Last night...
After their flight, they held each other for a while, moving to the sofa to watch whatever TV movie appeared on the screen, which turned out to be one of Lois' favourites, 'Lethal Weapon 3'. Clark watched the movie half-heartedly, instead focusing on the woman in his arms and the sweet smell of her hair. When the movie ended, and all the popcorn, ice cream, chocolate a.k.a anything sweet that Lois could get her hands on, had been eaten, it was late and a small yawn from Lois told him that she was ready for sleep.
"That's such a great movie." Lois smiled. "What did you think?"
"Yeah, really great." Clark smiled, looking into her eyes. He blinked and looked away, realising that Lois was in his house, at night, having admitted how they feel about each other. Lois realised this as well, otherwise, she may not have cleared her throat and started cleaning up. "Oh, Lois, don't bother with that, it won't take me long."
"Please Clark, it's my fault the table got like this." Lois began clearing up the wrapper filled and bowl covered table, picking up the first few things, when, in the blink of an eye and with a gust of wind, all the items disappeared from the table and were all washed up and drying in the kitchen, with Clark standing idly by.
"Like I said, it won't take me long." Clark grinned. Lois laughed and walked over to him, planting a soft kiss on his lips.
"Show off." Lois whispered. They stood grinning at each other for a few seconds when Lois glanced past Clark and looked to the clock. "Wow, it's like 2.30am."
Clark spun around to check for himself. "I guess it is." Clark didn't know how to phrase what he wanted to say. In some respect, Clark knew his relationship with Lois was a long time coming, after years of teasing and playing, they were finally in a place where they were together. On the other hand, Lois finding out about his secret and how he felt about her only happened in the last few days and it seemed too fast.
And then, as if she read his mind, she said, "So, I'll take the couch." Lois hoped and prayed that Clark would be fine with her sleeping arrangement idea; after all that had happened, and as much as she wanted Clark, it was too soon, and too complicated to go there yet.
"No way." Clark replied, and for a moment, Lois held her breath, afraid of what he meant by that. "I mean, I'll take the couch, you can sleep in my room."
"Oh no, Clark, it's fine, the couch is..." She looked at the couch and then back at him. "Comfy."
Clark cracked a smile. "Nice try. I'll remind you that while you stayed here the first time you came to Smallville, I was on that couch a lot more than I'd liked to have been. I'll sleep on the lumpy couch." Clark insisted, "Really Lois, it's fine. Or, if you'd prefer..." Clark took a small breath in. "Look Lois, I'm not... but we could sleep on the same bed without anything... happening." Clark suggested, awaiting to see the response as indicted by a facial expression.
Lois blushed, trying to hide it. "Right. We're both adults. We can control ourselves." She nodded, feeling a little nervous but unsure why. This was moving forward, and sometimes things were happening so fast she felt like she couldn't catch her breath, but she really wanted to have that kind of intimacy with Clark: sleeping with him without actually sleeping with him. At least that's all she wanted for the time being.
"Right." Clark smiled.
Lois' face fell, and feeling completely embarrassed, she admitted, "Except I don't have any... clothes with me."
Clark smiled. "I'll be right back."
And once again, in the blink of an eye, he was gone. Lois sat back down on the sofa, her exhaustion catching up with her. In Clark's house, she felt safe and warm, protected. Shelby came and lay beside her on the couch as she rested her eyes only for a second, her body relaxed into every corner of the lumpy sofa, and before she knew it, she was asleep.
As Clark came rushing back with a bagful of clothes for Lois, he noticed the silence of his home before anything else. Intensifying his hearing, he could hear short soft breaths of Lois and Shelby on the sofa. He kneeled down beside Lois, gazing at her peaceful sleep and brushed the hair out of her face, cupping her cheek in his hand.
"Clark?" She mumbled, without opening her eyes.
"It's alright, Lois, go back to sleep." He whispered, as she fell back into her slumber. He gathered her up in his arms, resting her head on his chest, and took her upstairs to his room, gently laying her on his bed and covering the duvet over her.
Once again brushing the hair out of her face, he kissed her forehead. Smiling to himself, "You have no idea how much you mean to me." He kissed her again before leaving the room and closing the door behind him, retreating to the couch. He thought with everything that had happened this week to Lois, he needed to apply the brakes and let Lois catch her breath before he completely took it away. Shelby moved off the sofa as Clark lay down on the couch that was much too small for him, and Shelby lay in front of him along the floor, protective of her master.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
Morning poured through the windows of Clark's bedroom, rousing Lois awake, and becoming aware of two things: she was in Clark's bedroom and she was alone. A mixture of disappointment and relief swirled around in her mind, and looking at the clock she found herself profusely glad it was a Saturday. There was a towel at the end of the bed, which she could only assume meant that Clark had been in and out. She swept the covers away and stood, walking over to the window. Clark was outside already, fixing the tractor by lifting it in the air with one arm and fixing it with the other. Lois realised that as flattered as she was by the exhibition of his powers to her, what she thought was showing off was actually just the way he used his powers and lived his life. "Must make things a hell of a lot quicker." She murmured to herself. Taking the towel, she headed for the shower, hoping to start off a much less complicated day that any other one she'd had this week.
Having washed and refreshed and thrown on the clothes Clark had got for her the night before, she descended the stairs of Clark's home to find Clark in the kitchen making her chocolate chip pancakes. He noticed her coming down and stopped, smiling at her, "Good morning Lois."
"Good morning yourself." Lois smiled, looking at her breakfast. "Is this for me?"
"And for me." Clark grinned. "But I suppose I might let you have a few."
Lois sat down as Clark placed a plate in front of her. The smell of the fresh pancakes made her want to salivate, but decided against doing that in front of the man she loved. She tasted a slice of hers and groaned in a seriously satisfied manner. "Clark, these are amazing!"
Clark dug into his and smiled, "I surprise even myself."
"You really didn't have to do this for me you know." Lois added, hoping he didn't think of her as high maintenance.
"I just figured that eating an actual breakfast as opposed to pop-tarts might make you less grumpy." Clark teased, "And less prone to taking it out on me."
"Hey! I do not take anything out on you." Lois defended herself, and then looked down to her pancakes. "That you don't already deserve." She smiled, relaxing into the type of banter she'd known with him and was comfortable with for years.
"Well, either way, eat up." Clark instructed. They spent the next few minutes eating their breakfast, enjoying each other's company and talking; trying to find a place between how they used to talk to each other and how they were to approach it now. Both knew how the other felt, and yet both were as nervous as the other without realising it. However, Clark knew Lois well enough to know when she was uncomfortable, and Lois knew Clark well enough to know when he was hiding something.
"Is this weird for you?" Lois asked bluntly. Clark paused mid-bite, and seriously thought about how to answer that. "I mean we've been friends for years and now... this is uncharted territory." Lois looked at him with true honestly. "I just don't want to mess this up."
"Me neither." Clark smiled, taking her hand in his. "So we won't. We'll take it slow, and see what happens. I want you to know, I will do everything in my power to make this work Lois. It'll just take some time to adjust."
Lois nodded. "You're right. It's just, I've never been this open with anyone before." Lois admitted, Clark sensing her vulnerability. "I don't usually show my real side. The General always told me to play my cards close to my chest and I guess I've applied that to every relationship I've ever had, even Ollie." She paused. "But with you... I'm taking a chance here, you know?"
Clark looked dead at her, with a strength and honesty that made her feel safe. "I promise I will never hurt you Lois. I promise that." Lois nodded, believing his words.
Just then, Chloe and Jimmy walked through the back door, Chloe supporting Jimmy's weight but only as a caution. "Hey guys, we're not interrupting, are we?"
"Chloe, Jimmy," Clark welcomed in, taking Jimmy for Chloe. "Of course not, we're just having some breakfast. Here." Clark helped Jimmy to a stall and gestured him to help himself.
"Hey, what brings you guys here?" Lois asked, digging into another spoonful of pancakes.
"Well, Jimmy was dying to get out of the apartment last night, so I figured, since we wanted to see you guys anyway, we might enjoy some country living." Chloe explained.
"These pancakes taste just like the ones from Pancake House in Metropolis." Jimmy said in awe. "You're quite a chef CK."
Lois sent an 'oh really?' look Clark's way and he smiled apologetically, before turning back to Chloe. "So what's up?"
Chloe went over to stand by Jimmy with a huge grin on her face that quickly spread to Jimmy. "Actually, we have some news."
"Oh?" Lois enquired, systematically speaking between mouthfuls. It was like she hadn't eaten in a week, but Clark's – or the Pancake House's – pancakes were so more-ish.
Chloe and Jimmy looked at each other as Chloe blurted out. "We're having a baby!"
Lois' fork froze in mid-air as she took a moment to process what her cousin had just said. In fact the whole room went silent for a moment, before Clark said, "That's fantastic." He hugged Chloe and shook Jimmy's hand. "Congratulations!"
They looked to Lois. "Yeah, congratulations guys!" She forced a smile and enthusiasm. "Chlo, that's amazing." She hugged Chloe tightly. "That's... not what I was expecting when I woke up this morning."
"And that's not all." Chloe's grin became infectious and soon Clark had been taken over too.
Jimmy looked to Chloe and then to Lois and Clark. "We talked about it, and we want you two to be the godparents."
"What?" Lois said out of reflex. "Godparents? Us?"
"Who better than my best friend and cousin?" Chloe asked rhetorically, but Lois came up with a long list a little better than her and Clark.
"Well, I'm honoured." Clark smiled. "I would love to be your baby's godfather."
Lois took a second before she realised her cue. "Right. Me too." She swallowed, nodding enthusiastically at the couple.
"Well, I think this calls for a glass of champagne." Clark suggested, moving to the cellar, Jimmy hobbling close behind, leaving Chloe and Lois together.
"Chloe, that's so great. Congratulations again." Lois hugged her.
"Enough of that!" Chloe smiled, lowering her voice. "How was the date? I assume it went well as you're here this morning."
"Nothing happening Chlo, not like that. We... flew." Lois smiled. "He took me flying."
Chloe almost snorted. "Clark can't fly."
Lois nodded emphatically. "As of last night, he can. We fly from Metropolis to here. We watched a movie and then I fell asleep."
Chloe took a moment to process this as Jimmy and Clark came back in, annoyingly meaning they couldn't discuss it any further with Jimmy in the room. Although she was astounded it finally happened, Chloe found herself a little jealous that Lois found out before her.
As Clark brought out the bottle of champagne, Jimmy said, "No champagne for mommy I'm afraid."
Chloe cocked her head in amusement, "None for daddy either. You're still on meds."
Jimmy looked seriously disappointed, but adhered to Chloe's advisement. "So, it's just me and Clark?" Lois pointed out.
Clark frowned, agreeing that there was no point breaking it open if it was just him and her, and then his face lit up. "I have a better idea. Why don't we throw you a baby shower?"
"Now? It's a little early Clark, usually those things happen in the third trimester." Chloe pointed out.
"Ok, then how about a party? A sort of post-engagement, pre-baby shower shower?" Clark suggested.
Chloe and Jimmy looked at each other, telepathically agreeing that it would be nice to have something so normal after their wedding was so not. "If you're sure Clark, we'd love it if you two could throw us a party!"
Lois looked up, she'd just been dropped into this. As much as she loved Jimmy and Chloe, she was not in the place to throw a pre-baby shower party for them; and what annoyed her the most was that she couldn't identify why it was that the subject of their baby was affecting her this way. "Um, well I have a lot of work, and – "
"Come on Lois, it'll be fun." Clark tried to persuade her.
Chloe, Jimmy and Clark all looked at her hopefully, and how was she to say no? "Oh, all right. It'll be great." She smiled.
"Great, thanks." Jimmy said, eating the last of his pancake. "So Clark, what are you up to today? Was hoping for some guy company, not that my lovely wife isn't stimulating enough." He smiled sweetly at Chloe.
"No, I understand." Chloe rolled her eyes, smiling. "You need guy time."
Just as Clark was about to reply, his super-hearing picked up on a police transmission reporting a hostage situation at a bank in Metropolis. "Err, actually, I've just realised that I've got to..." He looked to Lois in desperation, taking her only moments to realise what was happening.
"Get me some rocky road ice-cream, right away." Lois smiled goofily, as Clark shot her a slightly bemused look. She looked at him and he was still standing there. "Well go! You know how I get without my ice cream fix."
"Right." Clark nodded. "I'll be back soon Jimmy."
He rushed out of the house and ran off before anyone could say anything else, but he knew that Jimmy would be looking confused, Chloe amused and Lois feeling foolish.