse, make sure your shrine is gone, and if it's replaced with someone else, we'll call the authorities to come get him. Sound reasonable?"
"As reasonable as you're going to sound." she said, looking out t he window of the car. Clark nodded silently.
"So 'hot'?" Clark asked, referring to the adjective Lois used to describe him.
Lois rolled her eyes. "Used to convey an idea Smallville... don't let our cover get to you." Lois teased.
He shrugged her words off, "Yeah, same goes to you."
"Awesome."
Finding the awkward silence unbearable, Clark changed the subject, "So were you serious about the shopping, or you want to go back to Jimmy's?"
"Anywhere but Olsen's dingy apartment.." she said and shuddered.
"So where to?"
She stopped to think. "Well, there's a new store that opened up down the street that I wanted to go see, but lately it's been the Inquisitor-Talon-Inquisitor-Talon-The Farm-Talon-Inquisitor-Probably The Farm again-"
"-I get it. You've been busy."
"I sure have." Lois said, as Clark intently listened to her. "Well what are you waiting for? Get a move on it!"
-
"I wonder how Lois and Clark are doing.." Jimmy said, stroking Chloe's hair, "do you think they've killed each other yet? Or better yet, maybe they've even you know what. I swear those two have always had a thing for each other... "
He sat at the couch, his feet propped up on Chloe's coffee table. "What do you think?"
"Mmm... dunno." said a half-asleep Chloe that sat curled in a ball, her head resting on his chest.
"Should I call to check up?"
Her answer was a shift of position. "Take that as a yes." He smiled, and slid his phone out of his pocket, careful to not wake his now sleeping girlfriend.
He dialed the number that he knew by heart, and waited for someone to pick up. After a few rings the answering machine came out.
"Hi, you've reached Tod and Erin's-
Erin and Tod's-
Sorry. -Ahem- Hi, you've reached 'Erin and Tod's' place-
You didn't have to start all over again.
I'm sorry, I was just trying to please you, beautiful wife of mine.
I'm well aware of that.
Anyway, leave a message and we'll-
Sweetie, you are SO unoriginal...
Well honey, what am I supposed to say?-
I don't know, something quirky-
Well it's an answering machine! You're supposed to say 'leave a message'!-
I think I just heard a certain tone that I don't like...
I'm sorry baby, what do you want?
I can hear the annoyance in your voice,,, And I want something original, We're not an average boring couple you know, and I think our answering machine should reflect that-
You want original? Well how much more original can you get? We have a message of us- arguing over a message! I think that reflects us PERFECTLY! Happy now?
-
Did you just punch me?-
Yes.
---BEEP!---
"I think I'm afraid to leave a message..." Jimmy said into the receiver, laughing a little. "It's Jim- James, It's James.. from the... um, cable company! Just calling to see how you two- I mean your service is holding up. Well, you have my number so call me back. " Jimmy closed his cell phone and sighed, a sinking sensation brewing in the pit of his stomach. Something told him he shouldn't have called after all...
"Oh, this is kind of nice." Lois said, picking up a tweed coat. She put the hanger up at her shoulders, and turned to a mirror before her. "What do you think?" Lois asked, excited.
Clark shoved his hands in his pockets awkwardly, causing Lois to raise an eyebrow.
"What."
"Nothing."
"Don't you 'nothing' me, I know you. Come on out and say it, your wifey can handle the truth you know."
He took in a breath. "I'm sure it will look nice on you." Clark said, smiling tight-lipped.
"Nu-uh." she said, walking up to him. Her finger pointed at him accusingly, "You haven't had a problem with being brutally honest with me all these years. Cough it up."
He sighed, rubbing his neck. "Well its alright, but it's just that you always wear jackets. It's kind of... old." Clark winced, ready for a punch, or worse- a comeback.
Lois eyed him, trying to seem indifferent. "Fine. What would you want me to wear?"
Clark subconsciously grinned, his choice of clothing a little too... nonexistent. It seemed Lois sensed his mind in Gutter City, because she poked his ribs with the hanger.
"Snap out of it, mister- it ain't happening."
"What?" he asked defensively, unable to hide his toothy grin.
"You know what! Now here, put this back and find me something to wear. Not many guys get this privilege, you know."
"Okay, I take it back, the jacket is perfect. You should get it-"
"NO! You opened the can of worms. Pit bull on a pant leg, remember? I won't let this go. I want to see why your taste in fashion is so much better than mine," she stepped closer, her lips brushing against his earlobe, "farmer."
Clark's breath hitched in his throat. He swallowed, fighting his words to come out. "You're serious?" He looked down, eying a stubborn Lois who had yet to bring reasonable distance between their bodies.
"Oh yeah."
"But-"
"-Whatever it is, I'll wear it." She walked away from Clark, now facing the mirror, "But please, don't waste my time with crazy stuff, or something skanky enough to be modeled on the cover of Maxim. Capiche?"
Lois saw Clark raise an eyebrow through the mirror's reflection. "Why so interested in my taste in clothes?" Clark asked, not understanding what was going through Lois' head.
She turned around and faced him, shrugging. "I don't. It's just a general guy's point of view. It's not like I specifically want to know what YOU like." Lois rolled her eyes at the thought of Clark's inflating ego. "Just... get a move on it, will ya?" She waved him off with her hand, sending him away to a jungle of clothing.
"Oh and try to not get too distracted!" Lois called out, her hand cupping the side of her face.
Clark stopped and turned around, "Get distracted with what?"
Lois let out a cocky laugh. "Well, Me, of course! Just remember you're trying to dress me- not undress me. So don't return empty handed, okay?" Half way through her sentence Clark had walked away from her, shaking his head. To an onlooker, it would seem he was swinging his head from side to side in an amused manner- but on the contrary, Clark was, in fact, trying to get rid of the mental picture Lois burned in his mind. And the worse part of it all? That was exactly what Lois Lane had aimed for.
Clark ran a hand through his hair, not knowing where to start. He picked up a blue dress, filled with gold zippers. He grimaced at the thought of Lois wear anything remotely similar to it, and shoved it back.
"Why am I doing this again?" Clark thought, sliding articles of clothing down a metal rod. He was trying to guess what Lois would like, and truth be told: he wasn't 100% sure where her taste in clothes stood. Anything else about Lois he knew, really.
Music?: 80's Hair Bands (preferably Whitesnake)
Food?: His mom's cooking, and of course, coffee- with lots and lots of sugar.
Movies?: That one he had figured out on his own.... If you were to ask Lois she would say she's a die hard Horror Movie fan, and yeah she likes them- but she loves the tear-jerkers- which sums up the woman. She swears she's all big and bad, but on the inside? She's a big fuzzy bear. Why it was her mission in life to be emotionless was beyond him. Maybe it was her childhood.. moving from city to city with a father who put his job before her and a mother who passed so early on in her life. Those kinds of things could really make you or beak you. He was glad he didn't have the ability to change her past. He wanted Lois to be happy, and maybe if she had a good child hood to remember, she'd be happier. But on the other hand... he loved Lois just the way she was. Maybe it was selfish of him, but he appreciated her feisty and abrasive ways. He came to the conclusion that she was just the kind of woman the doctor had prescribed him. They were opposite puzzle pieces that came together perfectly. He smiled at these thoughts. It really didn't matter what Lois wore- because he had fallen for her, and hard. If she wanted to wear the tweed jacket, then so be it.
'Don't return empty handed.'
He stopped, remembering her words. "Ugh." He rubbed his temples, trying to think a way he could get the clothes picking over with. As different excuses and theories swam around his mind, something hit him. Maybe picking out clothes for Lois wasn't so bad. Instead of trying to guess what she would approve of, he had the chance to see Lois in any choice of clothing he wanted. A smile tugged at his lips as he walked in a different direction.
Lois stood before a stall in the dressing room area, sliding open a curtain. She sat in a seat, her arms crossed. Glancing at her watch, she noticed 10 minutes had passed, and yet no sign of Clark. She took out her iPod, hoping to make the minutes pass by quicker.
I don't wanna hear about it anymore
It's a shame I've got to live without you anymore
There's a fire in my heart
A pounding in my brain
It's driving me crazy
Lois bit her lip as the image of a certain boy invaded her mind. Where was he anyway? 'You know where he is, dummy. Then why does it bother you that he's taking long? It's not like you miss him.' She sighed. Maybe she kind of missed him. It was only a few minutes, though... Was that even normal?
We don't need to talk about it anymore
Yesterday's just a memory
Can we close the door
I just made one mistake
I didn't know what to say when you called me baby
She bitterly snorted, slightly relating to the song. It was always strange when Clark called her by loving nicknames- even if he was pretending.
Don't say goodnight
Say you're gonna stay forever
Oh oo Oh, all the way
Can you take me high enough
To fly me over (fly me over) yesterday
Can you take me high enough
It's never over
Yesterday's just a memory (yesterday's just a memory and)
I don't want to live without you anymore
Can't you see I'm in misery
And you know for sure
I would live and die for you
And I'd know just what to do when you call me baby
She'd have to disagree there. She wouldn't know what to do if she ever found out Clark meant the things he said to Simon about her. It's not like they were married and much less in love, so he couldn't feel or think that way about her. He just couldn't.
...Could he? She gulped. Or worse... could she?
She held her head, feeling a pounding on her temple. As she sat, she felt a strange feeling.. as if she were being watched. She cautiously stood from her seat, stepping away from the stall. She grabbed an umbrella from a mannequin display and began to look around, facing in every direction. Stealthily, she glanced around for onlookers, but everything seemed normal. She leaned her head forward while hiding behind a wall, further looking for strange activity.
"What are you looking at?" Clark asked, whispering in her ear. Lois yelped and instinctively slammed the umbrella against Clark's shoulder, causing it's base to break. She glared at him menacingly.
"Don't EVER sneak up on me like that!" Lois fumed, getting angrier by the second when seeing Clark satisfied with her reaction.
"It was just a joke. I'm sorry I scared you." Clark said, yet to have gotten rid of his smug smile. "What were you looking for anyway?"
Lois stroked the ends of her braid, helping her relieve tension."Nothing. I probably just sensed your presence when you were planning your attack on me."
He furrowed his eyebrows, "I just got here a second ago and couldn't resist to scare you, but I wasn't here for longer than a few seconds... Do you think-"
"NO. It was just... my imagination! I probably wasn't too crazy about the surveillance cameras watching my every move." Lois said, excusing her behavior.
"So what was it with the umbrella?" he asked, picking up the broken object from the floor.
"Yeah about that... you should probably get rid of it, 'cause technically YOU broke it. And when you break it-"
"-You bought it. Yeah, I'll get on it." Clark said, beginning to walk away.
"Hold your horses." she said, planting a hand at his chest. He stopped at her command.
"What's that you got there? Is that.. is that for me?" Lois said, pretending to be surprised.
"Oh right. Here's my choice of clothing, as you wished."
Lois took the hanger from his fingers, inspecting the piece before her. "Awww, you shouldn't have! Hmm... I guess a girl always needs a little black dress, huh? Not bad. I'll go try it on."
"...And I'll go throw this away."
She eyed him, "You do that."
"Right, so um... this way."
She nodded, her eyes never leaving him as he walked past her. When he was out of view, she turned her attention to the dress in her hands. She smiled and walked into the dressing room she had briefly waited in before. She grabbed the curtain, getting ready to slide it, but not before looking both ways. When the coast seemed clear, she slid it closed and began to quietly undress.
"Lois, are you done?" The answer to his question was a loud screech from the curtain that Lois had yanked open.
"Yes I am Mr. Wellance." She sized Clark up, wanting to make him squirm when a white bag caught her attention. "What's that? Did you go shopping without me? I feel so betrayed!" Lois said, turning up the sarcasm dial. She leaned over, opening the bag, only to see the broken umbrella lying lifelessly amidst the cold plastic.
"You bought it?" she asked incredulously. She anticipated an answer, but none came. It was then she realized Clark had not spoken since she stepped out of the fitting room.
"Hello-o-o!" she said, waving a hand before his face. He jumped at her action, blinking rapidly in a fit of nerves.
Lois smiled smugly. "So how do I look?" she asked and undid the braid that had kept her hair neat. She gently tossed her hair with her fingers, causing her loose curls to fall beside her face.
Clark sighed as he took in the sight of Lois in the dress he had picked out for her. The moment he had spotted it, he knew it would look great on her. But Lois... she looked out of this world. The satiny black fabric hugged her every curve in all the right places while it's hem reached up to her knees with a small opening at the back. The strapless design of the dress conveniently exposed her shoulders and back. There was a little silver trim at the bottom of the dress and around the sweetheart neckline, giving it a unique touch.
"You look..."
Lois leaned her head in, reeling him to continue.
"You look..."
"Yes?"
He swallowed. "...breathtaking."
Lois was not expecting an honest answer and much less that specific one and thus, felt a flutter in her chest. "Thanks." She stood awkwardly, not knowing how to respond to Clark's intense gaze. "I should go change now." she said, pointing to the dressing room behind her. She turned around and marched into her changing quarters. Once inside, she began to furiously tug at her zipper as a flood of different emotions washed over her. Not succeeding in unzipping her dress, she stopped and leaned against a wall. She brought a hand up to her chest, shunning her heart for beating so quickly.
Suddenly, the curtain slid open, the sound causing Lois' head to snap in its direction. "What are you doing in here? I could have been changing." Lois said, avoiding Clark's piercing blue eyes. She crossed her arms, waiting for an answer.
"You okay?" he asked, now standing directly in front of her.
"Why wouldn't I be okay?" she said in her defense.
"You're right..."
"What do you want?" she asked in a whisper.
Clark sighed, taking in a second to think. "Lois..." She locked eyes with him when he called her name. He took a step closer, slowly closing distance between them.
"What are you doing?" Lois whispered, finding it difficult to tear her eyes away from his luring lips that hung a few inches from her own.
"Lois- I think you know."
"No, I don't. What are you talking about?"
"I'm just going to come out and say it... Living with you has been a roller coaster, and there are times where I want to tape your mouth shut and roll my eyes to no extent,"
Lois squinted her eyes, unsure of what has happening. "Clark where are you trying to go with this?" He nodded, continuing, "but most of the time... I think I have these feelings,"
Lois held up a hand. "Stop."
"What?" Clark asked, shocked.
She shook her head violently. "Please, don't finish." She was pleading for him to keep her in the dark, even if it went against her innate curiosity. She couldn't take it anymore- Clark Kent had confused her beyond belief, and she wasn't quite ready to understand yet.
In one last attempt, he slid his hand behind her back, causing shivers to roll down her spine. He leaned in closer, his eyelids heavy with lust. Lois abruptly brought her hands up to his chest, halting him once again. "Please. Don't."
As he stared into her frightened hazel eyes, he felt his heart sink into a deep abyss of unreturned feelings. With one last movement, he slowly unzipped her dress and reluctantly broke away from her. "I'll be outside."
Lois nodded dumbly, a numb sensation overriding her system. As she slowly stepped out of her dress, she found it almost impossible to look at herself in the mirror.
'What did I just do?'
To be continued...