Countdown: Lois' Story

By CarolM <carolmfolc@gmail.com>

Rated: G

Submitted: October 2008

Author's Notes: This was a 2007 Holiday Ficathon story for Jessi. Her requests are at the bottom.

Thanks to Nancy for the beta :).

Thanks to Tricia for GEing this!

***** Countdown: Lois' Story *****

10...

Lois rested her head against the shoulder of her partner and best friend. Superman had flown them to Smallville, mainly so Clark could spend a couple of days with his family after his 'cancelled' flight on Christmas Eve.

And now... Now, it was New Year's Eve and in just a few seconds it was going to be midnight.

9...

Could she work up the nerve to kiss Clark? It was New Year's after all. If he didn't want to kiss her the way she had finally realized that she wanted to kiss him... Well, it was always easier to blame it on a holiday than to have one of 'those' discussions.

Yes, the timing was perfect.

8...

She could hear Martha and Jonathan counting down along with the Smallville radio station playing in the living room. She could feel the numbers reverberating through her partner's solid body.

His solid steel body.

Yes, she knew his biggest secret. Had for several days now.

But how could she let him know that she knew?

7...

Clark wrapped his arm around her as it started to snow. She snuggled willingly under his arm, amazed at how well they fit together. That was something she'd always wondered at – how could the one person in the whole world that she fit perfectly with be the one person she wanted to fit with?

The whole Space Rat debacle hadn't brought out the best in any of them. She didn't remember much of what went on, but she had a very clear memory of stealing – yes, she admitted to herself, stealing – Christmas decorations off Clark's desk and then falling down.

Her feet just went right out from underneath her, almost like one of her heels broke.

6...

But when she'd looked for the broken part of the shoe, it was nowhere to be found.

When she looked more closely at the shoe, she realized there were scorch marks on it.

Was it possible?

Could her heel have burned off?

What would have burned it?

Questions had flown through her mind until only one rational explanation had remained.

Superman had done it.

5...

But Superman hadn't been there.

The more she'd thought about it, the more something niggled at the back of her mind, something just out of reach.

She'd lain in bed, eyes closed, reliving as much as she could remember of the time she was under the influence of the Space Rat goo.

Suddenly, she'd sat right up in bed. There, in the background of her vision, was Clark and Jimmy. She could see, in her mind's eye, Clark pointing at something and when Jimmy turned, Clark had literally *inhaled* the bowl of candy.

4...

Only Superman could have done that.

Superman had burned her heel off when she'd stolen Clark's decorations.

Yes, in some exceptionally weird way, it made sense.

Clark was Superman.

And so, she'd called her partner in Spandex and asked him to fly her and Clark out here as a belated Christmas present.

She grabbed Clark's hand and pulled him out into the yard, in the snow as flakes fell softly around them.

3...

This was it.

Could she work up the nerve to kiss him? To let him know that she cared about him and not the Spandex?

She'd worked out over the last couple of days why he hadn't told her – he wanted her to love him for him, not for the whole flying superhero thing. Her hero worship in the early days hadn't helped that she was certain.

So she decided, at midnight she'd kiss him and then she'd tell him that she knew.

2...

This was it.

1...

No turning back now. Well, she could if she really wanted to, but she didn't.

He turned towards her and she smiled her biggest smile right back at him. He looked nervous. Why was that?

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

The four of them yelled in unison.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Martha and Jonathan on the porch kissing. He'd confided in her that they'd always embarrassed him because it was never a quick peck.

Clark smiled at her and before she could put her plan in motion, he'd lifted her into the air and was twirling her around. How could she help but laugh?

And then they stopped. She could see... something she couldn't quite put her finger on in his eyes. And then he moved almost imperceptibly and then, as though he'd finally worked up the nerve, he kissed her.

Or she kissed him. She'd moved towards him at the same time he moved towards her and the next thing she knew they were kissing.

Really kissing.

No airplanes they were being thrown out of.

No heat waves forcing her Super partner to leave town.

No hiding surveillance equipment from a maid bringing them more towels.

No... Rational thought flew from her mind as the kiss continued.

It seemed like an eternity until they broke apart.

She smiled to herself, then whispered. "Clark, I have a secret."

She was still being held in midair.

"What's that?" he whispered back.

"I was hoping you'd kiss me at midnight." Okay, she hadn't quite worked up the nerve to tell him about the whole Superman thing. She'd work up the courage in a minute.

Clark laughed softly. She loved his laugh. And his kindness and his strength and she hated his abs because she could never have a stomach like that. No if she was truly honest with herself, she loved his abs too. And his eyes. Hidden though they were behind his glasses, she loved his eyes and how expressive they were. How could she have ever thought they looked like mud?

"I'm only too happy to oblige," he said softly.

She could see wheels turning in his head and then he took a deep breath.

"I have a secret too, Lois."

"You do?" Was it that he'd wanted to kiss her like she'd wanted him to? Or would he actually tell her about the whole moonlighting in tights thing?

He nodded and took another deep breath before saying, "I'm Superman."

She giggled. She couldn't help it. She could tell that wasn't the reaction he'd expected.

She couldn't keep him in suspense over her reaction any longer. "Wanna know my other secret?"

He nodded.

She smiled and leaned in close until her mouth was next to his ear. Barely louder than breathing, she whispered.

"I already know."

*****

Fin.

Three things I want in my fic:

1. a kiss in the snow

2. a secret revealed

3. Smallville and/or Martha and Jonathan

Preferred season(s): S1, S2, S3

Three things I do not want in my fic:

1. an argument

2. songfic

3. Dan or Mayson