Chapter 31 – Two sugars

Diana adjusted her rumpled shirt and ran a hand through her long wild hair. Lois stared intently at Diana, she seemed nervous. Her nose was red, her throat and voice were mildly raw and Lois was sure she could detect a hint of smudged mascara around Diana's eyes. She'd been crying, Lois thought, but she had tried to cover the evidence.

Lois tapped her fingers against her knees as she waited for Diana to say something, anything.

Never in all her imagination did she conceive that she and Diana Prince would be sitting opposite each other in her living room.

Diana on the other hand had lost her nerve. She was Wonder Woman but she wasn't any good at confrontation, not as Diana Prince anyway. Everything she wanted to say seemed to have evaporated. After another tug of her hair and a cough to clear her throat, Diana spoke. "How are you Lois?"

Lois wasn't sure how to respond, she tilted her head and slowly replied, " F-ine."

Diana nodded.

"...and how are you?" Lois asked, extending the cordiality.

"Fine." Diana said quickly, and went silent all over again.

Lois gritted her teeth and waited. She wasn't sure what she was waiting for but it was incredibly late and despite the scene at the front door, Diana seemed in no hurry to disclose the nature of her visit."You don't like me much, do you?"

Almost surprised at the sound of Diana's voice, Lois looked her straight in the eyes, "I barely know you Diana."

"But you still don't think much of me."

Lois began removing invisible lint from her skirt "How I feel about you has very little to do with anything."

Diana smiled "True."

The two women gazed at each other for a moment. Neither one of them was grimacing but neither one of them was smiling either.

"I don't mean to be rude."Lois puffed "... but why are you here?"

"I had nowhere else to go."Diana clenched her hands together and looked up," you're the closest thing I've got to a girl friend in this city."

Lois was flabbergasted. She didn't know what to say, except "Poor you."

Diana laughed instantly. A sincere smile that seem to lift her entire spirit, almost like the sun coming out from behind a dark rain cloud. They weren't friends. Probably never would be, but in that instance Lois knew that she couldn't just kick Diana Prince out of her apartment, not when the woman seemed to have burdens to unload. Besides, she was still so curious.

"Would you like a coffee?"Lois asked.

"Sure." Diana said "Two sugars please."

Lois tucked some hair behind her ear and stood stood up too quickly and had to grab the room was spinning out of control and Lois couldn't get her closed her eyes tightly and inhaled deeply,then exhaled wanted to be sick and couldn't stop her stomach from heaving.

"Lois!?Are you alright?"Diana got up and raced to Lois's side.

Lois wiped her mouth with the back of her hand "I'm fine....really."

"You've gone pale and you're shaking,Lois." Diana supported Lois and lowered her to the couch,she pulled out her phone "Let me call somebody..I'll call Clark."

"NO!" Lois ferocity with which she screamed stopped both women in their tracks. "Not him!"

Diana made a face and slid her cell phone back into her jeans pocket.

"I'll be fine....Just get me a glass of water. It'll be fine."Lois put her pounding head between her knees "It goes and comes..."

Diana was on it like a flash, complete with pain killers and a carefully lifted Lois's legs and wrapped her in the blanket.

"I totally see why people like you, you're...."Lois searched for the correct adjective "...nice."

Diana managed a small laugh "so are you."

"So,do you live here now?" Lois said trying to make conversation as she waited for her headache to subside.

"No." Said Diana "I won't be staying in Metropolis very much longer. I'm heading back to Paradise Island next Wednesday."

"When will you be back?" Lois snuggled into the cushion Diana had carefully placed against her back.

"I won't" Diana said.

Lois was confused,"What about Clark!?"

"What about him?" Diana shrugged her shoulders.

"He'll be heartbroken...." Lois said ,pretending at disappointment.

Diana rolled her eyes "You think he likes me huh?" she asked sarcastically.

"Yes I think he does and I'm glad Clark found means he's moving on."

"Lois Lane you're either blind,in denial or an awful Liar!"

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

Diana Prince rummaged in her back pocket ,and with her free hand she grabbed Lois's palm and deposited the trinket inside it. Lois looked down at her palm,only to see clark's old class one he buried away in a box years ago. The ring that was made out of Red Kryptonite .The Kryptonite that made him say and do crazy things and leave his inhibitions far behind."He called me Lois." Diana scoffed "So, yeah he likes me but NOT as much as he loves you."

"That's not true."Lois began to rattle off the lies she'd told herself. She looked down at the ring with a grimace,she couldn't believe that Clark would wilfully turn to Red K.

" me tell you what happened to me tonight..." Diana began.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Clark and Diana looked at each other knowingly. Diana moved closer and tilted her head. He had her cornered against the wall in his dark apartment. They stood kissing heatedly, a fever building up between them. Clarks face was quickly becoming smothered with strawberry chapstick .Clark sucked Diana's ear, kissed her face and made his way back to her bee-stung lips.

They'd been kissing so long and with all the might each possessed that it actually felt like they'd been working out. Clarks hand slowly began to unknot and unbutton Diana's shirt. She didn't object. Instead she snaked her arms around his neck and allowed him to pick her up.

From that point on clothes were scattered,a sexy trail of clothes were strewn along the floor as Clark lay Diana upon his of them still in their underwear.

"Aw!Clark your ring scratched me."Diana giggled against his lips.

"Sorry Lois-" Clark whispered,whilst nuzzling Diana's quickly took the ring off.

Diana couldn't believe what she'd just heard.

"What did you just say?"Diana asked.

Clark froze as if he'd been momentarily disabled , he looked up at Diana in a effect wasn't lost on quickly picked the ring up."What is this ring?"

Clark looked down at the glowing ring,guilt written all over his face.

"You need to be drugged or enhanced to even consider the possibility of being with me?"Diana asked, the hurt giving way to disgust "and you called out your wife's name. Just what every girl wants to hear!"

"It wasn't like that." Clark sat up.

Diana turned away from Clark suddenly feeling very naked and vulnerable,"What was it like Clark?"

Clark turned Diana around and took her hand. "I just needed something to take the edge off.I like you alot Stay ,we can talk this through..."

"If I thought there was a remote chance that you could ever want me, ever love me ... I'd stay but you and I both know that isn't going to happen." Diana snatched her hand "It's time I faced up to the reality."

Diana got up with all the dignity she could muster and picked up her didn't try to stop her. It was only once she'd put her clothes on and made it two blocks that she began to mourn the end of a dream.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"...So you see, Clark is far from being over you..."Diana nodded, a tinge of sadness in her voice "and if you're worried about not being able to give him children, then.."

"I'm pregnant." Lois blurted out.

Diana looked at her shocked. "With-"

"'s Clark's baby."Lois nodded and tried to stop the tears she felt welling up inside her "But it was before you and he were-"

"You almost died last time." Diana's jaw dropped. "Are you going to tell him?"

"No.I mean yes....eventually." Lois said,non too convincingly.

"I don't get it. You'll fight for a baby that could kill you.A baby that you don't even know yet but you won't fight for the man that you love,I don't understand you humans."

"Well,Clark isn't human."

"I know ,but he was raised amongst you and thinks like you." Diana took a breath, "Do you still love him?" she asked pointedly.

Lois let a tear slide down her cheek, she couldn't find the words, but nodded vigorously.

"Then FIGHT for him Lois!Fight for Clark!"Diana said.

TBC