Wasted Revelations

By BJ [brit_cass@hotmail.com]

Rated: PG

Submitted: February 2010

Summary: Set during "House of Luthor", an in-betweeny that
explores what happened between Lex's suicide leap and the
meeting in front of the Daily Planet. A holiday ficathon story
written for Sue S.

Disclaimer: The characters belong to DC Comics and all the
others; I'm just messing with them for fun. Acknowledgements and
ficathon story prompts are included at the end.

This is for you, Sue. I hope you like it.

***

Clark Kent was pissed. Smashed. Totally wasted. For the first
time in his life, he was completely, one hundred percent,
out-of-his-mind drunk. He'd never been able to get drunk before,
but then again, he'd only been without his powers once before,
too. And after Trask had tried to kill him, he'd felt so good
about his prospects with Lois, that trying to drown his sorrows
in a bottle was the *last* thing on his mind.

He had always wondered about himself, though, and now he knew.
Without his powers, he really was just like anyone else. The
thought almost made him smile. At least something good had come
from almost dying in Luthor's Kryptonite cage.

Clark picked up his glass and swirled the remaining liquid in a
slow circle. He'd stopped counting how many drinks he'd had
about the same time he realized that the alcohol was affecting
him. Since then, he had just enjoyed the feeling. Intellectually,
he knew that he'd regret his binge in the morning, but for the
moment, the warmth in his chest and the blissful sluggishness to
his thoughts were a welcome reprieve to the day's events. The
fear, anxiety and anger that had preceded Lois' wedding had
finally disappeared and now he just wanted to decompress.

Thinking of the day's events twisted Clark's mouth sourly and
he tossed back the remainder of this drink before lifting his
glass to the bartender for another. A moment later, the bartender
set a fresh drink in front of him and Clark snatched the cherry
out of the empty glass before the bartender could take it away.

Dropping the fruit into his new drink, Clark shrugged off any
lingering, dark thoughts of Luthor, Kryptonite, and ill-timed
declarations of love. Lois was safe and the world was free from
the clutches of the most despicable villain he'd ever known. He
smiled; that fact alone was reason to celebrate.

Clark was just lifting the glass to his mouth when he saw Lois
enter the bar. In order to avoid most of the noise, Clark had
selected a bar stool in the corner farthest from the door, so he
had plenty of time to admire her as she made her way through the
dingy room. Lois was dressed casually in jeans and a sweatshirt,
her hair tied back in a messy ponytail. But even with the stress
of the day's events lingering on her face, she looked more
beautiful than ever.

Lois caught sight of Clark sitting at the opposite end of the bar
and started making her way toward him. As she pressed through a
knot of bikers blocking her way, she realized that Clark had seen
her and watched as he smiled in greeting and raised his glass in
silent salute. She smiled back at him, relieved by his friendly
response. As she came near, he called out his greeting a little
louder than strictly necessary to be heard over the music.

"Lois. I was just thinking about you, and here you are. You must
be psychic … or maybe I am...."

Lois' steps slowed and she eyed him suspiciously, trying to
figure out whether he was serious. Clark seemed oblivious to her
scrutiny, however, as his forehead creased in thought. Not a
pick-up line, then, just tipsy already. She glanced at the
impressive pile of lime rinds, colorful plastic swords and cherry
stems in front of him and blinked in surprise. Make that really
drunk, then.

Amusement and concern both tugged at the corner of Lois' mouth
as her former partner shrugged off his confusion and smiled at
her again. After the rollercoaster ride their friendship had
taken over the past couple of months, Lois hadn't been sure of
the reception she would receive from him. But Clark had been
there for her, wrapping her up in his protective embrace
immediately following her aborted wedding and Lex's suicide. She
had needed him desperately and he hadn't disappointed her.

Clark had stayed by her side all afternoon while she'd given her
statement to the police and had somehow diverted her mother
before taking her back to her apartment. Trying to be strong,
she'd told Clark she was fine and after exacting a promise that
she'd call if she needed anything, he had left. She'd paced for
hours, replaying the horror of the day interspersed with
self-recriminations for her stubborn blindness. When she could no
longer stand her empty apartment, she'd gone to Clark's place
and Perry had sent her in the direction of the closest bar.

"Definitely not psychic," Lois admitted ruefully as she reached
Clark's side. She glared at the man to Clark's left until the
man slipped off his bar stool and took his drink elsewhere. Lois
slipped onto the vacated stool with a sigh.

"So, how'd you find me?" Clark asked.

"Who says I was looking for you, Kent?"

"Well, since you headed straight for me and didn't give Tommy
the Tank a second look, I figured it was a safe bet."

Lois glanced in the direction Clark was pointing in time to see a
short, balding man with a few missing teeth and a large beer gut
slap a passing waitress in the backside. Lois made a face and
nudged Clark's shoulder with hers good-naturedly as he laughed.
"It really wasn't that hard to track you down. Perry told me
you'd gone for a drink, so I started with the places closest to
your apartment and worked my way out from there."

"Ah," he said before toasting her with his glass. "Lois Lane,
the best reporter in town."

Lois could hear no malice in his voice, but she still felt her
skin flush at Clark's words. She knew that he meant it as a
compliment, but she couldn't get past her recent mistakes to
enjoy it. Instead of responding, she looked uneasily around the
bar. With its thick smoky haze, cracked vinyl seats and raucous
crowd, it wasn't a place she would have expected to find her
partner. "What are you doing here, Clark?"

"Drinkin'. Hey, did you know they have more than ten kinds of
beer on tap here?"

"You don't say. Have you tried them all?"

"Naw, I think beer tastes like the inside of a barn stall, but I
like the drinks with fruit." He lifted his glass as proof and
paused to enjoy Lois' smile. "How about you? What are you doing
here?"

Lois swallowed the temptation to answer flippantly. Clark had
been more than generous today. The least she could do is to be
honest with him. "Looking for a friend, I guess. We are still
friends, aren't we Clark?"

He slung an arm around her shoulders, almost pulling her out of
her seat. "Of course," he said with a silly grin. "Best
friends."

Feeling off-balance and more than a little amused, Lois removed
his arm and ordered a white wine from the bartender before
settling back onto her stool. Unable to shake the feeling that
she was being watched, her eyes tracked around the room again.
Her reputation among her colleagues had kept most of the
reporters at bay and she had taken precautions to avoid being
followed, but she was still wary of the paparazzi. She started
when she realized that Clark was staring at her with a soppy
smile. "Why are you grinning at me like that?"

"Weren't you supposed to ask me if that seat is taken?"

"Oh. I'm sorry. Are you here with someone?"

Clark reached over and tapped his glass against hers. "I am
now."

In spite of her best effort not to, Lois smiled. She'd walked
right into that one. She realized that she had never seen Clark
drunk before, but she had to admit that he was kind of adorable.
Best not to let him know that, though. "Do I look like someone
that would respond to that kind of line?" she asked.

"Nope. You look like someone that could use some cheering up."

Her mock scowl softened into a self-conscious smile. "I do.
Thanks, Clark. It's been one hell of a day."

Clark waited until she'd taken a sip of her drink before
reaching for her hand. "I'm sorry, Lois. Sorry that we
couldn't get the evidence fast enough to avoid the wedding."

"God, don't apologize. I feel bad enough as it is. If I'd only
investigated him myself…"

"Hey, you couldn't have known. Luthor had years to perfect his
act and he gave you no reason to doubt him. You just have this
blind spot, Lois, and he exploited it."

"Blind spot?" she asked incredulously. Although his facial
expression was full of concern, not anger, this conversation was
starting to sound suspiciously familiar. Regardless of her level
of complicity in the wedding fiasco from hell, she yanked her
hand away, feeling defensive. "Don't patronize me, Clark. I
know my own mind."

He watched her eyebrows draw down stormily and he waved his arms
around. "Whoa, whoa, hang on. No fighting! My brain is mush and
I can't compete. Next week, fine, but tonight is off limits.
We're celebrating and that's that."

Lois' anger fled. Clark's adamant declaration pulled a
reluctant smile from her. She didn't want to argue with Clark
anymore, either. "Okay. Truce?"

"Truce," he answered, tapping his glass to hers again. "Lois,
you're the smartest, most determined person I've ever met.
Anyone who meets you stands in awe of your abilities, myself
included. I know it was one of the biggest reasons Luthor wanted
you."

Lois blushed, looking down at his mention of her erstwhile
fiancι. With anyone else, she'd have argued, going on the
offensive in an effort to salvage her dignity, but even if he
hadn't called a time-out on their fight, she couldn't with
Clark. How many times had he told her that Lex was dirty? How
many ways could he tell her to open her eyes and investigate the
man she had intended to marry? Clark knew her too well to
dissemble, and although he would never rub those mistakes in her
face, her lack of judgment and failure to see through Lex was
still too painful to discuss.

Unaware of her discomfort, Clark continued talking. "What I'm
trying to say is that you may know your own mind, Lois, but I
think that sometimes you don't know your own heart. Underneath
that tough outside, your heart is warm, tender and beautiful, but
it's also vulnerable. I know it's been broken before; Luthor
was only the latest to take advantage of it."

"Oh, God," Lois moaned. "I knew telling you about Claude would
come back to haunt me."

"Come on, Lois. This is important. Whenever your heart gets
broken, it leaves a scar and it's hard to hear what your heart
is saying underneath those thick calluses." Clark held out his
hand as proof of his words and then cocked his head in confusion.
"Okay, so I don't have any calluses, but you know what I
mean."

Lois watched Clark chug his drink and then stare at his hand
again, his jaw ticking in contemplation. She didn't know whether
to laugh or roll her eyes. It had been a while since Clark had
spouted some of his country zen wisdom, but it looked like today
was her lucky day. Confucius Clark was back. Still … the stuff
he'd said made a kooky kind of sense.

Clark looked at her suddenly with a triumphant smile. "I finally
got it."

"Got what?"

He pulled the cherry stem out of his mouth and held it up for
inspection; it was tied in a knot. Clark wiggled his eyebrows.
"Impressed?"

In answer, Lois shoved his shoulder. "You goof."

Clark winked at her and Lois's stomach made an unexpected
tumble. She took a sip of her wine to hide her reaction and
immediately crammed those feelings back through the door marked
'no entry'.

Instead, she focused on what Clark had said. Lois had analyzed
the past two months so many times trying to figure out where
she'd gone wrong that her brain felt raw. Even with the benefit
of hindsight, she still couldn't understand how she had been so
completely fooled by Lex. Maybe Clark was right.

But she hadn't done everything wrong. In the end, Lois *had*
listened to her heart and realized that it wasn't Lex, or even
Superman, that she had wanted. No one but Lex and the Arch Bishop
had heard her, but she had said no. Suddenly, it was vital that
Clark know she hadn't gone through with it.
 "Clark, I have to tell you something. You weren't there to
hear it, but even before Perry and Henderson arrived, I told Lex
that I wouldn't marry him. How could I, when all I could think
about was … someone else?"

Lois blushed as she fumbled over her confession. Judging from the
dazed look on Clark's face, he probably assumed she meant
Superman. She didn't want to hurt him, but she hadn't figured
out yet how to tell Clark about her newfound feelings for him.

Clark opened his mouth to tell Lois that he already knew she'd
stopped the wedding, but her final words made his head spin. It
was obvious that even after refusing her affections, he'd been
able to keep her from marrying Luthor. Well, not *him* him, but
the other him. Surprisingly, he felt no jealousy. He was happy
that even trapped in his Kryptonite prison, he'd been able to
save her.

Unaware of Clark's inner monologue, Lois shook her head and
scoffed at herself. "Not that anyone will believe I said no.
Everyone knows that I was duped by Lex by now. I doubt I'll ever
be taken seriously as a reporter again."

"Lois, no one has to know."

"Clark! Half of Metropolis was in the building and the rest of
them will hear it on the news."

"So? Besides the two of us, only Perry, Jimmy and Jack know the
truth. Let your reputation work in your favor." Clark's eyes
sparkled as he warmed to the topic. "We can tell everyone that
you suspected Luthor was dirty so you went undercover to distract
him until we could find the evidence. Tell people it was all part
of your plan to say no at the altar."

"Clark, that's … I can't ask you to lie for me like that."

"Sure you can. I know the others will go along with it. Perry
loves you like a daughter, Jimmy is in awe of you and Jack fears
you; they won't say anything."

Lois noticed that he didn't mention how he felt about her, but
she already knew. He'd told her in the park weeks ago. Even
after she'd turned him down, he was trying to protect her. She
couldn't believe he wanted to deliberately fabricate a story for
her benefit. She disagreed that Perry would go along with it – he
was too much an old newshound – but the idea was tempting.

Lois sipped her drink as she mulled over Clark's offer. To be
able to say that she hadn't been fooled by Lex felt like a
lifeline in stormy waters. Like when Clark had gone undercover at
the Star, they could say they had staged all of their fights;
even Perry might buy that one. She could give the exclusive
interview to her partner as thanks for his loyalty and life could
go on as if the whole sordid mess had never happened.

She realized immediately, though, that pretending would
perpetuate her greatest flaw. She'd been so certain that she was
right, that she couldn't be fooled by anyone, that she'd missed
all the signs and dismissed her best friend's warnings. He'd
been right and she'd been wrong. It would probably be better to
face up to her mistakes and remember that she wasn't
infallible.

She was amazed by Clark's ability to forgive her, though. If the
tables had been turned, she probably wouldn't have been so
considerate. Of course, those traits explained how he had been
able to infiltrate her defenses and become so essential to her
happiness. Other than Superman, he was the best man she'd ever
met.

Lois stared at Clark while she thought over his words and then
leaned over to kiss him softly on the cheek. "I don't deserve
it, but thank you for the offer."

When she leaned back, Clark was grinning at her like a fool.

"What?" she asked.

"You kissed me." Clark set his drink down and shifted in his
seat to scoot closer to her. "You kissed me and I *liked* it."

His knowing smile and husky tone generated an unexpectedly warm
sensation to slide down her spine and pull her not-so-small
attraction to Clark back out of its hiding place. She secretly
loved it when he flirted with her and she figured that he must be
*really* drunk to be so forward. "Thank God you aren't going to
remember this tomorrow," she said.

"I'll remember that you kissed me."

"Clark, how much have you had to drink?"

"Dunno," he said leaning back. "I lost count."

"Well, then trust me. You're not going to remember any of this
tomorrow."

"Yes, I will. Didn't you know? I have an eida … eidec … eidetic
memory. I never forget anything."

Lois snorted. "Right. You have a photographic memory. That's
why you're constantly running off to return your library books
when we're in the middle of an emergency."

"I never run off," he protested. "I go to help."

"Go to *get* help, maybe. Usually when I run into trouble,
you're nowhere to be found. It's a wonder you ever get any
Superman quotes for your stories."

Clark looked up at her and smiled as if he'd just remembered
something important. "You wanna know a secret?" He crooked his
finger and she leaned in close enough that he could feel the
whisper of her breath on his cheek. He glanced around to make
sure no one was close enough to hear before imparting his secret.
"I'm drunk."

"No kidding."

Clark laughed like this was the most amazing thing to ever happen
to him before. "No, you don't understand. I'm really drunk."

"Oh, I think I get it, Clark."

"But I've never been drunk before!"

"Never been *this* drunk, maybe. "

"Nope. I've tried before, but … nothin'."

"Uh huh. All those years of college football and traveling the
world and you've never been drunk before. Next thing you'll be
saying is that you're a virgin, too."

"Lois!" Clark hissed, his eyes wide.

Misinterpreting his horror, she patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, Clark. Your secret is safe with me."

Clark shook his head in protest, but stopped when his vision
began to fade around the edges. He felt his body sway and tried
to lean against the bar to steady himself, but missed and started
slipping off his seat. Luckily, Lois grabbed his shoulders and
helped him stand before he slid to the floor. She called for the
check and paid it with an impressed lift of her eyebrow at
Clark's total.

"Come on, Farmboy. Time to get you home."

Clark slung an arm around Lois' shoulder and gave her another
sappy grin. "Perry, Jimmy and Jack are at my place. You should
come over; we'll have a big slumber party."

He gave her a wink and then took a step forward, but didn't
remember the first step down. Lois wrapped an arm around his
waist just in time to keep him from falling on his face.

She struggled to get him upright. "Jeez, Clark. You weigh a
ton."

"It's because I'm so dense."

"You're telling me," Lois laughed.

Clark looked behind him. "Whoa. That first step was a doozy."

"A veritable Mount Everest. On second thought, you're going to
need some help sobering up. Maybe I should take you to my place
first."

"Ha! I thought you said it wouldn't work on you."

Clark swayed and Lois half stumbled into a chair, narrowly
missing a chance to get up-close and personal with Tommy's
belly. With great effort, she got them moving toward the door
again before she responded. "What are you talking about?"

"You said my pick-up line wouldn't work. But a beautiful woman
just approached me, paid for my drinks and is taking me home with
her. Sounds like it worked to me."

Lois burst out laughing. "Well, I guess when you put it like
that …. It must have been all that sophisticated charm of
yours."

Clark's eyes danced and Lois could see that her laugh had
delighted him. She wrapped her other arm around the front of
Clark's waist and hugged him tighter to her and felt, more than
heard, his contented hum. She hadn't realized how weighted down
she'd felt with things so tense between them, but she finally
felt the barriers Lex had constructed start to crumble. "I've
missed you, Clark."

"Well, then," he smiled. "I guess it's a good thing I'm
coming home with you."

~ - ~

The door to Lois' apartment swung open with a bang, followed
closely by a shushing noise and a feminine giggle. Clark
staggered in, one arm slung over his partner's shoulder and Lois
had to tug hard at his waist to halt his forward momentum. She
succeeded in kicking the door shut and turning one of the locks
before Clark overbalanced the other direction and squished her
against the closed door.

"Ungh, Clark!"

"Oops, sorry."

Lois pushed at him, but he didn't budge. "How much do you
weigh, anyway?"

"'Bout two hundred eighty. "

Lois' laugh came out as more of a snort. "Feels like it."

Lois finally heaved him upright and they lurched over to the
couch. Better to get him on a soft surface before he fell down.
She pulled his arm from her shoulder and he plopped down on the
edge of the sofa with a sigh, and then just kept going. He slid
from the seat onto the floor, knocking several pillows off and
banging into the coffee table on his way. He ended up with his
legs splayed out in front of him and a befuddled look on his
face.

"Why's everything spinning?"

"Think of it as a perk of the alcohol," she grinned.

"Wow. I didn't think I was *that* drunk."

"Not that drunk, my rear end," she grunted as she helped him
back onto the sofa.

Clark looked up at her and winked again. "You know, I've always
liked your rear."

"You better watch it."

"Oh, believe me, I'd love to. In fact, sometimes I do," he
confided with a secretive grin, "but only when no one is
looking. Especially when you wear that tight black skirt …"

"Clark!" Lois laughed, feeling both scandalized and flattered.
She knew he was telling the truth, but would never have said
anything normally. Even drunk, though, she trusted him not to
make an untoward move on her. Teasing back, she glared at him and
pointed menacingly. "Stay there while I get some food ready. We
need to try to dilute your blood alcohol level into the single
digits."

Lois entered the kitchen and opened her refrigerator. She pulled
out the cartons of Chinese food that Clark had ordered in for her
earlier, glad now that she hadn't been able to eat any of it.
Clark needed the food much more than she did.

She placed the food on the counter as Clark struggled to his feet
and stumbled to join her. He opened a carton and took a sniff,
but Lois pulled it away from him. "Give me a minute; it'll
taste better hot."

She placed the first carton in the microwave and turned it on.
When she turned back around, Clark had his glasses pulled down
his nose and was glaring at the food. "What are you doing?" she
asked.

He slid his glasses up again and shrugged. "Trying to heat it
up, but my eyes aren't working."

Lois stared at him baffled before shaking it off and helping
Clark into a chair. "I think you had better sit down, Clark."

She bustled around getting plates and utensils and it wasn't
long before she placed a steaming plate of food in front of him.
Joining him at the table, she dug into her own food and sighed
with pleasure; she hadn't realized how hungry she was. She heard
Clark moan delightedly as well and they shared a friendly smile.
They ate in silence for the next few minutes, the hum of her fish
tank the only other sound in the room.

They finished about the same time and Lois got Clark another
serving. While he ate, she gathered a tall glass of water and a
couple of aspirin and set them down in front of Clark as he
finished his dinner with a smack of his lips. He eyed her
skeptically when she placed the aspirin in his hand. "Trust
me," she said. "It'll help in the morning."

"Thanks, Lois. Where would I be without you?"

"Face down in the gutter, no doubt."

"No doubt."

Lois cleared his plate while he drank the water. She knew where
she'd be without him – lost. She thought again about her
pre-wedding revelation and she realized that without Clark,
she'd be lost and married to the wrong man – and not just
because Lex was a criminal.

Her head jerked around at the sound of her lamp crashing to the
floor when Clark tried to make his way back to the sofa. "Where
are you going?"

"To sleep on the sofa."

"Oh, no you don't," she said as she hauled him back to his
feet. "If you stay here, you'll fall off again and break your
neck. You can have my bed; I want you somewhere you won't kill
yourself."

Clark spun out of her grasp and sputtered in protest as she led
him toward the bathroom. "I'm not taking your bed, Lois. I can
just sleep on the floor."

"You're not going to sleep on my floor when there's a
perfectly good bed to use."

His face brightened as he reached into his pocket. "How 'bout
we flip for it?"

Lois smirked and took the coin from his hand. She flipped it into
the air, called 'heads', caught it and slapped it down on her
wrist. She peeked under her hand and smiled triumphantly.
"Heads. I guess you get the bed."

"I think you cheated."

"Maybe," she gloated, slipping the coin in her pocket. "But
you'll never be able to prove it."

Clark stared at her through narrow eyes and then grinned smugly.
"Well, it's a big bed. How 'bout we share?"

Lois laughed at his reference to their stay in the honeymoon
suite. With anyone else, she'd be running away as fast as she
could, but she knew she could trust Clark. Besides, considering
the glassy look to his eye and the sway to his stance, she
figured that he was only minutes away from passing out anyway.
They were both stubborn enough that this conversation could go on
indefinitely and he'd end up on the floor anyway. "Okay, Clark.
You win."

His eyebrows shot up before he smiled sexily. "Why, Lois Lane …
what would your mother say?"

"I thought you would've noticed by now, Clark, but I'm all
grown up. I don't need my mom's permission anymore."

"Well, then what would *my* mother say?"

***

Despite her bravado, Lois was nervous about sleeping in the same
bed as Clark. Not only because of her attraction to him, but
since she'd already started packing up her clothing before her
wedding, the only thing she had to wear to bed was a short,
kimono-style robe. The robe was one of her favorites, but not
something she would wear for a platonic night with her best
friend.

She eyed the overnight bag she'd packed for her honeymoon, but
shuddered at the thought of wearing any of the night clothes that
were in there. She sighed again; what she wouldn't give for her
schlumpy, brown robe or a sturdy pair of flannel pajamas right
now.

By the time Lois worked up the courage to exit the bathroom,
Clark was asleep, lying on his back on top of the covers, one leg
dangling over the edge of the bed. He still wore his socks, tie
and glasses, but at least he'd been able to get his shoes off
before he'd lost consciousness. She crossed the room and stood
next to him, wondering how she was going to get him under the
covers. She shrugged; he'd probably be fine. She reached down
and lifted his dangling leg onto the bed. When he didn't stir,
she loosened his tie and slipped it free of his collar and then
slid his glasses from his face and placed them on the bedside
table with his tie.

She circled the bed, turned off the light and climbed under the
covers, turning on her side until she faced Clark. She studied
his face in the moonlight. He looked so different without his
glasses and she realized she'd never seen him that way before.
His features were relaxed in sleep and he looked even more
boyishly innocent than usual.

Unable to resist, she ran her fingers through his hair and leaned
over to kiss him on the cheek. "Good night, Clark." When Lois
pulled back, she was startled to see his eyes open. "Oh. You're
awake."

"You kissed me again." He smiled sleepily. "I must be an
irresistible drunk."

"Irritating, maybe."

"Admit it, Lois. You like having me around."

Unexpectedly, Lois' eyes filled with tears. "I do. I was so
afraid that I'd lost you and I didn't know what I was going to
do without your friendship."

Clark rolled toward her and wrapped an arm around her, pulling
her into a hug. "You won't lose me, Lois. If friendship is what
you need, then it's yours. Forever."

"Everything in my life was crumbling. My life at the Planet,
everyone important to me … all of it was gone due to my own
stupidity. I panicked and said so many things I regret."

"Me too," Clark admitted easily, but inside he was confused.
What part did she regret? Saying no to Lex, declaring her
feelings to Superman, or turning him down in the park? His
thoughts began to spin faster until they slipped from his mind
altogether. Instead, he brushed his hand across her cheek and
rested his palm against her face, tipping it up so he could look
her in the eye. "Everything's going to be okay, Lois."

"I know," she sniffed. She rested her head on his shoulder and
they lay in silence for a peaceful moment. His promise made her
feel safe and happy, but it also left her in control of wherever
their relationship went. She knew that if they were ever going to
move past friendship, she'd have to take the next step.
"Clark?"

"Hmm?"

"I have another confession to make." She lifted her head to
look at him again. "It wasn't Superman I was thinking about
while I was walking down the aisle; it was you."

She watched Clark's eyes open wide in shock as her words
filtered through his addled brain. Once they did, though, his
resulting smile was so radiant that it made her stomach twist.
She had a feeling that if she had been standing, her knees would
have felt weak. Too overwhelmed for any more revelations tonight,
she placed her head on his shoulder and hugged him once more.
"Good night, Clark."

Clark hugged her tightly in return. Another minute passed and
sleep started to drag him under, but there was one more thing he
needed to know. "Lois?"

"Yes, Clark?"

"Will you promise me something?"

She lifted her head at his sleep-slurred question to look at him.
"What is it?"

"If I don't remember this in the morning, will you tell me
again?"

Lois smiled. "Yes. I'll tell you again tomorrow."

His only response was a snore.

THE END

***

Author's Note:

First, I owe a big thank you to Kathy Brown for being my beta and
for helping me to deceive Sue about which story assignment I
received (insert evil laugh here). She also gave me several key
suggestions that helped to unlock the story and made it
immeasurably better. Thanks, partner!

Thanks also to Sue S., without whom this story would have never
been written. :D Believe me, Sue, I only lie when it's really,
really important – like when I have to protect my secret
identity. [g] I already knew you liked this story idea, but I
hope you like the way your prompts helped it to evolve. For
everyone else – I included Sue's story requirements below.

Also, I have to thank Mary Potts, aka Queen of the Capes for the
first line. This story has been kicking around in my head for a
long time and I had originally tried to draft it using one of her
suggestions in the "First Lines Challenge" thread found here:
http://www.lcficmbs.com/cgi-bin/boards/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=000824.
It's probably not what you had in mind, Mary, but thanks for the
inspiration.

Sue S.'s Holiday Ficathon story requirements:

Three things I want in my fic:

1. L/C flirting

2. Lois clueless about Superman's true identity

3. A secret shared between L/C (but NOT a revelation)

Preferred season(s)/holiday [if applicable]: Season 1 or 2

Three things I do not want in my fic:

1. A-plot (PWP makes such a tasty holiday treat)

2. Any villain (unless it's a passing reference)

3. A revelation