By Sheryl Olson
Summary: Lois' dream of flying over Metropolis — in the arms of Clark Kent — brings her to a startling realization.
Finally, I got up the nerve to post my story. Please, be nice! :) :) :)
***
Lois was soaring high above Metropolis. It was a refreshingly cold evening, and the city lights danced beautifully below. Strong hands held her tight and kept her from falling.
"Oh, it's so beautiful up here," Lois said.
"Yes, it is," said the familiar voice belonging to those strong hands.
"Thank you for showing me this."
"It's my pleasure."
Lois looked over at the face of the man holding her, a strong handsome face, the man's glasses reflecting the full moon. Why does he hide those gorgeous eyes behind those glasses? Lois wondered. She looked down at the man's suit and tie. And where does he find those crazy ties?
"Where are we going, Clark?"
Suddenly, Lois felt a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. The lights below were rising up to meet her. She realized she was falling. "Claaaaark!!" she screamed.
The strong hands caught hold of her once again.
"Sorry about that!" Clark said.
"It's okay…" Lois breathed. "Just don't let it happen again!"
Lois' eyes opened. Darkness surrounded her.
"Geez, what _did_ I eat for dinner last night? What a weird dream!" Lois glanced at the clock…5:30. "I'll never get back to sleep now…No sense fighting it…" Lois pulled back the covers and climbed out of bed. She padded into the kitchen, yawning, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes. "I'll never eat Double Fudge Crunch Bars on top of Indian food again!"
Lois opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a carton of milk. Mulling over her dream, she sat down to a bowl of cereal. Suddenly her eyes opened wide. "Wait a minute…" She shook her head. "Nah, it can't be true!" She put the milk down absent-mindedly as her brain worked overtime. All the pieces were suddenly falling into place: the way Clark would always disappear during a crisis, just as Superman appeared on the scene; the way Clark was able to stand up to the Superman impostor; how she had never seen Clark without his glasses even though they spend a lot of time together; the fact that Clark and Superman kiss exactly the same way. Recently, Superman was even beginning to _act_ like Clark when they were alone together! "No, it's true! It makes so much sense I can't believe I didn't see it before!" Lois exclaimed as she ran to the bedroom to change. As early as it was, she was not going to wait for the truth.
Clark was sleeping peacefully, a foot above the bed, when there was a knock at his door. "Huh?" he murmured sleepily, as the knock became more insistent. "Oh…who..?" Looking at the clock, he realized that it was only 6 in the morning. He lowered himself to the bed, got up, and walked to the other room, using his x-ray vision to look through the front door. Uh-oh, he thought to himself, it's Lois, and she looks mad. He briefly thought of flying out through the window, but decided against it. He'd have to face her sooner or later. He grabbed his glasses, and walked to the door.
"Hi, Lois. What brings you here so _early_ in the morning?"
"Cut the small talk, Clark!" Lois stomped through the open doorway and past Clark. "I want to know the truth, and I want to know it now!"
Clark looked confused, and slightly nervous. "Um…what…um…'truth'?"
Lois screwed up all her courage (after all, there was still a teeny, tiny part of her that thought maybe she was wrong about this), took a deep breath, and said, calmly, "Take off your glasses, Clark."
Clark looked at Lois, seemingly puzzled. "Wha…what's this all about, Lois? I can't see a thing without my glasses! I'm as blind as a bat!"
Lois repeated, even more calmly than before, "Clark, please take off your glasses."
Clark gulped. There was no way out of this. Lois must have figured everything out. A part of him was relieved that she had figured out the truth; he had hated keeping this secret from her. However, he wasn't sure that this was the right time in their relationship for her to find out the truth. Maybe this was just one of those things for which there is never a right time. Clark took a deep breath as he slowly pulled off his glasses.
Lois just stared at him for a few seconds. Then she walked up to him and pushed his hair away from his face, and stared into his eyes. Their eyes were locked for several moments before Lois said, "It's true--you are Superman."
"Yes. Lois…" Clark began.
"How could you keep this from me, Clark?" Lois sighed, pulling her hands away from him. "I _thought_ we were best friends! And now I find out you've been lying to me all along!"
"Lois, I'm sorry. I just didn't know how to tell you. I'm not sure I wanted to tell you, not yet anyway. I mean, the way you look at Superman--me _as_ Superman--just makes me feel so good." Clark took a deep breath. "I'm in love with you, Lois. Maybe I was being a little selfish--I just wasn't ready to give up your looking at me as Superman."
"I feel like such an idiot!" Lois exclaimed. "The great investigative reporter Lois Lane can't even see the truth staring her in the face."
"Lois, don't blame yourself…no one else has figured it out."
"But I've spent so much time with both of--I mean, with you as both Clark and Superman. Now I feel like I don't know you at all."
"That's not true…you know me better than just about everyone."
Lois shook her head and looked as though she were about to burst into tears. "I feel like everything we shared was a just a big lie." The words came out as a whisper, and the tears started flowing from her eyes. She rushed out of the apartment, determined not to let Clark see how much he had hurt her.
Clark spent the next few minutes pacing the floor of his apartment, hoping that Lois would come back. When that seemed unlikely, he called his parents and asked for their advice. Martha and Jonathan Kent both agreed that Lois just needed some time and that she'd come around eventually. Clark thanked them and promised to visit them soon, hopefully with Lois.
Hours passed. Lois spent the time walking the streets, not caring who saw her tear-stained face. She thought about all the wonderful times she and Clark had spent together. As she walked she noticed all the couples walking hand-in-hand, couples obviously very much in love. She saw an older couple walking arm-in-arm and she thought of herself and Clark many years in the future. Try as she might, she just couldn't imagine living the rest of her life without him. Yes, he had lied to her. But could she really blame him? She probably would have done the same thing in his situation. And, it really _was_ a dream come true. She had always felt torn between her feelings for Clark and Superman. That's why she hadn't been ready to be more than friends with Clark--she hadn't thought it would be fair to him, feeling as she did about Superman. Now she realized she wouldn't have to make a choice. It's possible she could have both, if she hadn't already blown it…
Clark was just about to leave to find Lois when he heard a knock at the door. Using his x-ray vision, he saw that it was her, and automatically reached for his glasses. Then he remembered they weren't necessary and headed for the door.
As he opened the door, Lois looked up at his face. At first she was taken a little aback by his naked face, but she regained her composure and said, "Ah…can I come in?"
"Yeah, sure, come on in," Clark replied nervously. He followed Lois over to the couch where they sat down.
"Clark--" "Lois--" they began simultaneously.
"I go first this time, okay?" Lois began. "Clark, I'm sorry about how I acted this morning. It's just that I felt like the biggest idiot in the world. I mean, I think I was more angry at myself than at you. I'm still angry, and embarrassed…when I think about all the things I said to you about Superman…they were meant for your ears, not Superman's…and the things I told Superman--especially the time I told him I would love him even if he were just a ordinary man--I just can't believe I said that to you…"
"Lois--don't feel embarrassed. We're best friends, remember? We can tell each other anything."
"I know. Clark, I've always loved Superman. I really didn't know why, because I really didn't know much about him. But now I think it was because, somewhere deep down, I knew he was you…Oh, Clark, I do love you--as Superman, _and_ as an ordinary man, living an ordinary life."
Clark smiled. "Lois, you have no idea how much I've wanted to hear you say those words to me. I love you, too." They looked into one another's eyes for a moment, then moved closer, eyes closing. They kissed, tentatively at first.
Then Clark reached up and cupped the side of Lois' face and neck with his hand, drawing her closer. Almost instantaneously, their kisses became more insistent and more urgent.
They held each other, caressed each other, and kissed each other for a long time, an occasional murmur breaking the silence. Finally, just when Clark felt he could no longer bear his hunger for her, Lois stood up and led him towards the bedroom.
THE END
(dreamrev.txt)