Deal!

By Cyad <cyad9@yahoo.com>

Rated: PG

Submitted: September 2002

Summary: An answer to Princess Destiny's One Hour Fanfic Challenge. This fanfic is also an answer to my own challenge: what if Lois had said "Deal!" when Clark jokingly offered to "share the bed" during their assignment at the Lexor Hotel in the episode "Honeymoon in Metropolis"?

Disclaimer: Well, characters are not mine, I just borrowed them for a while, yadda, yadda…

Thanks : Thanks to all the people who sent me comments on the mbs. A big thanks to LabRat for her patience and her editing work on this text. Also a big thanks to my Beta- Reader, Saskia, for her precious comments. Some really made me LOL, you know!

***

"Lois, wait!"

Clark's voice stopped her before she could reach the bedroom. They were both working undercover as newlyweds. It had been Perry's idea to assign them to the Lexor Hotel Honeymoon suite, to keep a closer eye on the senator's deals. Lois slowly turned to face her partner. His next remark made her choke and it took all of her willpower and inner strength as she tried to force her face to remain neutral.

"It's our first night, here, together…"

"So-oo?" she asked casually, trying to sound detached. <What's his deal?>

"So…we flip for the bed." He grinned, daring her to choose a straw in the bunch he was handing her. Lois let out a sight of relief. Still, a shadow temporarily clouded her eyes. It was quickly replaced by that inimitable sparkle of hers as she went on:

"How about, I get the bed, I lend you a pillow?" she teased, folding her arms on her chest in a Superman pose…which make Clark almost burst out laughing.

"How about we alternate nights?" Clark tried.

"How about we don't?" Lois went on, in full Mad Dog Lane mode.

"Well, it's a big bed, how about we share?" Clark offered jokingly, obviously wanting to destabilize her.

Blood rushed to Lois' cheeks before her face suddenly paled in shock and sadness. A sadness Clark never thought he would find there.

"Deal!" The words escaped Lois' mouth before she could even stop them.

<Geez Lois! What is it with you and voicing your emotions aloud? It's definitely not your style>, her conscience popped in.

Clark's mind went temporarily blank at her last statement. He was glad to be sitting on the couch, otherwise Lois' answer would have literally swept him off his feet. He still couldn't recall how he managed *not * to float in mid-air.

From the first moment he'd seen her, he'd fallen hopelessly in love with Lois Lane. With her wit, her charm, her beauty, her willpower, her fearlessness and…her legendary stubbornness. She was the most amazing woman he'd ever met and he'd ever love. To be honest, this team work with his partner was an everyday torture to him. It was becoming harder for him to silence his true feelings for Lois when everything, from her scent to her purse, not to mention hearing her heartbeat when she was around, reminded him of her. He knew how reluctant she was to trust men, professionally and socially. Her parents' divorce and her affair with Claude, who only made her believe he loved her in order to steal her Pulitzer-material investigative article, certainly cured her from even getting into a relationship again. But Clark couldn't help but wish her offer to 'share the bed' had nothing to do with joking. Still he didn't want to lose her friendship by pushing his luck too far.

"Lois, I was only kidding, you can take the bed full time during our surveillance gig. It's no trouble at all," he replied, flashing her that incredible smile of his.

"But I wasn't," she almost whispered.

"Oh…What?!" He was now staring at her, mouth open, unable to speak.

"I wasn't kidding, Clark", she repeated, more firmly this time.

"Lois, I…"

"Do you know how difficult it is for me to admit that? I knew I shouldn't have accepted Perry's proposal…" She stopped under Clark's dubious look.

"Ok, I never resist an undercover assignment when it means discovering something big while exposing the bad guys and writing a Kerth Award article," she confessed. "But, the reason I mocked you from the beginning is…it's the only way I've found to keep you at safe distance."

"Safe distance? Did I hurt you in any way?" Clark wondered. She'd never opened up to him like this and he was afraid his interrupting would only scare her off.

"Clark, from the moment you entered the newsroom I knew my life would never be the same again. You were so kind and caring…even when I was throwing hard words at you. Then Superman came along…"

<Oh no! Please, not now!> Clark silently pleaded.

"It was easier to beam at him than face the truth and admit to what I felt for you. Easier than telling you face to face that I'd fallen for you from the beginning."

<Omigod…could you say that again?>

"Lois…I'm not sure I…" Clark managed, after a long blank moment. Lois was near tears.

"Could you say that again, I'm not sure I…" Clark tried again.

"I love you, Clark Kent," Lois simply stated. His heavy sigh of relief took her off guard…Especially since he was remaining awfully silent.

"Clark? Are you all right? Please say something. Tell me that I'm being totally foolish and that it would be best for us to get new partners or jobs in separate cities. Tell me that…"

"I love you, Lois. I fell in love with you the first moment I saw you. You can't imagine how relieved I am by your confession, because…"

Before he could finish, she threw herself into his arms, capturing his lips for a tender kiss, which soon took a more passionate turn.

Shivers ran all over Clark's body the moment their lips met. But as much as he was enjoying this, he had to be totally honest with Lois before even thinking of taking it to the next step. So he reluctantly broke the kiss.

"Lois…there's another thing I have to tell you…"

"What is it?" she asked in between kisses, as she ran her hands under his shirt. She froze when she didn't sense bare skin, but another fabric under the white cotton item.

"I'm…I'm…" She was driving him crazy. But he really had to tell her about him being…

"Clark Jerome Kent. What is it you wanted to tell me?" she wondered. She was now staring at the red and yellow 's' his open shirt was revealing.

"I'm Superman," he sheepishly let out. After a silent moment where he thought Lois' gaze would kill him, or change him into a salt statue, she leaned in for a kiss, her body melting against his.

"Well, I hope you don't do everything at super speed", she whispered against his mouth.

"Only one way to find out," he replied. Scooping her into his arms, he headed to the bedroom and gently pushed the door closed behind them.

The 'don't disturb' sign remained long after the sunrise that announced a new day. For the rest of their 'assignment' week, Lois and Clark hardly left their bedroom. After all, they'd checked in as newlyweds…what did you expect?

THE END