A Night Alone

By Crystal Wimmer

"I'm here, Lois. I'm here. I won't leave you."

Lois sighed and relaxed into Clark's arms. She felt safe. She
was still shaking. She couldn't breathe without nearing a sob,
but she felt safe.

Clark sighed right along with her. He had never seen Lois so
shaken. Certainly, after he had resuscitated her on the floor of
her apartment, she had clung to him. She had been afraid, and she
had begged him to stay. He had done so, because it felt so good
to have her need him. This was different, though. She had come to
him, and that was unprecedented. Lois Lane needed nobody, but she
needed him. If only the circumstances were better.

"You'll need some things, Lois." Clark was trying to be
practical amidst the turmoil of feelings. Lois was here, in his
arms, but there were details to attend to.

"I have a gym bag in my car. I keep it at The Planet, in case of
an assignment. I grabbed it when she called. I couldn't go home.
I just couldn't. I figured I could go to a hotel, but I really
didn't want to go. It's not that a hotel wouldn't be nice, and
I'm sure I could get in at the Lexor. You know they still
remember when our room was trashed, and I know they would have
given me a room, maybe even the honeymoon suite, but I just
didn't want to be alone."

Clark smiled. "Lois, you're babbling."

"Sorry."

She might be scared, and shaking like a leaf, but she was his
Lois. The babbling reassured him that she was fine, even as her
clinging arms reminded him that the situation was anything but
normal.

"It's fine Lois," Clark assured her, "I want you here." He
paused before rephrasing that. "I mean, I like knowing that
you're safe. I want you to stay with me tonight."

Lois was calmed by the sound of Clark's voice, his chest
vibrating slightly with each word. She began to lower the guard
that had protected her from so much heartache. Surely she could
trust Clark. Momentarily she had questioned whether he would
misinterpret her showing up here with no notice, no phone call,
but she felt better now.

Releasing his neck, and taking her weight onto her own legs once
more, she began to regain her composure. With the return of her
sense of logic, came concern.

"Are you sure this isn't a problem?" she questioned. "I mean,
if you have other plans or someone coming over, I'm sure I could
get a room at the Lexor. I mean, they have security, such as it
is, and I could probably request a little extra attention if that
is needed. I know the room that we used before got trashed, but
that wouldn't have happened if we had been there because we
would have called for help and then I know security could have
done something. Anyway, you don't need to feel obligated or
anything if you don't want me here because I'm sure you have a
life and ... "

"Lois?"

"Yes, Clark?"

"You're doing it again."

"Yes, Clark."

"I need to go get your bag. Can I have your keys?"

"Yes, Clark."

Clark smiled, again. She was back! Nervous, but she was strong.
She would make it through this. He was sure he could leave her
momentarily to get her bag. He locked her into his apartment,
then headed down the stairs. He was still smiling as he grabbed
her gym bag from behind the driver's seat of her Cherokee, and
went back to the stairs leading to his apartment. At the door, he
knocked and called out to her as he unlocked the door with his
own keys. He certainly didn't want to frighten her
unnecessarily.

"Lois, it's just me." Sticking his head in the door he found
that he had little reason to worry. She was already dozing on the
couch. With a rather silly grin he sat beside her, just watching.
**She must be exhausted. I wonder if I can get her into bed
without waking her? Maybe I should just leave her here?** Clark
immediately reconsidered that idea. She was leaning awkwardly on
her hand, which would soon be as asleep as she was. In addition
to this, he had learned a few things during their stay at the
Lexor, and among them that she was fanatical about brushing her
teeth at night. She would not appreciate waking up with a crick
in her neck and bad breath.

"Lois," he called softly as he shook her shoulder, "Lois, wake
up a minute."

"Am I asleep?"

"Just a little bit. You need to change, Lois."

"Okay." Instead, her head slid down from resting on her hand to
resting on her arm, and she snuggled deeper into the couch.

Clark smiled, again. **Well, Superman, time to earn your pay!**
He stood and carefully slid his arms beneath her sleeping form.
Although he frequently held her this way as Superman, he had
never had her snuggle her weight into his arms as she did now.
She was sleepy, and vulnerable, and his thoughts threatened to
get away from him.

He carried her into his bedroom. **This certainly isn't how I
imagined this would be.** He stood her on her feet long enough to
pull his covers back, holding one arm around her for support.
When that was done, he once again lifted her into his arms and
placed her into his bed. After a moment of just looking at her,
her hair on his pillow, and her hand curled peacefully beneath
her head, he decided that she would be more comfortable without
her shoes.

He slid the practical pumps from her feet, and pulled the covers
up to her chest. She would probably regret sleeping in her work
clothes, but it couldn't be helped. If she had been embarrassed
about waking up wearing veils, he could only imagine how she
would react if she awoke without them!

Clark grabbed some shorts from his second drawer, then headed for
the bathroom. After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he
changed into his shorts and dropped his dirty clothes into the
hamper. He took a moment to gaze at Lois sleeping, tuning in to
the steady rhythm of her heartbeat, before he took the extra
pillow and went over to the couch.

Clark settled in for a long night. He rarely slept much. This was
normally not a problem, as he routinely patrolled the city
several times during the night. He would not leave Lois alone,
though. She was scared, and while he saw no reason for her to be,
he believed her. She did not panic easily, and something had
scared her. He vaguely wished that she had stayed awake long
enough to explain the situation. He would have a better idea of
what he was up against. But, this was not the case, and he was
not going to wake her.

Moments later Clark began to feel uneasy. It took only seconds to
place the irritant: Lois' heart rate was increasing. It amazed
him that he was so in-tune with her. He stood up, put on his
robe, and went in to watch her for awhile, just until he was sure
she would be fine.

She was not fine! She was sweating, crying, and shaking. Clark
couldn't read minds, but he was certain that her daytime fears
were playing out into a nightmare. He stepped closer to the bed
.

***

**I can't breathe.** She stood in a corner, trying to remain
quiet. **She can hear you. She'll be right here.** Lois pulled
herself further into the cold corner, away from the light. She
was afraid. She was going to die, she knew it. The woman would
kill her. Who the woman was Lois had no idea, nor did she care.
She only knew that she was going to die. It became harder and
harder to breathe, and she briefly struggled against the arms
that crept from the corner and began to strangle her. **Not
again. I can't die like this, again.** She tried to scream, but
there was no air. She became more afraid.

Finally, a warmth permeated the cold that encased her. Once she
felt that she could take in air, she did so with greed.

She was warm now.

She assurred herself that she could breathe. She would live. For
a moment she considered sliding back into that warm and quiet
place that felt so safe, but she feared the return of the cold.
Slowly, she made the decision to open her eyes to find out why
she was so warm.

The first thing she saw was Clark's concerned face. She closed
her eyes again, smiling. Suddenly it occurred to her that dreams
were supposed to happen with eyes closed, not open, and that
something was amiss.

"Clark?"

"I'm here, Lois."

"Why?"

"You were having a nightmare. I thought I should wake you up."

"Oh." Lois opened her eyes again and took in her surroundings.
Even in the dim light it was apparent that she was not in her own
bed. "Clark?"

"I'm here."

"Why am I in your bed?"

"You fell asleep." He had a huge smile on his face, as though
he enjoyed her confusion. That wasn't fair!

"And, you took me to bed!?!" Lois, finally realizing that she
was held deeply in his arms, pulled away with a fierce strength.

"Not exactly." Clark paused a moment before explaining. "I
thought you would be more comfortable here." He had released
her, and he felt slightly chilled at the loss of her trust.

"Oh." Lois got a hold of herself. Clark was being nice. Clark
was taking care of her. Clark was being ... Clark.

"How do you feel, now?"

"Groggy."

"Are you awake enough to tell me what's going on?"

"I had a bad dream."

"I realize that, Lois. I meant before. Why did you come here?
Finn is in jail. Why are you so afraid?"

"He is. She isn't."

"I don't understand."

"I got a phone call. A woman. She threatened me. She said she
would kill me, or at least implied it. I called the police, but
Inspector Henderson wasn't there. They advised me not to go
home, and I didn't feel ... safe ... in a hotel. I came here."
Suddenly, Lois looked uncertain. "You said that was okay?"

"Fine, Lois. You know you are always welcome here." He paused
as he lay his palm against her cheek, his fingers playing lightly
with the silky strands of her hair. "Always."

Lois smiled, comforted by his touch. How was it that she felt as
safe with Clark as she did with Superman? More so, because the
foundation of the relationship was friendship.

Clark relaxed as Lois' heartbeat quieted once more. He wrapped
his arms around her briefly in a brotherly hug before releasing
her completely.

"Are you hungry? I made dinner, but I didn't get to it yet. You
sort of took my mind off of food."

Lois smiled back at Clark. "Yeah, I actually am. I was going to
call for take-out, but then she called ... " Lois trailed off,
lost in thought.

"I grabbed your bag, in case you need anything. Why don't you
change into something better to sleep in while I warm you up some
dinner?"

"Sounds good." Together they walked to the couch and Clark
handed her the black gym bag he had retrieved from her jeep.
"Clark?"

"What?"

"I keep this for emergencies. You know, when Perry sends us out
with no notice. Anyway, I have some slacks and a top, all the
toiletries, but I don't have anything in here ... appropriate
... to sleep in ... well ... in mixed company." Lois stumbled
through her half explanation, half request.

Clark went quickly back to his dresser and grabbed up a soft
sweatshirt from Midwest University. It was one of his favorites,
and it had been washed about a thousand times, so it was
unusually comfortable. "How about this?" he said as he offered
it to Lois.

Her smile was at least a thousand watts. "Thanks, Clark."

***

Lois brushed her hair and teeth, and removed her makeup in the
bathroom. She debated about showing Clark her "naked" face, but
figured that he was strong and could take it. She left on her
underpants, but her bra was an underwire, so she decided that it
would have to go. Once in the soft sweatshirt, she decided that
she felt a bit better. She was grateful that Clark was so tall,
as the shirt fell nearly to her knees. She smiled into the mirror
when she realized that the shirt sleeves fell just as far. She
pushed them halfway up her arms to get them out of her way. The
last remnants of the dream were fading, and she did feel safe
here. She and Clark would figure this out in the morning.

As she opened the bathroom door, she was greeted by the wonderful
smell of Chinese food. She eagerly went into the living room and
dropped her gym bag onto the couch before walking into the small
kitchen.

"Can I help?"

"Nope. All done." Clark turned to her with a smile, and a plate
in one hand. He handed her the plate of steaming food and a fork,
then returned for his own meal.

"This is good," Lois commented between bites. "Where's it
from?"

"This I made."

"You're kidding!" Lois could burn salad if she really tried,
so the concept of real cooking was far from her repertoire.

"Really. My mom cooks all the time. She's the best cook. I
learned from her. It came in handy when I was traveling. You
wouldn't believe what they serve at some restaurants in Asia!
Europe, too, for that matter." He smiled, broadly. "Cooking was
a matter of self preservation."

"This really is good." She finished her plate and carried it to
the sink. Clark was right behind her. "I'll take that."

"Thanks."

"Are you about ready for bed?"

"I guess so."

"You can have my bed."

"Thanks." She paused, thinking. "Are you sure that's okay? I
mean, I'll flip you for it."

Clark smiled, remembering the enormous amount of teasing that he
put her through after she refused to share the bed at the Lexor
honeymoon suite. "It's fine, Lois. I'll be fine out here, and
you can have some privacy."

"Okay. Thanks." Lois went in to bed and settled in. She pulled
the covers up to her neck and relaxed. The pillow smelled like
Clark. The whole room felt like Clark. With a feeling of comfort
and belonging she had never known, she snuggled into the quilt
and slept.

***

Less than twenty minutes later, she was dreaming again. Clark
heard the change in her heartbeat, and rushed in. Like before,
she was sweaty, shaking, and had tears on her face. Without
waiting to think or reason, he sat on the edge of his bed and
pulled her into his arms.

He whispered nonsense and reassurances to her as she briefly
struggled, as before, and then relaxed against him. He held her
tightly, fighting tears himself, because he could not fight this
battle for her. She stayed awake for several minutes, just
holding him as tightly as he was holding her: a lifeline.

"Okay?"

"No."

After a pause, he tried again. "Better?"

"Yeah."

He held her until her breathing slowed and her heartbeat steadied
for sleep. Once he was certain that she was sleeping, he lowered
her to the bed and covered her up.

He stopped at the bathroom to wipe the tears from his bare chest.
She hadn't commented on his lack of attire, but then she had
been pretty out of it. He'd had the presence of mind to grab a
robe before going to her the first time, but this time his only
thought had been of reaching Lois.

Before he made it to the couch, her heartbeat was erratic again.
He went to her, held her, soothed her, and got her back to sleep.
Yes, it was going to be a long night.

***

It was nearly three in the morning before Clark gave in. He had
been in to care for Lois every twenty or thirty minutes since
they had first decided it was time to sleep. Clark required
little sleep, but even he needed some rest. The night had been
draining, emotionally.

Finally, after soothing Lois back into sleep for the fiftieth
time, he raised his legs to the bed and got comfortable. He
levitated slightly to get the tangled covers from beneath her,
then he pulled them over the both of them. With his back resting
against a pillow, and Lois resting on his chest, he drifted near
sleep.

In some part of his mind he was afraid of what he was doing. He
pondered whether this was to comfort her, or himself. He loved
holding her. She fit his body perfectly, just as her intellect
stimulated his mind. He could get used to this, and that scared
him. She would be angry that he had taken such liberties while
she slept, but it felt so good that it just might be worth it. As
he finally fell asleep, his last coherent thought was that the
next time she woke, he would be with her.

Lois didn't wake up until late in the morning.

***

Lois awoke feeling very warm. She wondered if she had left an
electric blanket on, before remembering that she didn't own one.
She began to stretch her body out, and was startled to feel the
resilience of a man's body underneath her own. She was a little
foggy this morning, but this was ridiculous!

Gradually opening her eyes, she realized that her pillow was
indeed a man's chest. And not just any man's, but Clark's!

This, she would have remembered! She slid her hand across the
smooth skin, appreciating the unique feel of skin against skin.
This was nice. Very nice. She moved her leg slightly and felt the
slight abrasion of his leg against hers. Very nice. She
considered several courses of action before settling on the
easiest. She closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep. It would
be far less awkward if he was to make the first move. She
couldn't very well be upset when he hadn't really done
anything.

Clark felt Lois move her hand across his chest and held his
breath. She sighed softly and laid her head back on his chest
before rubbing her leg against his. Her heartbeat told him she
was awake, and he had no idea how to proceed. Was this an
invitation? Was she just toying with him? Revenge, possibly, for
sleeping with her without her consent?

As he felt her relax again, and her heartbeat slow for sleep, he
was at once relieved and disappointed. This was not how he wanted
to be with Lois. She was a strong woman, and that strength was as
important to him as the occasional vulnerability. She needed him
too much now. She needed a friend, and he wouldn't violate that
regardless of his physical needs.

Once she was asleep, he carefully lowered her to the bed and
slipped out of her arms. She protested in her sleep, and became
restless. He took the opportunity to make a quick exit and a
beeline for the shower.

When he finished his shower, cold but not yet shivering, he put
on his robe and went into the kitchen. Lois awoke to the aroma of
bacon and eggs. She slipped from the bed and into the bathroom,
where she brushed her teeth and washed her face. She pulled her
clothes from the gym bag Clark had left on the sink for her, and
silently hoped that the wrinkles would indeed fall out, as the
manufacturer promised. After applying a minimum of makeup, she
returned to the bed and straightened the covers somewhat.

As Lois entered the kitchen, Clark placed a steaming plate before
her. She smiled at the "country" breakfast he had prepared.
Crisp bacon, scrambled eggs, and buttered toast had never been
more welcome. He poured a cup of coffee for her, then added some
milk.

"Sorry, no nonfat," he apologized with a smile.

"That's okay, I'll skip the sugar."

They ate in a silence that was not entirely comfortable or
uncomfortable, just there. When finished, Lois thanked him for
the breakfast and insisted on washing the dishes for him while he
got ready for work. It was nearly nine o'clock, and while they
knew Perry would understand the circumstances, she didn't want
to have to explain too much.

Just as Lois was putting away the last plate, Clark returned. He
was in a suit, with his standard wild-and-crazy tie just slightly
off center. Lois walked over and carefully straightened the tie,
then met Clark's eyes for the first time that morning.

"I want to thank you."

"You don't need to. I'll always be here for you. You can stay
as long as you need to."

She gazed into chocolate brown eyes, so much like her own, and
then shook her head. "That isn't what I meant. I think you know
that. Thank you."

Clark smiled a very shy, boyish smile. He briefly considered
teasing her as they always did one another. He thought of joking
about how she had been "on top", or goading her into an
argument about her sleeping with him instead of Superman. They
always handled each other with a combination of sarcasm,
antagonism, and occasionally true humor. Unfortunately, this
night didn't fit with the usual at all. Quite simply, he didn't
want to go back to that just yet. He tried another approach, and
hoped for the best.

"You're welcome, Lois," Clark smiled. "Let's go to work."

Lois returned his smile, grateful for something she couldn't put
her finger on, and reached out for the hand of her best friend.
"Let's go to work." 

THE END