XYK
Chapter 24- "Onwards and upwards..."
Clark had gotten dressed and bid Lois an awkward goodbye.
As Lois closed the door she leaned against it and closed her eyes. Casting her mind back to the previous night, when he had been lying there besides her-warm and inviting. Although she had fallen asleep before him, she had awoken several times throughout the night, and watched his sleeping form. She had wanted him to hold her, to let her curl up to him, entwine her legs with his and rest her head on his chest. She had wanted him to slowly rub circles into her back and lay a kiss on her neck. Then she'd wanted to find his lips in the dark and kiss and suck them slowly as he slowly awakened from sleep....Lois opened her eyes and sighed. It occurred to her on a daily basis that she missed him. She wondered if she'd ever get over him, if the pain would ever dull.
Clark walked to his truck and threw his dinner jacket nonchalantly to the passenger seat.
It had taken him hours to fall asleep next to Lois.Hours.He had tried counting backwards, he'd even tried counting invisible sheep but to no avail. He had wanted to grab her to him and spoon, inhaling her scent and maybe even her breathe as she turned to face him in sleep. And the erotic dreams...he wanted the dreams to stop,dreams that were magnified by her physical presence. If he was going to maintain his sanity then he needed the dreams to stop. The dreams where he and his soon to be ex-wife where locked in physical rapture-hot, sweaty and primal. Arid cries of pleasure and pain .Clark couldn't go on like this, he shook the thoughts away. He had to expel Lois from his body, heart, mind and soul but he missed her. He missed their lovemaking, yes. But most of all he missed their laughter, the conversations, he missed their work partnership but most of all he missed their friendship-when Lois had called him a 'friend' that morning it had hurt because they were no longer friends and as far as he could tell, they never would be again. He couldn't only have half of her. Anything less than all of Lois Lane would hurt like hell.
Clark put the key into the ignition and set off home.
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Ring Ring
Lois wrapped a towel around her and ran to pick up her phone.
"We're still on for brunch, right?" Chloe asked.
"Hey Chloe! Yes, we are." Lois tightened the towel.
"Good."Chloe yawned over the phone "Did you hear the thunder last night? It was insane."
Lois flushed "yeah.I slept right through.."
"Good....so, I'll pick you up in half an hour?" Chloe asked. Lois took a cursory glance over at the clock on her mantle piece and ran a hand through her wet hair.
"See you then." She put her phone down and went to find her hair dryer.
----
Clark got home and dropped his keys on the coffee table. The light flashing on his answering machine alerted him to the fact that he had messages. He hit the 'play' button then headed to the fridge. He opened the fridge, only to be met by a mouldy block of cheese, an empty milk carton and what appeared to be one of Lois's old nail polish pots.
"Hey Clark, This is Diana. I'm not doing anything this morning, and the weather forecast says it's going to be a great day, so if you wanna hang out, go get brunch or whatever, just call me when you get up...ok. Bye."
Suddenly Diana's suggestion of going out for brunch didn't seem like a bad idea. Clark picked up the phone and dialled Diana's number.
---
Lois sat opposite Chloe and couldn't remember when she had laughed so much. Looking around the terrace of the small French patisserie they'd chosen to eat at, "What do you say, that after this we go for a stroll in the park?..It's a beautiful day."Lois asked.
"Sure."Chloe smiled at her cousin as she took a bite from her tarte aux fruits. "Yum..."
Lois took a sip of her cafe au lait before dunking a piece of brioche into it. "Yum,right back at ya!"
---
Diana and Clark sat on the grassy bank over by the huge lake in Metropolis Centennial Park. They watched kids feed the swans as they ate their take away waffles and freshly squeezed orange juices.
A little girl walked by with big red ribbons in her hair, holding on to an ice cream cone almost as big as her. Diana stared lustfully at the sprinkled cone.
Clark laughed "You want one?"
"No. I don't..." Diana licked the remaining syrup off one of her fingers. "I'm watching my weight."
Clark stood up and threw his garbage into the nearest bin "Up!" he commanded to his companion.
As they made their way through the crowd towards the ice cream vendor, Clark gently took Diana's hand in his. "C'mon I'll buy you some Ice cream."
Diana smiled, "Two scoops."
"You can have anything you want."
"I hope so..."Diana said quietly, revelling in the feel of his hand in hers.
Chloe and Lois strolled easily around the park, making way for joggers and kids on bikes and rollerblades. They chit chatted about the magazine, Lucy's latest adventures and Chloe's latest love affair. As they walked past a bench, a group of teenage girls sprung up, each carrying a different flavour ice cream cone.
"Ooh..."Lois said clapping her hands together "Ice cream would be perfect right now, wouldn't it?"
"No. I'm watching my figure."Chloe falsely protested. "I can't...we just had brunch."
Lois stopped walking "I liked you better when you were chubby."
Chloe pretended to karate kick her cousin, "I was never 'chubby'. I was fabulous, just like I am now."
"C'mon, the ice cream cart's just over the hill." Lois playfully pulled Chloe along. The two women giggling as they went.
----
"Are you making fun of me, Mr Kent?" Diana Prince asked. Her ice cream poised to do some damage.
"No."Laughed Clark "All I said was that you looked like you were enjoying that ice cream."
As quick as a cat Diana grabbed Clark and dunked his face into her ice cream cone. Diana started to laugh so hard she nearly doubled over to the amusement of a couple of middleschoolers hanging around sipping on Fanta's and Coca cola's.
Clark laughed and automatically scooped Diana up.
"Put me down!" Diana laughed.
"Nope."Clark laughed, spinning her around. He managed to grab what was left of her mangled ice cream and smothered it on the tip of her nose. Diana squealed "Not fair!"
Clark set Diana down and struck a pseudo victorious pose, high fiving the laughing kids around them. Diana still smiling reached into her pocket and pulled out some tissue, she wiped her face off and began to wipe off Clarks .Their eyes locked and for a second a consummate understanding passed between the two, the mood had changed. The air becoming static and charged. Before either of them knew it, their lips were tentatively touching.
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Chloe hadn't put up much of a struggle when Lois had suggested going over the hill to find the ice cream vendor. Lois stopped talking and walking, her gaze frozen at something in front of her. Her brain rapidly trying to process what her eyes were seeing.
Chloe stopped talking and followed Lois's gaze .To her amazement she saw Clark and Diana Prince locked in an embrace. A very public embrace.
Lois felt her blood boiling, she felt dizzy and nauseous, then she couldn't breathe and before she could collect her thoughts she just felt angry. Lois turned herself around and started to march back up the hill that they'd previously struggled over. "Let's give the ice cream a miss."
"Lois are you OK?'
"Never better." She barked at her cousin.
Chloe ran to match her cousins' speed "You don't look OK."
Lois plastered on a fake grin. "Drop it Chloe!" Lois lane was no actress. "I'm fine."
"So you keep saying."Chloe threw her hands up in the air, and decided to leave the subject alone. "I'm here if you need to talk."
"He's moved on, so I can move on....onwards and upwards, right?" Lois's voice cracked and betrayed her at every turn. "Let's just forget it."
Chloe nodded. She only had two more days left in Metropolis before she had to fly back to London and the last thing that she wanted to do was spend them arguing with her fragile cousin. Chloe linked arms with her cousin as they made their way through the throng of people enjoying the Sunday sunshine.
The mood was sombre as they made their way out of the Park's entrance gate. Lois's Blackberry began to vibrate. She reached into her handbag and pulled it out, she didn't recognise the number.
"Hello. Mrs Lane?" asked a chirpy voice from the other end.
Lois rolled her eyes,"Ms Lane."
"This is Opal Baker from Metropolis Social Services. I'm phoning with regards to Baby Durga, who is currently a ward of the state of Kansas..."
Lois's heart began to beat rapidly as she imagined all sorts of horrific episodes, "Durga! What's happened? Where is she? Is something wrong!?"
"No. Ms Lane please try and calm down; I assure you she is fine..." Said Opal Baker, the tone of reassurance on her voice "...this is just a courtesy call to let you know that Durga is being moved from the Hospital into The Metropolis City Orphanage until further notice."
"She can't go to an orphanage! Those places are awful."Lois stood indignant, rolling her eyes at Chloe who stood at her side intently waiting to be filled in.
"We haven't found any family willing to house her. There are no other alternatives Ms Lane.." replied Opal Baker.
"There are alternatives..."Lois took a deep breath "I want her! I want to adopt her..."
TBC.