Why?

By bobbart - Bob Bartholomew [bobbart_99@yahoo.com]

Rated: G

Submitted: March 2010

Summary: A bit of early morning restlessness gives Clark the chance to think about how lucky he's been to have Lois in his life. A WAFFY short for Valentine's Day 2010.

Disclaimer: This is a fanfic based on the television show, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. I have no claim on the pre-existing characters whatsoever, nor am I profiting by their use. The new story elements are mine. No infringement is intended by this work.

Time frame: Post series. Valentine's Day 2010

This is for Beverly.

***

Clark looked over at his wife of nearly fourteen years. It was 4:30 am and the kids were asleep. This morning, he didn't know what had woken him. There might have been a siren or an emergency that penetrated his subconscious and pulled him out of sleep, but by the time he was awake enough to listen for an emergency, there was nothing to hear.

As was always the case, he was doubly happy to hear nothing. First, this meant that no one needed Superman's help. The second reason was more dear. It meant that he didn't have to leave Lois's side.

At times like this, he was glad for the nightlights that had become part of their lives after their first child was born. His vision allowed him to see in nearly pitch black but the soft light of the nightlight made it that much easier to appreciate the beauty of his life partner.

She was so beautiful. He had that same thought almost every time he looked at her. It was funny to think back over a few times when he'd heard others comment on her looks. He'd heard her appearance referred to as everywhere between 'just okay' to 'stunning.' Clark could understand the 'stunning' evaluation, but even that seemed to miss so much. To him Lois was the most beautiful woman in the world. There were no other contenders. That was his opinion the first time he saw her and it was his opinion today.

It took less than a minute for his resistance to break down. Looking wasn't going to be enough this morning and he reached for Lois. He wanted to hold her. He wanted to feel her skin against his.

Practically as soon as he touched her, she stirred. Long years and hundreds of repetitions of this scene meant that she wasn't surprised or startled in any way. She knew what was going on.

Before she was even all the way awake, she was reaching for him and soon they were pulling themselves together. Clark didn't even have to think about it to know that Lois would also be moving to kiss him. That was what they always did. Sure enough, he felt those wonderful lips on his. The sleepy kiss only lasted a second but it was wonderful.

As her lips left his, Lois tacked on the usual addition. "I love you," she said. Three words, spoken when she was mostly asleep but all the more real for that reason. They'd talked about this years before. Sometimes in those moments between sleep and being fully awake, the emotions were all that were there. Without the distractions of a busy day or the lights and sounds of daytime, the raw feelings felt even stronger and more pure. He'd discovered years ago that when he was in that state, his love for Lois was so overwhelming that he didn't know how he'd survived without it. He knew that Lois's sleepy, "I love you," carried more weight than a similar declaration shouted from the rooftops.

Normally Clark would be happy to fall back to sleep in her arms, but this morning his mind was slightly more active.

"Honey?" he said softly.

She stirred just enough to answer. "Is something wrong?" She was still mostly asleep.

"Nothing's wrong," he assured her as gently as possible. "My love, why did I wait two years to open up to you? Why did I wait so long?"

She was almost awake now. "Clark, we've talked about this before."

"I know," he replied. "I just can't believe that I called it a life before we were together. Why didn't I propose as Superman on the flight back from EPRAD that first day?"

She was awake now. Clark could see *that* smile on her face. It was the one she used when she was being too nice to simply laugh at him. "Because, my love, you were an idiot. Fortunately, you got better."

Clark was smiling back with all his heart. One of those things he'd learned along the way was the astounding fact that in certain circumstances, 'You're an idiot' meant exactly the same thing as 'I love you.'

"I love you, too," he offered.

Lois pulled herself even closer and this kiss was even better than the first one. After the kiss, he saw her head settle on the pillow beside him. He felt her breath against his cheek as she started to relax back to sleep.

Before she was completely asleep he had one more message. "Happy Valentine's Day."

Apparently she got to sleep faster than he'd expected as she didn't respond. He had to smile at that. He had all day to repeat that message to his love. And he would.

He could feel himself falling back asleep. Yes, he'd been an idiot. But based on where he was now, and this amazing woman that called him 'husband,' he was a darned lucky idiot.

THE END

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