Bless the Broken Road [Archive] - Page 11 - KSiteTV Television & Movie Forums

Cardinal

10-16-2006, 09:34 AM

Chapter 91 - Presents

Lana’s breath caught in her throat. Since she and Clark had recently started officially thinking about marriage, the initial sight of the felt-covered jewelry case made her think, Engagement ring! Then she noticed the box was too large for a ring. Gingerly taking the box out of his hand, Lana’s eyes closed as she paused to imagine what might be inside.

“Your eyes will work better if they’re open, Lana.” Clark said.

“I know.” Lana opened her eyes and carefully opened the box at the same time. Once the box was completely opened, Lana looked down and saw a thin chain made of either platinum or silver. Attached to that thin chain was a thumbnail-sized pendant. The pendant appeared to be made entirely of amethysts, which were arranged to look somewhat like a flower, an opinion that Clark seconded when she asked him.

“That’s why I bought it, Lana. It looked like a purple flower and that made me think of irises. Both the flowers you love, and the name of one of ‘our’ songs. I had to get it for you.”

"It's wonderful." Holding the box up to him, Lana asked, “Would you?”

As Clark pulled the delicate chain from the box, Lana turned her back to him and pulled her long hair over a shoulder to get it out of his way. His long, thick fingers were surprisingly deft. It took him only seconds to drape the chain around her neck and properly close the clasp. As she looked down to admire her pendant, Clark took hold of her shoulders and gently turned her around so she could show it to him. Lana was thrilled with her ‘iris,’ and when she looked up at him, he appeared to be just as happy.

Her birthday was more than a month in the past and Christmas was a month in the future, so there was no reason for a gift today other than his thoughtfulness. To know he was in New York, with the Heisman Trophy presentation only a day away, and yet he had taken the time to shop for a special gift for her was more than she could take…she needed an outlet.

While Clark kept looking at her, Lana began giving him the once over. It suddenly occurred to her that her man was looking mighty delectable in that blue spandex suit. It showed off each and every curve of his muscular body to mouth-watering perfection. Hmm, she thought, maybe he brought me two presents tonight. One in a felt-covered box, and one in a blue spandex wrapper.

Lana’s look went from appraising to lustful in a flash. Clark was still admiring the way the pendant refracted the light, and thus missed Lana’s sudden change.

“Thank you, Clark,” Lana said in a near purr. “Your gifts are wonderful.”

“Gifts? I only brought…”

Lana placed both of her hands on Clark’s rib cage and began to slowly, almost tortuously, move them up to his pecs, where she began to trace lazy circles around the blue-covered nubs that were his nipples.

“As much as I love the pendant,” she said seductively, “I think I love this present even more.”

Clark was fighting…for breath, and for control. Lana might be new to sex, he thought, but her hands didn’t seem to know that. She was driving him out of his mind, and all he could manage to stammer back in reply was, “I, umm, I’m glad you like it.”

While slowly but steadily herding him back to her bedroom, Lana asked, “You know something, Clark?”

“Umm, what?”

Lana reached up high on Clark‘s back to grab the zipper. Sliding the metal tab down his spine, she whispered, “At least half the fun of receiving presents…is unwrapping them, and seeing what’s inside.”

By the time she backed Clark through her bedroom door and reflexively shut the door with a barefooted kick, Clark’s blue spandex had been pushed off of his arms and down to his waist and it was about to go lower.

Some time later, Clark looked over at Lana’s bedside alarm clock which read 9:45 p.m. He had been checking the time regularly, since he had an 11 p.m. curfew. If he wasn’t in his bedroom for the night by then, he would be facing possible disciplinary action. Lana had noticed his time obsession, and finally called him on it. “Are you in that much of a hurry to leave me, Clark?” she asked playfully.

The young lovers were entangled with Lana’s sheets and with each other. A light film of perspiration from their lovemaking covered their skin and dampened their hair, making their bodies slick as they relaxed and tried to catch their breath.

“No,” Clark asserted. “But, I do have to be back in my hotel room by 11 p.m. Coach warned me to not be late since the Athletic Department was making him do a bed check. They don’t want to risk me embarrassing them, or myself, on the eve of the Heisman presentation.”

The clock now read 9:47 p.m. and all was well, except for some niggling detail that kept rolling around in the back of Lana’s mind. Absentmindedly, she asked, “When is the presentation tomorrow, anyway?”

Trying to bring his muzzy thoughts into focus, Clark said, “Mmm…6 p.m. Eastern, 5 p.m. Central. It’ll be on C.B.S.”

Time zones.

That was the ‘niggling detail’ rolling around in the back of her brain. In a state of slight but rising panic, Lana asked, “Umm, Honey? When you said 11 p.m., did you mean Eastern time or Central time?”

“Eastern…oh crap!!” In a moment, Clark had disengaged himself from Lana, who as a result found herself standing completely naked in the middle of her bedroom with a newly spandex-clad Clark right in front of her. “Sorry to kiss and run, Babe, but if I don’t go now, I’m toast!”

Leaning into him, Lana laughed and said, “I love you, Clark.”

“I love you, too.”

After a hard and fast kiss, Lana pulled back and said, “Go, I’ll watch on TV with your folks and then we’ll see you at the airport late tomorrow night.”

Clark sped outside and launched himself into the air. As soon as he shut the door behind himself, Lana scurried over to lock it. By the time the deadbolt slid home, Clark was already 5,000 feet up in the sky above Metropolis and headed east at maximum speed. He flew in through the same window that he had flown out of hours earlier, with only a minute to spare, and was changed into a pair of boxers and ready for bed when his coach knocked on Clark’s door.

“You in there, Kent?”

“Yes, Sir,” Clark called out in reply. “Just getting ready for bed.”

“Enjoy your day today, Son?”

Smiling at everything he’d done, most especially, surprising Lana and then her turning the tables and surprising him, Clark said, “Yeah, I did.”

“That’s good. I’ll see you at eight in the morning for breakfast in the restaurant downstairs.”

“Okay, Coach, see you then.”

Clark grabbed his cell phone and quickly called Lana.

“Hey, Clark. Didja make it in time?”

“Just barely. I think I must’ve caught a tailwind or something over Ohio.”

“That’s good. I was afraid our ‘alone time’ was going to get you in trouble.”

“Nope. I just want you to know you are a lifesaver. Without your quick thinking, I’d be dead meat right now.”

“Well, actually, you’d still be in my bed with me…and as far as ‘dead meat’ goes, I can testify that your meat, all 200+ pounds of it, was very active tonight.” Pausing when she heard Clark groan at her twist on what he had said, Lana added, “You somehow forgot to tell me all about your day in New York. We’ve got plenty of time now, so spill it.”

“Well, I think I can be excused for not telling you about New York. I seem to recall a sultry brunette seductress that had her way with me. The moment her hand touched my zipper, I forgot all about New York.”

“I’m glad you did. I’d hate to think that memories of New York could manage to compete with the real live me.”

Clark flopped back on his bed, and said, “Nothing compares with ‘the real live you,’ Lana. You’ll always be number one with me.”

They spent another hour talking on the phone before deciding to call it a night after Lana giggled and said that since Clark was going to be on national television, he would need his beauty sleep. That earned her a loud raspberry from Clark. Then a quick pair of ‘I love yous’ were exchanged, and they went to sleep.

SVsleuth

10-16-2006, 09:35 AM

:) Aww, Lana and Clark are so cute together, so wonderfully in love. :) It's so refreshing, compared to the Al/Miles version of Clana (or lack thereof) these days. Glad Clark got back in time. Lana sure turned his surprise visit into a memorable surprise for him, didn't she? ;) Thanks for the Clananess!

PPMS!

NYC300Z

10-16-2006, 11:02 AM

2nd! lol Clark and his time zones! Good for Lana! Their meeting at night was great Clark said it best himself in his mind!;)

PPMS!

superman_lives_on

10-16-2006, 11:16 AM

Indeed, this is sweet... It'll be nice when the rest of the super-suit is in place...as good as Clark no doubt looks in royal blue spandex, he needs the other items--I'm sure Lana will love the equally skintight red briefs. As for me, I love the cape and the S-shield best. :D

Dr. Jeckyll

10-16-2006, 12:06 PM

Super update, Card!

We all needed that after the nauseating ending of Wither. The clana you've created in this fic is my favorite by far. I love the whole college, football and clana combo. It's an angle I'd loved for SV to take since they actually started college last year (what happened with that?:rolleyes: ). It's very refreshing to read (yes, even after your 91st chapter!).

PPMS! :)

happycamper

10-16-2006, 01:21 PM

I'm glad to see Clark got back just in time! You had him be a BDA again - fortunately he had Lana to save him!! :lol: Although I guess he could be excused for being so distracted... :lol:

Things are going so well for the two - young love.

Just one question, Card: does Clark perspire too? ;)

:D :D

superman's my hero

10-16-2006, 01:58 PM

That was a great update! So sweet. Good thing Clark made it back in time. ;) If I was Lana, I'm not quite so sure I would let him go. :D

Nemu

10-16-2006, 04:28 PM

Well... I saw this at work this morning... read it during lunch break...

finally im home... so time for some feedback...

Yeah the fact it was a jewelry box can misslead a girl in Lana's situation... but it was funny seeing her go from her happy self at the pendant to the horny Lana...

Aah... Time zones... Mankind worst enemy... well in my opinion ;)

This was good Card... can't wait for the next chapter...

PPMS :D

maru11

10-16-2006, 04:43 PM

awesome udpaet!!!!!!!!!!!

Cardinal

10-17-2006, 12:25 AM

Originally posted by happycamper
I'm glad to see Clark got back just in time! You had him be a BDA again - fortunately he had Lana to save him!! :lol: Although I guess he could be excused for being so distracted... :lol:

Things are going so well for the two - young love.

Just one question, Card: does Clark perspire too? ;)

:D :D

He does when he's 'with' Lana!

Maybe it's flop sweat.

happycamper

10-17-2006, 02:00 AM

:lol:

kewl

10-17-2006, 06:25 AM

super cute update!

Sakura

10-17-2006, 08:50 AM

ver good stroy soo far ppms

maru11

10-20-2006, 06:04 PM

hope u can update soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

C.A.chick

10-21-2006, 01:17 PM

Great updates. I know I haven't commented lately, but I have some free time for a little while now. The decription you use to show the love Clark and Lana share is inspiring. I sit and read your story, and I'm blown away by the way you are able to show all of their emotions.
I also love the way you portray Clark and Lana's characters. Much better than the show. You can just tell that they're meant for each other. Great writitng. PPMS. Soon.

kewl

10-21-2006, 11:26 PM

waiting for your next update card... ;)

BlackEcho

10-22-2006, 03:55 PM

Great update Card. Anxiosly awaiting for the next update.

maru11

10-23-2006, 05:51 PM

update please1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cardinal

10-24-2006, 11:17 AM

For those of you still checking this fic, I thank you for your patience. I got sidetracked writing a little fic and it has been too long since I updated here. For that I apologize.

Know that I am halfway through the next update which I hope to post sometime very late Tuesday night, U.S. Central Daylight Savings Time.

happycamper

10-24-2006, 12:57 PM

BlackEcho

10-24-2006, 01:03 PM

Ah that's good to hear. Can't wait to read the next update.

SVsleuth

10-24-2006, 04:55 PM

I think that update will more accurately be in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, Card, since you're working so late tonight, right? :p

NYC300Z

10-24-2006, 06:08 PM

It's all good glad to hear an update is coming!

C.A.chick

10-24-2006, 06:21 PM

Yay! Can't wait for the update. PPMASAP!

maru11

10-24-2006, 07:45 PM

cnat wait for more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BlackEcho

10-24-2006, 10:42 PM

Hopefully the update comes fairly soon. Good story so far. Can't wait!

Cardinal

10-24-2006, 11:38 PM

Okay, I admit I completely forgot what day of the week it was when I estimated the time of the next update. :\

I meant to say that the update would be posted Wednesday night/early Thursday morning.

I'm such a moron.

happycamper

10-25-2006, 01:10 AM

What can I possibly do but agree...;) :lol:

NYC300Z

10-25-2006, 12:02 PM

lol Card yeah u know who keeps track of silly things like days of the week it's a wonder i know what month it is;)

ppms!

treker

10-25-2006, 02:32 PM

Originally posted by Cardinal
Okay, I admit I completely forgot what day of the week it was when I estimated the time of the next update. :\

I meant to say that the update would be posted Wednesday night/early Thursday morning.

I'm such a moron.

stop watching baseball and you could keep track of the day of week better! ;)

clanalove101

10-25-2006, 06:33 PM

I LOVE YOUR STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!

>>>>read mine love never dies please!

~clanalove101

GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

NYC300Z

10-26-2006, 06:56 AM

BlackEcho

10-26-2006, 07:24 AM

Hmm, still no update. Hope that update is coming today.

Cardinal

10-26-2006, 08:31 AM

Chapter 92 - Heisman

Clark’s wake up call came at 7:30 a.m., just as requested. He showered, dressed in a red Polo-style pullover and blue jeans and headed downstairs to meet his coach in the lobby-level restaurant for breakfast. A hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs, French toast, maple-smoked bacon, orange juice and milk got him ready for the day.

After breakfast, coach made him practice his acceptance speech once because he was sure Clark would win, and then a second time just to be sure. Then, Clark had time to kill before the luncheon at the Waldorf-Astoria with the other four finalists and the membership of the Downtown Athletic Club. He bought a New York Times and headed straight for the sports section to see what the other top-ranked teams had done on Saturday.

A victory by the defending national champions from Auburn over their archrivals from Alabama put Auburn in the number two position heading into the conference championship games. While Met U would be playing Arkansas in the Big 14, Auburn would be playing Georgia. A win by both teams would cement an early January match-up between the two schools in the New Orleans Superdome.

Clark slowly made his way through the comics, what his dad always liked to refer to as the ‘educational section’ of the paper, and then through the world news on the front page. Finally, when he judged Lana had had plenty of time to sleep, he called her.

It was nearly 10 a.m., so he was surprised to hear sleep in her voice when she eventually picked up.

“Oooooh, Clark! You are just the sexiest way for a girl to get woken up,” Lana purred.

“Sorry,” Clark replied, “I thought you’d be awake by now even if it is a Sunday.”

“Time zones, Clark…remember? Here in Metropolis, it’s not quite nine yet.”

Clark pounded his forehead with the palm of his hand and silently berated himself for his stupidity. “Of course, Lana, but you’ll remember from last night that I wasn’t paying attention to time zones.”

“Actually,” Lana said as she shifted position in her bed, “the only thing I remember from last night is that Christmas came early. Santa Hunk brought me two wonderful presents, a thoughtful necklace and a gift-wrapped Adonis for my pleasure. Remind me to thank him the next time I see him, Clark.”

“Oh, you did last night, Lana. Several times. You also thanked God and anyone else that might have been responsible for my birth and upbringing.” Lana didn’t really remember saying that, but she didn’t doubt Clark in the least. He had always been honest with her and she had just found out that she was a screamer.

Clark finally told her about what he had seen in New York. He told her about the majesty of Lady Liberty and how he realized on Ellis Island that he was an illegal alien, just as much as any Hispanic sneaking over the border from Mexico. Lana giggled when she thought of just how much of an alien he really was. Clark allowed that it was a funny play on words and laughed right along with her.

Then he told her how seeing the remains at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan had been sobering and how it had given him more motivation to use his abilities to help people. Lana wished she had been there with him. It sounded like he had had a powerful experience, one she would’ve liked to have shared personally instead of over the phone. When 11:30 rolled around, the two of them had to blow kisses to each other and then hang up so Clark could change into his suit for lunch.

Before dressing, Clark quickly snuck in a call to Chloe to ask for a favor before he got tied up in his obligations for the day. She was already on her third cup of coffee and thus was bright-eyed as she said, “Hey there, Big Guy. What’s up in New York?”

“Hi, Chloe. I just have a small favor to ask of you.”

“What? Clark Kent asking me for help? Isn’t that usually the other way around?”

“Yeah, usually is. Are you in your office already?”

“No, I won’t go in until after I have lunch with Mike.”

Clark leaned back in his chair and said, “Good. Tell Jonesy I said hello. After that, I need you to swing by the Student Union and pick up a flyer from the Information Center about the Student Art Show and get it to Lana’s Aunt Nell as soon as possible, either by fax or e-mail.”

Chloe knew Lana had gotten rid of her collection of artwork when she gave up on a professional art career. The lost dreams were more than Lana had felt able to face. Clark’s instructions, however, seemed to suggested that the art still existed. Chloe smelled a conspiracy. She didn’t think the conspiracy that she was detecting was necessarily a good idea, but she kept her mouth shut. Clark’s a big boy now, Chloe thought, and if he wants to risk a mistake with his girlfriend, then that’s up to him. All she did was write down the pertinent fax and e-mail information and then say, “Okay, Clark, I’ve got you covered.”

At the Heisman luncheon, only the food held Clark’s interest. The program had a lot of speakers that seemed, to him at least, to drone on and on and on, and he felt somewhat uncomfortable amidst the splendor of one of New York’s fanciest hotels. He did manage to snag seconds on dessert which was the highlight of the program as far as he was concerned.

After lunch, there was another two hours to kill before everyone met at the Downtown Athletic Club itself for a social hour and then the ceremony. Coach asked Clark if there was anything he’d like to see or do in the time they had. Nothing particularly appealed to him, and when the coach suggested one of New York’s many museums, Clark declined, saying, “Sorry, Coach, I promised my girlfriend that I’d save New York’s museums for when we were able to come here together.

“Whatever for?”

“Museums are special for her, particularly art museums.”

“What about you, Kent?”

Almost shyly, Clark looked over to his coach and said, “I have to admit, they’re starting to grow on me. My girlfriend’s opened me up to a whole new world.”

That stopped his coach dead in his tracks. Looking back at his star quarterback, the coach said, “You’re not even twenty-one years old and you’re already whipped. Don‘t you know that as your career progresses, especially when you go to the N.F.L., that you’ll be able to have almost any woman you want?”

“Coach, for the last three years on the Met U campus, I’ve had that chance already. I can’t count the number of girls that have hit on me in class, in the library, or as I walk across campus. And that doesn’t even count the members of the tri-Alpha sorority…”

“They are in a class by themselves,” Coach chuckled.

“Let‘s put it this way: I’m not interested in having ’any woman I want.’ I just want the woman I have.”

Coach narrowed his eyes as he studied Clark’s face. “You mean that, don’t you, Kent?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Breaking into a smile, Coach said, “Make sure I get an invitation to the wedding then. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“It’s a deal. You’ll be on the list.”

The two men killed their remaining time with some window shopping in a few men’s clothing stores before heading over to the Downtown Athletic Club for the social hour. There, Clark got to meet several former Heisman trophy winners like Archie Griffin from Ohio State, the only two-time winner of the award back in the mid-70s. Clark really enjoyed meeting a number of the men who had already ‘been there, done that.’

Earlier in the day, Lana had asked if it would be all right for her to bring over some of Clark’s best friends to watch the show. Martha had readily agreed and so, not long before the 5 p.m. Central start of the broadcast, three different vehicles pulled up and out came Lana, then Chloe and Jonesy, and lastly Pete, Veronica, and Elaine. After introductions of first-time visitors Jonesy and Veronica, all nine people in the house huddled around the big television in the den, munching on a tray of snacks, sipping cold drinks and chatting excitedly as they waited.

Finally, it was time and the five finalists were herded into the relatively small room where the trophy was presented. C.B.S. camera crews were already in place, along with the lighting and the cable necessary to broadcast this event all across the country. Clark checked the inside pocket of his suit coat to make sure he still had his speech…just in case.

After a number of preliminaries, and several interminable pauses for television commercials, The announcer stepped to the podium. “Ladies and gentlemen. It’s my privilege to announce the recipient of the 2007 Heisman Trophy. After tabulating the ballots, the Heisman goes to…”

Back at the Kent house, nine people collectively held their breath, and on the TV, the face of each of the five finalists was onscreen as they waited for the announcement. Both Lana and Martha thought Clark looked like he was about to faint.

“…Clark Kent, Quarterback, Metropolis University.”

Clark looked surprised. His eyes opened wide as his head jerked back a bit. It actually took a slight push from his coach to get him out of his chair. He stood, carefully straightened his jacket, and strode to the podium on the dais. He accepted the heavy bronze statue from the Chairman of the Downtown Athletic Club and posed for pictures with the Chairman as each one had a hand on the trophy.

Clark’s personal cheering section went wild back in Metropolis, with everyone jumping up out of their seats hugging and shouting.

Once everyone had their pictures, Clark pulled out his short speech and said, “Thank you. I accept this award on behalf of all the people who, over the years, worked and worked and worked so I could stand here today.

“I thank the receivers who run precise routes and catch my passes, the linemen that block for me, and the running backs that do some of both.

“I thank the coaching staffs I have played for both at Met U and at Washington High School. They called the right plays and put a fine edge on my skills.

“But most of my thanks go to my original teacher in all things football, my dad, Jonathan Kent. He gave me a passion for football and a desire to one day be as good a football player as he was. Dad sacrificed his football career to the needs of his family, but after my teammates get a look at this,” Clark said, as he raised the trophy in the air, “the Heisman Trophy is going to sit on my Dad’s mantel, as a memento of just how much I admire him.

“Thank you, Dad!”

SVsleuth

10-26-2006, 08:31 AM

:) Yay! Clark won!!! Jonathan must be so touched to hear Clark's tribute to him - and so proud. Lana, howeer, just can't wait to have hi in her arms again.

Nice that they had a small gathering at the Kent place in support of Clark.

PPMS!

superman_lives_on

10-26-2006, 08:38 AM

Awww... Don't you just love it when Clark speaks of how much he admires his Dad? :) I bet Jonathan's touched...

Heh heh--Clark forgot about the time zones... Oh well, at least it's just two hours difference. :)

deanyouk

10-26-2006, 08:43 AM

Wow that was great.. a nice speech too

happycamper

10-26-2006, 01:37 PM

A nice tribute to Jonathan. It must make both he and Martha very proud. How special it was that they could share that with Lana and Clark's friends as well as Kathy.

I doubt it's Disneyland, but what is Clark going to do now? I remember commenting much earlier that it was going to be hard being Superman after a successful college football career, but how much worse is it now that he's the Heisman winner?

Still, he certainly expressed with whom he wants to spend the rest of his life... :)

:D :D

Oh, and congrats on the Series thus far. I really though that Detroit was the team of 'destiny' for this year. I guess we'll all soon see...and I wonder how high a batting average Clark could have had at full force?

clark&lanafan06

10-26-2006, 04:44 PM

Awsome Update ! PPMS !!!!!!!!!

*#~ ClAnAfAn99210~#*

10-26-2006, 05:40 PM

awww how cute.... well needed update card

NYC300Z

10-26-2006, 06:41 PM

Clark's speach was really nice I bet it surprised Jonathon. I hope Clark isn't really making a mistake like Chloe thinks he is....

PPMS!

Nemu

10-26-2006, 08:00 PM

God i hate reading updates at work... makes me have them read but cant comment...

well.. this sure was good...

Clark needs a watch like mine that can have 2 time set in it (so 2 different time zones ;)) That way he wont make mistakes ;)

Ah of course he is right in wanting what he already have... Why would he want something else when he has Lana ;)

This is good!!!

Yay for Clark winning the Heisman...

PPMS :D

C.A.chick

10-26-2006, 10:31 PM

POST 900! Right here on Card's amazing fic, Bless the Broken Road. I never stopped being stunned at how great your writing is.

So Clark won, eh? Go figure :p ! Yay, altough I'm sure Lana would rather have him back in Metropolis than in NY getting the award.

I love that he dedicated the award to Jonathon. That was a very touching moment. And I'm sure Jonathon loved it.

maitriniazngurl

10-28-2006, 03:45 PM

Wow! AMazing updates!

I can't believe I missed so much... I am just soo freaking busy. I loved the last few updates! PPMS!! :D

maru11

10-28-2006, 09:45 PM

great update!!!!!!!!!!!!

kewl

10-31-2006, 09:38 AM

super great update! wow clark really admires his dad that much! jonathan & martha must be very proud! lana's just so lucky ^_^
update more soon card!

maru11

10-31-2006, 06:35 PM

can´t wait for more!!!!!!!!!!

Cardinal

11-03-2006, 06:12 PM

Chapter 93 - Special Delivery

At the Kent house, the nine people in attendance erupted with shouts of joy when Clark was announced as the winner. There were hugs in abundance until Clark started to speak. He hadn’t told anyone, not even Lana, what his acceptance speech was going to be. It was quiet in the house as Clark spoke, but when he got to the part where he thanked his dad, everyone started sneaking peeks at Jonathan to see how he was reacting.

Jonathan swelled up with pride, and not a little embarrassment, when he heard his son’s speech. His normally stoic countenance was filled with emotion and he struggled mightily to fight back the tears. The non-family members in attendance discreetly looked away from Jonathan in an attempt at affording him some small measure of privacy. Martha hugged her man tightly, wordlessly sharing his happiness, and Kathy clapped excitedly, pleased to see the intense connection between her two favorite men.

Once the award show was over, Martha ordered delivery pizza and the Kents hosted an impromptu victory party. After the party, Elaine, Veronica, and Jonesy said they couldn’t spare the time to go to the airport. All three of them pled excessive homework as their excuse. So while the Kents cleaned up the house and drove straight to the airport, Lana gave Pete a ride to her place where they waited for Chloe, who had to drop off her boyfriend, Mike, before meeting her two old friends at Lana’s for the drive to the airport.

As for Clark, after a full round of interviews, print, radio, and television, he and his coach headed for La Guardia Airport and their flight home. The interviews had taken hours and so they had taken a flight that wasn’t due to arrive at Metropolis International Airport until nearly midnight. Clark knew Lana was going to be there, and he thought his family and a few friends might join in. He was looking forward to a warm greeting and a quick drive home. He didn’t care at this point whether he went to his bed or Lana’s, he just wanted some sleep.

After the Boeing 777 landed and taxied to the terminal, Clark gathered his belongings in preparation for disembarking, but was surprised when a flight attendant asked him and his coach to stay in their seats until after everyone else had left the plane. Clark was a bit put off by having to wait, but he supposed there was a good reason. When he asked his coach what he thought the hold up was, Coach just smiled.

A good ten minutes later, Clark and his coach were finally ushered to the jetway and they walked off the plane and into the terminal, only to be greeted by an absolute horde of people, including Lana, his family, Pete and Chloe, and the Met U pep band and cheerleaders.

The only thing in Clark’s hands was the Heisman. There was no way he was going to check that, and thankfully, it was allowed on board with him. He had been hoping to blaze through baggage claim and be in bed sleeping in under an hour, but from the size of the crowd, he already knew it would take an hour just to leave the airport.

The crowd saw Clark and the Heisman and started to cheer. His small knot of personal supporters were at the front of the crowd, and they could see the momentary dismay on his face when he saw what was waiting for him. He quickly plastered a public relations smile on his face and headed for the waiting multitude as if going into battle.

Clark made a beeline for his family and friends, where he collected a hug and a kiss from Lana before moving onto Martha who also gave him a hug and a kiss, though with considerably less vigor. Kathy was next. She wrapped her older brother up tight and squealed just how cool it was that he had won right into his ear. Chloe then got in a hug and Pete shook Clark’s hand before he finally turned to Jonathan.

This order of greeting had been pre-arranged by Clark’s family and friends as they wanted to save the best greeting for last. The two men stood there, looking each other eye to eye like two prizefighters sizing up each other just before the start of a big fight. Then, they broke toward each other at the same time and wrapped each other in a ferocious hug. Clark’s was one-armed due to the trophy dangling from his other hand, until Pete relieved him of his bronze burden. The crowd, which had been cheering and chanting since Clark’s first appearance, found a second wind and carried their roars of approval to new heights after seeing such genuine affection between Clark and his dad.

University officials descended then and pulled Clark and his coach to a hastily erected dais and podium where first the school’s athletic director, and then the coach were both called upon to make a short speech. The pep band also played several numbers, and then two buxom blonde cheerleaders escorted Clark to the podium, a fact that only caused Lana mild discomfort when her fingernails reflexively dug into the palms of her hands.

Clark held the bronze statue aloft for the crowd to see, and they roared. When they finally quieted down, he thanked them for coming out so late at night and for being such faithful supporters of the Met U football team. Clark ended his night by signing autographs, posing for candid snapshots, and greeting the hundreds of fans that stayed around after the speeches were done.

It was close to two in the morning before he finally made it out of the airport. While Clark was slogging his way through the crush of well-wishers, Pete had claimed his luggage and taken it out to Lana’s SUV. The Kents regretfully had to leave since Kathy had school the next day and needed some sleep.

It was apparent to one and all that Clark needed sleep himself by the time they reached the SUV, so after putting the Heisman in the SUV’s back compartment, Lana tossed Pete the keys and told him to drive slowly, just as if his mom was sitting next to him.

Pete rolled his eyes extravagantly as he slid behind the wheel of the SUV and Chloe sat herself in the other front seat while Lana and Clark piled onto the bench seat in the middle. Lana sat on one side and pulled down on a weary Clark until his head rested on her lap. He then squirmed about a bit until his face was looking up into hers. She thought he had the most angelic smile on his face and couldn’t resist running her fingers through his silky black hair. She kept playing with his hair the whole way home, but he was asleep before they left the airport parking lot.

Chloe and Pete helped Lana get a sleepy Clark and his belongings into her place. He was moving well enough to make it to bed with her help. She undressed him to his underwear, before pulling the bedcovers over him. She knew he had to be up early for class, so she set her alarm clock for 6:30 a.m. and very shortly joined him for a companionable sleep.

Clark woke the next morning to the klaxon blaring of Lana’s alarm. He used the length of his arm to reach over Lana and shut off the alarm before she fully awoke. Looking down, Clark found himself spooned around Lana. Enjoying the pleasant sensation of her back being firmly pressed into his chest, Clark was loathe to get up, but he managed to do so when he remembered he had to visit Nell before class to pick up her selections of Lana’s art for the campus art show. Looking at the clock again, he knew he had to hustle.

Lana hadn’t woken up for the alarm, but when that blazing heat source was removed from the entire length of her back, bottom, and legs, she woke up with a start and sat bolt upright in bed. Clark had super-sped into his clothes and was just in the process of writing Lana a thank you note since he didn’t want to disturb her sleep when she sat up. He placed the pen back down on her dresser table and turned back to her. Giving thanks in person is always better than a note, Clark thought, and in the case of Lana Lang, it’s also always more fun.

As Lana rubbed the sleep from her eyes, Clark sat on her bed right in front of her and said, “Thanks for coming out to the airport last night, Babe.”

Leaning up and in for a good morning kiss, Lana replied, “My pleasure.”

Morning breath didn’t matter to either of them right then, they just delighted in the texture and pressure of the other’s lips. Breaking the slow, casual kiss at last, Clark said, “I especially want to thank you for taking care of me last night. I was exhausted from the long day and all of the media obligations that come with a Heisman trophy. You’re the best!”

Lana became a bit more serious and said, “Clark, whenever you need me, I will be there for you. Even indestructible, super-powered boyfriends need someone to lean on once in a while…and for you, that’s me.”

As Clark leaned in for another kiss before leaving, he said, in a voice husky with passion, “That’s good to know, Lana, and because I will always need you, that means you will always be here by my side. That’s very comforting to know.” They kissed, more passionately this time, and Clark finally broke away before thoughts of his early morning errand left his mind altogether.

“I’ll come back after practice today for my stuff, Lana,” Clark said. “Thanks again, and if I don’t tell you enough, let me tell you one more time, I love you.”

“Your near-constant reminders are more than welcome, Clark. I love you, too.”

Clark thought he’d likely be late getting to first class due to the long drive, but he thought this was worth it. He raced home to get his truck and drove to Nell’s where she had four framed paintings waiting for him. Each painting was secured inside a wooden box, so all he had to do was load the four boxes in the bed of his truck and then use his ratchet tie-down straps to keep the boxes from sliding around during transport. Once back home, he unloaded the four boxes and stored them in the basement and then hurried upstairs to shower and dress for class.

When he ran into his bedroom, he noticed a pair of heavily-taped boxes sitting on his bed. A quick use of x-ray vision let him know exactly what was inside. He pumped his fist in the air when he realized that his blue luchador mask and blue knee boots had finally come in from Mexico.

He was already late for class, so he quickly called Lana and told her, “Hey, Hon, guess what? My costume parts are here. I’ll bring them over tonight.”

“Cool.”

SVsleuth

11-03-2006, 06:12 PM

:) Wonderful welcome home for Clark. I'm so glad Lana is there to take care of him. Can't wait to see Lana's reaction to the art show. PPMS!

Nemu

11-03-2006, 09:29 PM

yeah the art show... that will be a sight...

and also i wonder what will be their reaction to seeing Clark in his costume...

Good chapter...

PPMS :D

NYC300Z

11-04-2006, 01:06 AM

Clark never seems to get away with things as easily as he thinks he will! lol cute Clana....his costume huh lets see how Clark likes the mask lol is Chloe's premenition that Clark is making a msitake with the artwork going to come true??

PPMS!

happycamper

11-04-2006, 03:16 AM

Poor Clark. Duty called!

I'm disappointed, though. I thought Superman had more stamina!! Lana must have been disappointed much more... :lol:

I agree with NYC300Z - I'm not sure how the art show is going to turn out.

I'm trying to picture Clark in one of those bright (blue?) wrestling masks. Somehow, it's just not going to be the same. :lol:

:D :D

Is that your great-grandmother? Almost like it was taken in the fifties....

SVsleuth

11-04-2006, 09:06 AM

Originally posted by happycamper
Is that your great-grandmother? Almost like it was taken in the fifties....
Fifties? Nah... Card's not quite THAT old :p (you were a cute baby Card ;) - and that was a cool high school pic too ;) )

maitriniazngurl

11-04-2006, 11:04 AM

Great update!

Cute Clana and I hope the art show goes well. :D

superman_lives_on

11-04-2006, 01:02 PM

Heh...cute Clana goodness is NEVER a bad thing, not when it's this well-written. Well done. :D :D :D Oh, and the affection between Clark and Jonathan is very nice. :)

So, the costume parts are finally here, huh? Too bad the boots are blue instead of red...and that he has no cape. I've always loved that cape... Still, I suppose creating the costume and becoming Superman will be a learning experience for Clark--which I do not object to in the slightest. :D :D :D

maru11

11-04-2006, 06:12 PM

awesoem update!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

kewl

11-05-2006, 03:22 AM

wonder what lana's reaction once he see clark in the new costume. :D cool update card! need more... ppms!

clana-lives-on

11-05-2006, 09:24 PM

That was a great update. i wonder how the art show will go.....hmmm....ppms!!

maru11

11-07-2006, 07:30 AM

can´t wait for more!!!!!!!!!!!

tygershot

11-08-2006, 01:01 PM

Great update! Keep 'em coming!

mysteryman1

11-14-2006, 11:03 PM

Update Soon.

maru11

11-16-2006, 02:56 PM

udpate please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SVsleuth

11-18-2006, 10:23 AM

Got your message, Card. Awaiting the promised update. Hope all is going well for your mom. - SV

Cardinal

11-18-2006, 12:56 PM

Chapter 94 - Blue Man Group

Clark was late for class as he had expected, but not by too much. He suffered through the start of all three classes that day, because each and every professor chose to publicly congratulate him on winning the Heisman.

In class, Clark had always wanted to be one student among many, so the special attention made him cringe. A few of his classmates truly didn’t even know he played football; all they knew about him was from their own experiences. To them he was a guy that was quiet, but unfailingly polite, and who always came to class prepared. It was that kind of attitude that made him popular with the students that couldn’t care less about football.

After lunch, Clark headed to practice where the entire team gave him a hard time by bowing down to him every time he walked by. When they asked where the Heisman was, jokingly figuring that he would be carrying it around with him 24/7, Clark said it was at home.

When the head coach suggested he hurry home and get it to show to his teammates before the start of practice, Clark had to sheepishly admit that it was actually at his girlfriend’s apartment, which brought a roar from his teammates. Comments like, ‘that must’ve been some kind of victory celebration,’ and ‘Clark Kent dives into the end zone…and he scores!’ were commonplace. Clark dressed for practice in record time and raced out to the practice field before his already bright-red face exploded.

After practice, Lana was waiting for Clark as always. “Come on, Lana,” Clark said, as he hurried away from the locker room, “let’s go!”

Befuddled by Clark’s wish to leave before so much as greeting her, Lana hurried to catch up while asking, “What’s wrong?”

Clark wanted to get away from the locker room as quickly as possible to shield Lana from the rough humor of his teammates, but they didn’t quite move fast enough. A few of his teammates saw him and her as they tried to make a quick escape, and called out, “Haven’t you celebrated enough yet, Kent? Give the poor girl a rest!”

Clark went red to the hairline and increased his speed to get away from the locker room. Lana’s eyes narrowed, her lips pursed, and she shot the offending players a nasty look which caused them to back off. Then, she had to start jogging to catch up to Clark. When she drew even with him again, she placed a hand on his forearm, pulling him to a stop and turning him toward her.

“Clark, talk to me. What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing, Lana,” Clark sighed, “just some rough teasing I’d hoped to protect you from.” Lana looped her arm through his and they resumed their travel, though at a more sedate walking pace. “The guys found out I’d left the Heisman at your place last night and decided to tease me about how much I must’ve been ‘celebrating’ with you.”

“Celebrating…?” Lana asked. Her confusion was short-lived as Clark quirked his eyebrows at her and then wiggled them suggestively. “Oh! That kind of celebrating.” Now it was her turn to blush. Thinking back to the night before the Heisman presentation, when she had unwrapped her blue spandex-clad ‘present,’ Lana said, “And to think, they were only one day late.”

Clark and Lana headed to his place to get his truck, because he wanted it to pick up his luggage and the Heisman from her place. After getting Lana seated in the truck, Clark hustled upstairs, grabbed the boxes that contained his new costume equipment, and threw them into the truck bed.

Once at Lana’s, she carried in her backpack while Clark carried in the boxes. He set his burden down on the kitchen table, and the two of them stared at the boxes. He had already owned the spandex bodysuit for the rare occasion when he felt like going on high-speed flights, but these two boxes represented something new for him…for both of them. It was the first concrete step toward Clark using his powers for the greater good. Both of them seemed to be mesmerized by the plain brown cardboard boxes that were sealed with clear plastic shipping tape.

Finally, Lana nudged Clark and asked, “Aren’t you going to open ‘em?”

“Me? What about you? You’re the one that likes opening presents.” When Lana started to protest, Clark slid the boxes right in front of her and said, “Besides, this whole superhero thing was your idea, I think you should get to do the honors.”

Put that way, Lana gladly agreed. The tape was too thick for her to cut using her manicured nails without risking some damage, so she went to her room and returned with a brass letter opener. A minute later and both of the boxes were opened and their contents were laid out on her kitchen table.

Clark picked up the mask, and twirled it around. It was made of leather, dyed royal blue, and had wide holes for the eyes, nose, and mouth. Running right up the back of the mask were a series of eyelets. A blue cord much like a shoelace was loosely threaded through the holes and could be used to tighten the mask one Clark had it on.

While Clark was looking at the mask, Lana had been looking at the boots. They were also leather and dyed royal blue. The boots looked to her like they’d be nearly knee-high on Clark. When she stood them upright on the table, the tops of the boots appeared to be slightly higher in the front than in the back. Since Clark’s bodysuit was already in his luggage which was sitting in her bedroom, she handed the boots to him and tilted her head in the direction of the bedroom as she said, “I guess it’s time to see what we’ve got.”

Minutes later, Lana heard her bedroom door open and turned toward the entrance to the living room, where she was sitting on her futon, and waited expectantly. When he came around the corner, the first thing Lana noticed was his attitude. His whole posture screamed ‘unsure,’ and when Lana looked at him in his outfit, she could see why. With all 6’ 4” of him covered in nothing but blue, Lana thought he looked like a giant blueberry. She put both hands over her mouth and fought hard to keep from laughing, but it was no use as first a few snickers and then an outright belly laugh escaped her mouth.

Grimacing, Clark asked, “That bad, huh? I knew this didn’t quite look right the minute I put it on. It makes me look like the lost fourth member of the Blue Man Group.”

Clark had begun to reach for the cord to unlace his mask, when Lana said, “It doesn’t look good right now, Clark, but it’s salvageable.” Lana propped up her chin with a hand and studied him closely. “Let me think a bit here.”

After a few minutes of thought and having Clark turn slowly for her twice, the second time just so she could get a good look at his butt in spandex, Lana had some preliminary ideas.

“First, we need to break up that unrelieved blue with another color; something bright to counter blue’s essential conservativeness. Orange might do the trick since it’s the complementary color to blue, but…hmm, no, too bright and not manly enough. You need to project an image of strength. Maybe red. You look good in red, and red and blue are good together. Two primary colors. Nice!”

“Red?”

“Yes, red. Now, I’d guess the easiest way to introduce red, since your suit has to be form-fitting to be protected by your energy field, is if you wore some red trunks over the top of the blue bodysuit. Do you have red briefs of any kind?”

“You mean like Speedos? No way! Certain, umm, assets would become waaaaaay to obvious in something like that.”

“Not Speedos, something more like the full briefs that wrestlers wear on TV. But yes, roving eyes could be a problem. Keeping everyone’s eyes on your face instead of a few feet lower is something else I’ll have to work on.” Looking at his feet, Lana said, “Next, are those boots returnable? If so, red ones would be great. The combination of red briefs and red knee boots would help your look a lot...you know break up that monotonous blue.”

Lana signaled that she was out of ideas and Clark headed back to her bedroom to change again. She stopped him just short of the door when she had one last idea. “Hey, Clark, I know how we can keep people looking where they should be, just put something big and splashy on your chest. Your football jersey has a huge number on the front and back, and I guarantee that eyes are drawn to those when people first look at you…but what could you use? Since you don’t need a number, maybe you could do what the baseball teams do and put a logo on your chest.”

Clark became excited with this idea and said, “Yeah, and I know just what to use, too.”

“What?”

“My family’s symbol…it’s a crest of sorts.”

Intrigued, Lana asked, “What does it look like?”

“It’s an irregular pentagon inscribed with a swoopy capital-S that touches all five sides of the pentagon. Come to think of it, Jor-El has it in the middle of his chest, only his version is black and silver and he wears what looks like a dress.”

Lana thought a bit and then smiled. “The black and silver will have to go and definitely no dresses for you, but the symbol sounds great. It’ll have to be red, against the blue of your chest, but to make it really eye-catching; I’d say the inside of the pentagon should be filled with bright yellow. That way, we stay with the theme of using primary colors, and anyone who looks at you will have their eyes wrenched immediately to your chest, and hopefully thereafter, your face.”

Turning her eyes to Clark’s head, Lana said, “I wish you didn’t have to cover your face, Clark, a mask makes you look like you have something to hide.”

“I do have something to hide, Lana,” Clark said, “my face. Remember? I’m slightly famous around Metropolis. And even if I wasn’t famous, I have to keep my identity secret to protect you and the rest of my family.”

Lana’s mouth broke into a massive smile when Clark said ‘you and the rest of my family.’ Since recently discovering they were both thinking about marriage, neither one of them had mentioned it again, so his unthinking statement that she would be a part of his family warmed her heart.

Clark knew that smile meant something, but he wasn’t quite sure what, so he went on with barely a pause, adding, “If anyone learns who I am, they would come after my nearest and dearest just to get to me.”

“Okay, I understand the need to hide your face, I just wish there was a better way to do it.” Back to practicalities, Lana asked, “Could you draw a good likeness of that family crest for me to give me an idea what I’ll be working with?”

“Nope. I can’t draw at all…but I can show you what it looks like. You’ll just have to come back to the Fortress with me sometime. That way, you can see the symbol for yourself, and as a bonus, you’ll finally get to meet Jor-El.”

“Two dads, that’s just great. Helps make up for the fact that I don’t have any.”

Clark had just begun unlacing his mask, but stopped dead when Lana said that, and instead, enveloped her in a big hug. “I’m still sorry about how you lost your dad, Lana.”

Lana realized any time she publicly missed either of her parents, Clark was going to instantly feel guilty about how they died. That’s just how he is. She had tried to help him get over it, and for the most part he had, but any reminder from her would likely renew his feelings of guilt.

“Clark,” she said, “we’ve been over this before. My folks died because they had bad luck on the wrong day, nothing more. It could just have easily been a car wreck or food poisoning.”

“Yes, but it wasn’t.” Releasing her and stepping back far enough to see Lana’s whole face, Clark added, “Jor-El’s not my dad. He fathered me, but my only dad is the man that raised me, Jonathan Kent. Jor-El’s always been very dry and precise with me, almost cold, but he did warm up nicely to Kathy on her one visit, so maybe he just likes girls.”

“Or maybe girls and boys are treated differently where you come from.”

Clark allowed that Lana might be right, saying, “Maybe.”

“Well, as much as I dread another first meeting with another parent of yours, I do want to know what he thinks of our ‘superhero’ idea.”

Clark looked at Lana like she was psychic. “Trust me, Lana, Jor-El will love this idea. He’s been gently hinting at some ‘greater destiny’ of mine for years. Once he learns this was your idea, he’ll likely kiss your feet…figuratively speaking anyway.”

“Good! When can we go?”

“Mmm…not next weekend, because of the conference championship game, but the weekend after that should be fine for me, what about you?”

Lana walked over to her giant wall calendar and flipped ahead to December. After a quick look, she said, “Well, there is the student art show that weekend, but while I want to go to that, it doesn’t open until that Saturday night.”

Clark wanted to kick himself for not remembering that event, but was thankful for the reminder. As soon as he got home, he needed to run Lana’s paintings over to the Art Department.

Clark winked at her and said, “I think we can manage to work in both.”

deanyouk

11-18-2006, 01:00 PM

Wow that was great, looking forward to you introducing Lana to Jor-El...

Nemu

11-18-2006, 01:02 PM

:D

Yeah what dean said... Can't wait for the Lana/Jor-El meeting and also his reaction to her and also to the idea of Super Clark...

Also I can't wait for Lana's reaction to the art show... I hope it will be good...

PPMS :D

SVsleuth

11-18-2006, 01:27 PM

3rd :) That was great, Card. Clark as a big blueberry - funny. I love that Lana is using her atrisitc abilities to help Clark come up with his Superman suit. Can't wit for the meeting with Jor-El, (so he can kiss Lana's feet), and for the Art show. I wonder what Lana's reaction will be. PPMS!

superman_lives_on

11-18-2006, 02:05 PM

Well, well, what do you know? :) Looks like Lana has come up with the ideas for the rest of the suit--the red trunks (though she has yet to think of the golden belt), the red (instead of blue) boots, and the big red-and-yellow S-shield on his chest. But they still need the great red cape with the yellow-and-black S-shield--I love that cape--and they need to find a better way of keeping anyone from recognizing Clark's face. Hmmm...maybe Jor-El will have some way of doing that without using a mask...I sure hope so! :)

Oh yes, and the teasing from Clark's colleagues...no fair! Good thing Lana was able to shut them down with a single look--you go, girl! :D

happycamper

11-18-2006, 03:12 PM

Ah, superman_lives_on, you beat me to it. I was also thinking that Jor-El was going to fix the face-recognition problem.

Lana definitely knows what she wants in terms of the costume. A good thing, too. ;)

:D :D

NYC300Z

11-18-2006, 04:10 PM

wow how forgetful can Clark be lol oh well. Ha ha how could they possible have thought all blue would have been a good idea. Nice to see them working out the suit, maybe jor-el will have some advice as to what to use instead of a mask. Can't wait to see his reaction to Lana!

PPMS!

kewl

11-19-2006, 07:47 AM

that was great! superman returns!!! :D
wow lana's finally meeting jor-el!
ppms card ;)

clana-lives-on

11-19-2006, 08:56 PM

Loved the update. ppms

maru11

11-20-2006, 01:56 PM

great udpate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*#~ ClAnAfAn99210~#*

11-20-2006, 02:55 PM

dat was gr8!

binkys711

11-21-2006, 06:18 PM

holy $##@%$#$#@$!@#$!$!!!!

last time I read this fic it was on page 87 *bursts into tears* this is gonna take a while...but hey! at least I won't have to wait for da updates :) well not yet anyways :P.... I better be expecting a lot of clana goodness Card! :P :D hehe

Cardinal

11-22-2006, 06:49 PM

Well, Binks, it just gets worse for you.

I'm going to post another update sometime tonight.

Nemu

11-22-2006, 06:59 PM

lol... glad to hear about the impending update Card...

PPMS!!

Cardinal

11-22-2006, 10:43 PM

Chapter 95 - Children

The rest of the week passed by quickly. Clark was preparing for the Big 14 Conference’s championship game that Saturday in Kansas City. Both Clark and Lana were closing in on finals, so the time they did get to spend together was mostly spent quietly studying.

With the big game coming up, too many people wanted to stop for a few minutes and talk football when Clark and Lana were in the library, so they had to do their studying at one of their homes. Spending that much time alone together did have problems of its own. After a while of gentle touches, stolen kisses, and just general physical closeness, the only subject they really wanted to study was Anatomy.

When Friday rolled around, Clark joined his teammates at their practice facility after lunch for a bus ride to Kansas City. The trip was too long to make the day of the game, so they were going one day ahead to be well-rested on game day. After seeing Clark off with another knee-shaking kiss, Lana drove out to meet the Kents. Once Kathy came home from school, the four of them piled into Martha’s SUV for the more than five-hour-long trip.

Clark and his teammates were stoked for this game. Besides being Met U’s last obstacle on the road to the national championship game, this was also a revenge game. The last time the Met U Bulldogs lost a game was during the preceding season against these same Arkansas Razorbacks. Clark, in particular, was cranked up. Even though no one would talk about it, everyone on the team knew that Clark had been dumped by his last girlfriend a few days before last year’s Arkansas game and they were sure his mental state had played a major role in that loss. So seeing Lana give Clark a sendoff kiss was taken as a good omen by one and all.

Arrowhead Stadium is in the Truman Sports Complex on Interstate 70 east of Kansas City, so the drive had reached six hours in length by the time they reached their hotel which was just across the interstate from the stadium. Martha had secured two adjoining rooms months ago, one for her and Jonathan, and one for Kathy. The fact that Kathy’s room had two beds had made inviting Lana a no-brainer, though they would’ve rented a cot for her if it had been necessary.

When the team made it to the stadium on game day, Clark and Lana blew kisses to each other and then they each ‘caught’ the other’s kiss and held it close to their hearts. They had done some variation of this kiss at every game Lana had been to since Homecoming and it was just as special now as then.

As for the highly anticipated game itself, it was nationally televised by ABC, but it utterly failed to live up to the pre-game hype. The Bulldogs went over, around, and through the Razorbacks, seemingly at will, on their way to delivering a 44-17 thrashing. The players, coaches, and fans all celebrated madly as they felt like they had finally exorcised the demons from last year. Only one more game to go and that game would be played for the national championship in the Louisiana Superdome in the first week of January, a whole five weeks away.

After checking with the coaching staff to make sure it was okay, Clark left the stadium with his family, tightly wedged between Lana and Kathy in the middle row. He’d be alone with Lana in back, except that was where their luggage was stored. A victory dinner at one of the many, many Kansas City barbeque restaurants was followed by the long drive home to Metropolis. It took them until almost 1 a.m. to finally reach the Kent home and another twenty minutes against the light early morning traffic for Lana’s SUV to reach Clark’s place.

Lana pressed a button on her door which popped open the back hatch of her SUV. Clark was halfway toward the back by the time the hatch completed swinging open and by the time she shut her door and joined him, he had both of their suitcases already sitting beside him on the street as he shut the hatch.

“What are you doing?” Lana asked, as she pointed at her suitcase. “That one’s mine.”

“Yeah, I know,” Clark replied. “I was just hoping you’d agree to stay with me tonight.”

“And you thought kidnapping my suitcase was the best way to get me to agree?”

“No,” Clark said sheepishly, “I was just being positive and thinking ahead.”

Lana looked at him regretfully and said, “As much as I would like to, Clark, it’s been a long day. I don’t think I have the energy for…”

“Neither do I, not right now anyway. I just wanted to have you with me. This past week we spent a lot of time together, but we were mostly studying. I hoped to curl up with you in bed, talking quietly about the future…our future…until sleep overtakes us.”

“Mmm,” Lana purred, “now that is something I could go for.”

All this time, Lana had been standing on the curb. With Clark still in the street, that helped somewhat equalize their heights. When Lana commented on the fact that she liked being a little bit closer to his face like this, Clark quickly took hold of Lana’s waist and lifted her in the air, holding her at arms length with their faces exactly level.

“How’s this then?” Clark asked.

“Much better,” Lana replied. “I normally only get to see you like this when we’re in bed.”

“Yet another reason to choose to come inside with me.”

Lana rolled her eyes extravagantly, but was unable to stop the smile that spread across her face as she did so. “Okay, Clark, you’ve got a date.”

Clark was all smiles as he handed her his keys so she could open the door while he carried both suitcases inside. Once the door was closed, Clark quickly x-rayed the apartment to see if Pete was home and was rewarded by seeing two skeletal frames in Pete’s bed. Looks like I’m not the only one who thought a sleepover was a good idea, Clark thought.

Clark changed for bed in his room while Lana made use of the bathroom. They both figured that seeing the other one naked might stir up some desires that were better left dormant for the night. Clark wore blue drawstring pajama bottoms and pulled on a red t-shirt for good measure. While he waited for Lana to do whatever it is that women have to do to get ready for sleep, Clark went ahead and speed-changed his bed sheets.

A few minutes later, and Lana walked in wearing a set of white linen pajamas with a short-sleeved top and full-length legs. She had brushed out her hair and then gathered it in a loose knot to keep Clark from accidentally laying on it and pulling it if she turned during the night.

Even in the scant light given off by his bedside lamp, Clark could tell Lana had also removed her makeup. As far as he could remember, this was the first time she had ever let him see her this way. She looked a bit different to be sure, but to his eyes she was just as beautiful as ever, and he said so when Lana nervously tried to apologize for the way she looked. Only, Clark’s affirmation of her beauty came out in a somewhat croaky rendition of an old song by Joe Cocker.

“You are so beautiful to me.
You are so beautiful to me.
Can’t you see?
You're everything I hoped for,
You're everything I need.
You are so beautiful…
To me.”

Lana had hoped Clark would like what he saw when she decided this was as good a time as any to go natural, but his heartfelt appreciation made her want to cry. She did allow herself to fall into his arms and exchange a long kiss with him before leaning on his shoulder and saying, “Are you sure? ‘Cause this is what you’ll be waking up to for the rest of your life if we get married.”

“Lana, if you weren’t an artist, you’d have been a model for one. No one could resist trying to capture your beauty on canvas.”

“Well…I did pose once while in Chicago. Everyone in my Intro to Portraiture class had to model, fully clothed mind you, to give us an idea of what the models themselves have to go through.” Thinking back to her days in the Windy City, Lana added, “Besides, it also saved the school a nice chunk of change on models.”

“I bet.” Wishing to satisfy a long-held curiosity, Clark asked, “How much do the models get paid anyway?”

“A minimum of $50 for a one-hour session…but that’s only for the nude models. Of course, those were the only kind of outside models we had in most of my classes.”

Clark tried to imagine Lana painting while red to her hairline with embarrassment. Just then, she yawned widely and he hurriedly pulled back the coverings. “I think I ought to get in first,” he said, “just in case you need to get up in the middle of the night.”

“Thanks, Clark, but what if you have to get up?”

“If I need to get up, I can just pull back the sheets on my side, float into the air, and head for the door.”

Clark sat down, swung himself onto the bed, and slid over to the far side, leaving Lana plenty of room for her petite frame. She gingerly sat on the edge of the bed, swung her legs onto the mattress, and slid over next to Clark. They turned to face each other, and less than a foot apart, began to talk about anything that came to mind.

Neither one of them had wanted to talk about anything personal in front of his family and Clark was right, they really hadn’t had any personal time this week. But when they were alone, like they were now, talking and listening to each other was as natural as breathing. They each felt like they were talking with someone they had known from birth. It was incredibly comforting to feel that way and just one more proof of how they seemed to be made for each other.

While everything they talked about was personal, nothing of any real substance came up until Lana came back to the subject of marriage. At this point in their conversation, Lana had turned herself around and the two of them were spooning with Clark’s body molded closely around Lana’s.

“I know we haven’t really talked about the marriage since the day we admitted we were both thinking about it,” Lana said, “but I was wondering…”

“Yes? Wonder all you want, Lana, this is us you’re talking about.”

“Well, I was wondering about children. Do you want to have any? If so, how many? How long would you want to wait to start a family? You know, stuff like that.”

Clark had wondered when this subject was going to come up. It never had come up during his relationship with Lori and he hadn’t understood why until she revealed she was a mermaid.

“In order, the answers are: yes, as many as we can support emotionally and financially without risking your health, and I hope we’ll be able to wait until we both have a good start in our post-college careers.” Then Clark marshaled his courage and added, “The one question you haven’t asked though, is whether or nor I am physically capable of giving you children. I know I look human, but I don’t know if human DNA is compatible with Kryptonian DNA.”

“Yeah, that was the question I was working my way around to.”

Clark already had both arms loosely wrapped around Lana’s slender midsection, all he had to do to hug her was to tighten his grip just a bit, which is exactly what he did. Sensing it wasn’t her turn to talk, Lana rubbed a hand along one of his forearms and waited.

With his arms locked around her, Lana could feel Clark shrug his shoulders as he said, “I suppose that’s one more question we’ll have to add to our list for when I take you to meet Jor-El.” After that, Lana could feel Clark’s arms shake. He was being quiet, so it took her a few moments to figure out that he was sobbing.

Lana waited until she could feel his shaking subside before asking, “What is it, Clark?”

In between sniffles, he said, “You’ll already be giving up a lot in our relationship if we can ever figure out how to make the superhero thing work. The thought of maybe taking kids away from you, too, is more than I can handle right now.”

Lana’s rubbing hand started patting his arm instead as she said, “Whatever the outcome is, Clark, we’re going to face it together. While it’s true I want kids of our own, I want you more. I can imagine any number of futures that involve me having kids, but I can’t imagine even one that doesn’t have you by my side.”

“But you’d be the best mom…”

“And so I will,” Lana said confidently, “and you will be the best dad.”

“But what if I can’t…hold up my end of the deal?”

“If that happens, I was thinking we could adopt. After all, it’s worked out well for both of us.”

It wasn’t too long after that before both of them drifted off to sleep.

SVsleuth

11-22-2006, 10:44 PM

:) So Glad the Bulldogs got a really BIG win! :)

Cool how it turned out to be sleepover night all around at Clark & Pete's place. I can almost hear Clark croaking out that song, 'You are so beautiful..." Glad Clark likes Lana's natural look, and glad he could convince her that he sees her beauty without the makeup.

Clark sobbing about maybe not being able to give Lana children was touching. He wants so much to be able to give her everything she dreams of. I'm so glad she realizes that what she wants most of all is just him.

And I'm glad to see that they are open to adoption, as well. they'll be great parents. Nice chapter. PPMS! :)

*****
Congrats on 1800 posts, Card. ;)

Nemu

11-22-2006, 10:50 PM

:D

This was good!!! Well I guess they will have quite a few questions for Jor-El... can't wait for that meeting...

PPMS :D

superman_lives_on

11-22-2006, 10:55 PM

Originally posted by Cardinal
“But you’d be the best mom…”

“And so I will,” Lana said confidently, “and you will be the best dad.”

“But what if I can’t…hold up my end of the deal?”

“If that happens, I was thinking we could adopt. After all, it’s worked out well for both of us.”

Indeed it has...so sweet. :)

I look forward to another chapter soon...particularly to the meeting with Jor-El.

happycamper

11-23-2006, 03:41 AM

Just the BCS national championship game left for Clark - football seems to be going well for him. Things seem well in terms of Clark and Lana, too. :)

But it's about time they see Jor-El. Too many questions regarding Clark's costume/destiny and babies need to be resolved.

:D :D

binkys711

11-24-2006, 09:00 PM

*a light appears from the heavens*
*magical angelic songs can be heard from the background*

I HAVE FINALLY CAUGHT UP! phew! *wipes imaginary sweat off forehead* :p all I have to say is.... YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYESSSSSSSSSSSS!!! I absolutely positutely LOVE dis fic Card! I mean WOW! hehe first of all it has a very real feeling to it with school, the expert discriptions of the football games, family concerns, emotions and CLARK AND LANA IN LOVE! the fact that everything is genuinely perfect in the clana front just makes it all da better! teehee! (especially now that they have hit this new level of their relationship *cough cough* ;) *jumps up and down gleefully*
I like the plot twist that you have come up with such as the Candy road of destruction (damn slut...trying to ruin everything...), little KK having powers was a fantastic idea which I enjoyed very much! (she's so adorable!!) and woahzer what a knockout learning Aunt Nell has a skeleton in her closet! oh and that Bianca Sanchez girl was a great add in! ;)
Also it's very interesting to see how much Clark and Lana have grown as a couple in their relationship as well as in other aspects in life. I like how Clark is accepting his destiny and becoming Superman and the fact that Lana is one of the main reasons for it is very fulfilling :)
Those sweet tender moments Clark and Lana share just put a smile on my face that just won't go away, the playfull banter they have when tehy interact with each other makes me giggle, those night of desire makes my heart beat so fast I feel that it will burst out! All this clana goodness makes me feel as though I'm floating on a big fluffy cloud!

Your doing a masterful job on this fic Card and I can't wait to read the rest! so plz u just have to post more soon!!! PLZ ASAP!!!

:D

NYC300Z

11-24-2006, 11:12 PM

Glad they finally got some quality time together! I wonder what the situation will be in the morning if the four of them will wander downstairs upon each other! lol

PPMS!

Dr. Jeckyll

11-25-2006, 06:23 PM

I think Binks perfectly described how I feel about this fic. Great summary there! The reality of the fic is what I enjoy most as well. If you look past the whole minor alien thing, you’ll see that the fic has this nice real feeling whether its school, football & family issues. That’s why I love it so much.

Oh, btw! It’s so good to see you’re back, binksy! You always have that positive energy which affects everyone at the board (in a very good way) :)

binkys711

11-25-2006, 09:01 PM

aww shucks thanks Dr. J! :o very sweet of you to say :) hehe Glad to be back! I missed this forum very much and especially all da people in it ;) :D

oh and Card....PPMS! :p

clana-lives-on

11-25-2006, 10:17 PM

Loved the update. It was so cute when they talked about their future. ppms

Cardinal

11-26-2006, 10:09 PM

Chapter 96 - Breakfast

Clark awoke early the next morning, but because it was Sunday and the BCS National Championship Game was more than a month away, he didn’t have to go in early for film study or anything. He knew his family would be expecting them for lunch, after which they’d all watch the Sharks game on television.

True to his word, Clark pulled back the sheet and blankets, careful to keep Lana covered, and floated out of the bed, ending in a upright position in front of his door. He listed carefully for any sort of activity in Pete’s room because he didn’t want to come out just as Veronica was heading to the bathroom and scare her to death. Satisfied that they were still asleep, Clark turned his attention to Lana’s apparently sleeping form. From the sound of her deep, regular breathing and slow, steady heartbeat, Clark knew she was still in slumber land.

Clark trotted downstairs for a glass of orange juice and a blueberry bagel. While he was waiting for the bagel to toast, he noticed the answering machine was blinking. The first few messages were the same kind of crap he always received from campus wanna-be girlfriends who somehow got his phone number. Could my phone number be on a girls’ bathroom wall somewhere? Clark wondered exasperatedly.

He knew Lana’s blood pressure would shoot through the roof if she ever heard some of the outlandish offers these girls tended to make, so he deleted them as fast as he could, only stopping when he came to a message from the Art Department. He had left his number as the contact number for anything regarding Lana’s paintings that had been entered in the campus-wide art show. The voice coming over the speaker said, “Miss Lang? Miss Lana Lang? This is Professor Pennington from the Art Department. I’m calling to let you know that all four of your paintings have been accepted into the Metropolis University Campus Art Show. It is my great pleasure to add that one painting, number 138, has been selected for consideration as the recipient of the Order of Merit.”

That last sentence threw Clark for a loop until he remembered it from the submission information he had read when entering Lana’s paintings. That’s the grand prize of the whole show, Clark thought, and Lana’s in the running. Holy crap!

Clark found his backpack and thumbed through the art department paperwork as he tried to remember which painting was which. Finally, he found it. The painting was titled “Kansas Sunset.” That was all he had needed to trigger his memory. When the four paintings had been removed from their protective boxes in the Art Department offices, he had gotten his first look at the four paintings Nell had chosen. “Kansas Sunset” was, he was sure, a view from Lana’s bedroom window looking out toward his family’s old farm. He could still remember the delicate layers of pinks, purples, and oranges that shot across the darkening sky. With the border having been cleverly done to look like a white-painted window frame, the painting had made him want to stick his head out the window and turn so he could see the rest of the glorious sunset.

Clark ran out to the store for a carton of eggs, two pounds of maple-smoked bacon and some Bisquick pancake mix. A large pot of coffee was brewing and he already had a good start on breakfast when the first sounds of upstairs movement trickled down to him in the kitchen.

Pete was the first one down the stairs, led unerringly by the tag team combination of his nose and stomach. He wasn’t fully awake yet, but seeing Clark cooking breakfast fixed that in a hurry. “What’s the special occasion, Clark?” Pete asked cheerily. “You never cook breakfast.”

Clark pointed upstairs with a batter-covered spatula and said, “We both have guests this morning, Pete. It wouldn’t do for us to make anything less than a good impression. After all, if the ladies like coming over here, we can get them to come back more often.” Clark knew explaining this breakfast in terms of ulterior motives would be the quickest way to bring Pete around. If he had told Pete that he just felt like doing something nice, Pete would’ve starting ribbing him about being whipped.

Pete looked at Clark with a puzzled expression on his face and asked, “How’d you know Veronica is here? We were in bed asleep before you got home.”

Clark shrugged his shoulders and said, “A sleepover with Veronica is the only thing that makes you happy before your morning shower and first cup of coffee.”

“You got me there,” Pete said, grinning sheepishly. Then his sleep-addled brain finally caught up. “Wait a minute! We both have guests? Does that mean Lana’s upstairs, too?”

Before Clark could answer, Lana padded around the corner and into the kitchen, having only stopped long enough to pull on her pink fuzzy-bunny slippers before coming downstairs. Her mere presence was enough to answer Pete’s question, but Clark’s ridiculous grin upon seeing her was the icing on the cake.

“Do I smell coffee?” Lana asked hopefully.

“Yes you do, Dear,” Clark answered, “and if Pete would be so kind as to grab a mug for you, you can have some…right after I collect a good morning kiss.”

“Oh…hi, Pete,” Lana said. Her eyes were still a bit bleary from her sleep which explained how she had managed to miss seeing Pete right away.

“Hi, Lana,” Pete replied.

“A kiss and coffee for breakfast,” Lana continued, “Definitely a low calorie way to start the day.”

Clark finished turning his first set of pancakes and then pointed with the spatula at the pile of already-cooked bacon that was draining between two paper towels. “Nothin’ doin’.” He turned back to the stove. “How do you like your eggs? I can do them any way you like them, just as long as you happen to like them scrambled.”

Lana moved over behind Clark and slid her arms around his torso, slowly sliding them under his t-shirt and up his abs to his chest. The sensations Lana was causing Clark to feel just by using her hands were driving him to distraction. He got the first set of pancakes off of the griddle safely, but when he poured the second set, they were wildly misshapen, like he’d been having a seizure at the time.

When he couldn‘t take it anymore, Clark pled “Laaaannnnnaaa, pleeeaaaase. Wait ‘til I‘m done messing around with hot cookware. Then we can go upstairs and do that as long as you want.”

Clark had half turned toward her while he was begging, so now all she had to do to give him his morning kiss was get on her tip-toes.

“That sounds soooo inviting, Clark. I may just have to take you up on that.”

Pete had watched this entire scene with barely disguised mirth at seeing the big, bad football star being completely dominated by his petite girlfriend. Once Lana stepped back from Clark to allow him to finish making breakfast, Pete handed her a stoneware mug filled with a strong brew of Columbia’s best. Veronica finally made her presence known just as Clark was placing everything on the table, which Pete had already set with plates, utensils, milk and juice.

Seeing that three of them were wearing some kind of bedclothes, and Clark only had on a t-shirt and sweat pants, Veronica grinned and said, “I guess breakfast is an informal affair today.”

Once greetings were completed all around, and Pete had seated Veronica, the four of them dug in. Between bites and sips, everyone thanked Clark for his thoughtfulness and hard work, and when the last crumb was consumed, he let Pete know the dishes were his responsibility. Clark then stood and motioned Lana to her feet as well. She barely had time to move her chair out of the way before Clark hoisted her into the air and over one of his shoulders for a quick sprint up the stairs and back to his bedroom.

Once there, Clark closed his door with a flick of his hip and then gently set her down. “Now, where were we?” He placed his hands on her abs, right at the bottom edge of her pajama top . “Oh, I know, someone’s hands were sliding up under someone else’s shirt and wreaking havoc…” Lana held her breath and bit her lower lip in anticipation. “…something like this.”

As Clark’s hands snaked their way up Lana’s lightly-toned torso, she felt completely helpless. For the first time in her life, due to her complete trust in Clark, helplessness was a sensation she enjoyed…and for the next couple of hours, they both had a lot of sensations to enjoy.

Clark and Lana were basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking, making small talk and exchanging heartfelt endearments when Lana finally caught a glimpse of Clark’s bedside alarm clock and saw that it was nearly 11 a.m.

Perturbed, Lana said, “Oh shoot! We have to hurry, Clark, or we’ll be late for lunch.” Clark tried to calm her down, but she added, “Remember last time. Your mom said the next time you were late for lunch, she wouldn’t let you have any.”

Clark smirked upon hearing that. “If Mom carried out that threat every time she made it, I’d weigh less than you. Besides, Mom will forgive me anything short of murder when I hand the Heisman to Dad today.”

“That may be true, but we need to get going anyway. I’ve got to go home so I can get cleaned up as well as pick out a clean outfit. My suitcase only held the one outfit for the game.”

Clark began to lever himself out of bed, and said, “Never let it be said that I kept my girlfriend from looking her best.”

Lana slid over and followed Clark in leaving the comfortable warmth of his bed. While Lana began hunting to collect her underwear and pajamas which were strewn all over the room, Clark walked out of the room starkers and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

“Clark?!” Lana said, nearly shouting through the closed door, “put some clothes on. What if Veronica comes up here and sees you like that?”

Clark popped his head back into his bedroom and replied, “Pete and Veronica left a long time ago.” He winked and added, “But just to be sure, I x-rayed the entire place before I opened the door.”

Lana rolled her eyes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before sending him on his way.

Clark was dressed and ready to go a mere five minutes later, which allowed Lana enough time to get home, shower, apply a light amount of makeup, and get herself dressed. Clark had followed her over with his truck, so they left directly from her place.

Clark thought they might be late, but after the near miss traffic accident they had suffered through on their first date, Clark had silently vowed to take extra care when driving with Lana in the car, so he stayed right at the posted speed limit. This drive to his parents’ house was a bit different than the others, because sitting between them on the bench seat was the Heisman. He had told everyone that he meant to give it to his dad after showing it around, and after a week of showing it to all and sundry, today was the day.

Lana led the way up the front steps at the Kent house so she could open the door for Clark and his heavy bronze payload, even though he could actually carry it with one finger. Kathy was, as usual, the first one to meet them and her normally enthusiastic greeting got cut off in the middle when she noticed the Heisman in Clark’s hands.

“Oh…” Kathy said, when she recovered her power of speaking, “I saw that at the airport last week, but seeing it here, in our house, really brings home the fact that my big brother is a Heisman Trophy winner.” Her eyes were shining with unshed tears, and she couldn’t wait any longer. Clark barely had enough time to hand off the trophy to Lana before Kathy was on him with a smothering hug. “I’m so proud of you,” she whispered fiercely.

Clark smiled blissfully. He thought he was as happy as he could possibly get, until his parents came out to see him and Lana. When they witnessed the unalloyed love being displayed by their two children, Martha began to tear up herself, and Jonathan reflexively snaked a hand around her shoulders and pulled her close.

When Clark and Kathy finally separated, he spotted his parents down the hall. After collecting the trophy from Lana, he walked to them to show it to his mom once again, before facing his dad, holding out the trophy, and saying, “I believe this belongs to you.”

Jonathan was unexpectedly choked up with emotion. He lightly pushed away the trophy, and said, “I can’t accept this.”

“There’s nothing to accept, Dad,” Clark replied, “it’s already yours. I’ve just been keeping it for you for a few days. Everything I am as a football player, and as a man, I owe to you.” Once again, Clark held out the trophy, and this time, Jonathan accepted it. By the time he had the trophy securely cradled in his arms, everyone in the house, Clark and Jonathan included, was crying in one way or another.

happycamper

11-26-2006, 10:10 PM

1 :)

Very nice throughout, Card.

The love of Lana and Clark seems near perfect, and I'm glad they could share all this time together. Pete and Veronica seem like a happy couple, too. Now if only Chloe could firm up a commitment form her own man...:p

Glad to see there was no awkwardness at breakfast. I would have been a little worried...

A gesture like giving Jonathan the Heisman would be truly touching. It's only since I've been a father myself than I've come to understand how much more important the accomplishment of your children seem to be in relation to yourself. The speech, the trophy, and Clark's confirmation that "everything I am as a football player, and as a man, I owe to you” must have been a highpoint of Jonathan's life.

:D :D

While it's not destined to be, our own Colt Brennan should be this year's Heisman winner. He's number one in total yards, passing efficiency, touchdowns (by fifteen over the next QB), yards per attempt, and has already led the UH to 10 wins. Maybe next year...

And oh, the art show. I forgot to mention that! How thrilled Lana will be (I hope!). SVsleuth's right, the picture does seem wonderful just by its description alone...

SVsleuth, I was cheating. You'd have to have been very fast to beat me... :lol:

SVsleuth

11-26-2006, 10:13 PM

hc - I was so busy reading your update, that you had a chance to beat me to #1 here in spite of Card's IM notice. Oh well... :\

*****
:) Clana sleep over... breakfast... alone time... and then...

Clark walked out of the room starkers and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

“Clark?!” Lana said, nearly shouting through the closed door, “put some clothes on. What if Veronica comes up here and sees you like that?”
Clark in the buff... fun stuff, Card.

And then, the serious stuff, as Clark honors Jonathan with the Heisman... sniff...sniff. (hmmm.... no tearful smiley available here... Oh, well, remember the one from AIM).

We MUST be getting close to the ART SHOW soon, right Card? PPMS! I loved the description of Lana's painting; can't wait to see if she will win the prize - and to see her reaction to her art being in the show... PPMS!

Nemu

11-26-2006, 10:33 PM

:D Last one before bed time....
Well this sure was good!!

The emotions from the family at the end...

And I can't wait for the Art Show... I bet that Lana will win or end up being a close second for the award...

Well... PPMS :D

superman_lives_on

11-26-2006, 10:36 PM

Awwww...

Lovely Clana, a good breakfast with Pete and Veronica, lovely Clana, Clark learning of the artwork scheme's success (so far), lovely Clana, Clark presenting Jonathan with the Heisman and crediting him for raising Clark to be who he is now, and lovely Clana...

A little slice of perfection. :D :D :D

binkys711

11-27-2006, 06:55 PM

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D <- (me right now)

clana bliss! yay! good thing Clark and Lana are always SO energetic ;) *cough & friskey! cough*:D

Great breakfast! I loved that all 4 had a nice little meal together (after the very nice night both couples had) ;) teehee! and woohoo! Lana's in for a surprise with that art show! so what's the grand prize Card? we all know Lana HAS to win it! I mean what can compete with a wonderful "Kansas Sunset" hmm?! HMM?!?! nothing! Can't wait to see Lana's reaction! :)

Very moving the Clark and Jonathan moment *gets teary eyes also*.....Where's a dang kleenes box when you need it? :p

NYC300Z

11-27-2006, 10:52 PM

very touching with Clark and his Dad. I guess they'll have lunch and then Lana will meet Jor-el?

PPMS!

happycamper

11-28-2006, 03:44 AM

Hey Card!

What's up with the new (Lois) avatar? Do you know just how wrong it looks in a Clana story like this?

:mad: :mad:

kewl

11-30-2006, 08:29 AM

last update *sniff* was just so emotional *sniff* card... :D
super great ppms! ;)

*#~ ClAnAfAn99210~#*

11-30-2006, 04:30 PM

SWEEEEEEET!!!!!!

Cardinal

12-02-2006, 01:02 AM

Chapter 97 - Anatomically Correct

The rest of the week flew by quickly, until it was finally Saturday morning. Just like the last time she visited the Fortress of Solitude, Lana packed everything warm she could possibly wear into her largest suitcase and brought along her winter boots. Since she didn’t want her suitcase sliding around in the back of Clark’s truck and getting scuffed up, Lana was going to drive her SUV. She drove by Clark’s to pick him up and they were off.

The drive across town was uneventful, and before Lana knew it, she was pulling up in front of the Kents’ place. Clark picked up her suitcase and carried it into the house with Lana locking her SUV and hurrying to catch up. Clark hadn’t told his family anything, but when his dad saw Lana’s suitcase, he knew what was going on.

“Clark?” Jonathan asked, “Why do you and Lana need to go visit Jor-El?”

Martha heard the name Jor-El and came out of the kitchen like a shot. Clark could smell the remnants of a Martha Kent breakfast, which on Saturday was always held at a comfortably lazy hour since everyone in the house was off. Even though he had already eaten, his stomach inadvertently began to growl.

Lana’s eyes were dancing as she tried to hold in a chuckle., and Jonathan rolled his eyes, but Martha led her son into the kitchen where she quickly had a plate of pancakes and bacon placed in front of him. Lana grinned openly at him until Martha put a plate of food down in front of her, too.

When Lana started to protest that she had already eaten, Martha shushed her and said, “Now, now, Lana. You’re going up to the Arctic in a few minutes. You’ll need all of the energy and heat you can muster, so eat up.”

Defeated, Lana dipped her head and said, “Yes, Ma’am,” which made Clark smile and then almost choke on his mouthful of pancake.

Secretly, Lana enjoyed the mothering from Martha, but she didn’t want anyone, not even Clark, to suspect that. She thought they would believe her to be weak and start trying to protect her all of the time, and she hated it when people did that. Right now, things with Clark were perfect and she didn’t want to suddenly be forced back into her childhood role as the fairy princess. So she pretended to be reluctant when she started to eat. Clark blazed through his breakfast and thus had time to answer Jonathan while Lana carefully chewed her way through her second breakfast.

“Now, to answer your question, Lana and I are going to visit Jor-El for several reasons. First, we are putting together the pieces of my disguise so I can openly use my abilities to help people. We need some help from Jor-El on a couple of items.”

Martha perked up when she heard the word ‘disguise.’ “A costume?” she asked brightly. Not sure of where she was going with this, Clark nodded his head uncertainly. “Well then, show me what you’ve got and maybe I can help you actually make parts of the costume.”

“Well, I don’t really have anything down on paper,” Clark said.

Lana’s voice followed immediately on the heels of his and she said, “But I do. I’m glad you reminded me, Mrs. Kent. I forgot my sketch pad and left it out in the SUV.”

“I thought you got rid of your art stuff when you moved home,” Clark said.

“I did, but I bought this one and some colored pencils after our discussion about your suit so I could sketch out what we talked about…plus a few extra ideas.” Turning to Martha, Lana added, “Let me run out to my SUV and I’ll show you what we’ve got.”

Lana came back quickly and held out her sketch pad to the woman that was likely to be her mother-in-law. She wanted desperately for Mrs. Kent to like her work. Martha took the pad gingerly and opened it to the first page. She was rewarded, not with a plain sketch of the costume, but sketches of the costume from front, side, and rear views, as it would look on her son’s body. Clark had moved in behind his mom to look over her shoulder because he hadn’t seen this yet either.

What they both saw in the first picture was an elegant drawing of a tall and manifestly powerful body. The body appeared to have its muscles flexed because each and every muscle appeared to be visible underneath the cloth, from his pecs, abs, and serratus muscles on his torso to his quadriceps on his legs. Lana had used colored pencils to add in the proper colors so Martha and Clark were able to more clearly visualize the final product.

In the next picture, the side view, the pecs protruded nicely, and the serratus muscles took center stage from their position on the side of his torso. The glutes came into view, making what Lana called in private his ‘delicious tushy.’ Another bulge on the front of his body came into view, at which point Clark stopped looking and irately pulled Lana into the rarely used front room of the house.

“Umm…Dearest?” Clark said after getting himself under control. “Did you have to be that anatomically correct in your drawing? That’s my mother in there.”

“She’s seen you naked before, Clark.”

“Not since I was five!” he replied hotly, with his hand on his hips.

Lana was truly puzzled. “What’s the big deal?”

Clark brought one hand up to run it through his dark locks, then he pulled his hand down the length of his face as he tried to muster an explanation of his irritation. “I’m an intrinsically shy person. Why not just draw some flashing Christmas lights around my crotch and add a neon sign that says ‘Home of the Whopper’ and get it over with?”

“So, you don’t like being on display, and yet you play football in front of 74,000 fans at home games?”

“It feels weird having my mom, or anyone but you for that matter, looking at…certain parts of me. I feel like some kind of perverted exhibitionist.”

Lana could tell he was really embarrassed now, and said, “I’m sorry, Clark, but the kind of clothes that you will be required to wear, so that they will be protected by your energy field, will put your every inch of your body on display…including your delicious tushy and your ‘whopper.’ So get used to it.”

Lana left him and headed back into the kitchen, pausing only long enough to smack him soundly on his ‘delicious tushy.’

She’s right, Clark thought. I’ve never really thought of how obvious certain things are while wearing spandex. I’ve gotta just grit my teeth and bear it. Gaaah!

Clark reentered the kitchen to find Lana pointing out some things on the last sketch, which appeared to be of him and the suit from behind. Off to the side of that sketch was a drawing of what appeared to be a long red cape.

“…I want his costume to incorporate a cape kind of like this. I got the idea when I saw him wearing a red blanket tied around his neck and draped down his back at our picnic. The only problems are: One, I don’t know of a fabric that is tough enough to withstand the incredible speeds Clark can reach. Two, how would I attach it to the rest of his suit? Any kind of stitching I can think of wouldn’t be strong enough to hold. So that’s something else I want to ask Jor-El about.”

“I have one idea, Lana,” Martha said. “I think he needs something back here, whether on a cape or on the suit itself, to balance that large logo you have on the front.”

“Well…” Lana said, “I guess I see what you mean, the suit does look kind of plain from behind.” Except for his behind, she thought. “Maybe…maybe we could, oh, I don’t know…redo his family symbol on his back, or on his cape, if we can figure out how to make that work.”

“An exact copy?”

“Mmm…no, more like something that echoes the original design, but doesn’t quite replicate it.”

“Oh,” Clark chimed in, “I was able to order a pair or trunks like the ones worn by pro wrestlers from that company in Mexico. I can’t send the boots back, but I did find someone here in town who is capable of re-dyeing the boots red. Don’t ask me how, but he’s supposed to be able to do it.”

Lana turned to Clark and smiled, “That’s great, Hon.” Turning back to Martha, Lana finished by saying, “Anyway, I’d leave this for you to look over while we’re gone, except I need my sketch pad so I can quickly make a good likeness of Clark’s family crest for the suit.”

“So,” Clark asked, “are you ready to go get cold?”

“Not really. Go visit Jor-El? Yes. Turn into a giant popsicle? No.” Lana started rubbing her upper arms in anticipation of the bitter cold. “I wish there was a way to warm that place up a little bit. I can handle cold, but that place is beyond merely cold.”

Lana’s wish set Clark to thinking. Maybe there is a way to warm up the Fortress, he thought. “Before you start getting dressed, there’s something I want to do. Okay? Just hang around here and I’ll be back as soon as I can.” They each leaned in for a quick kiss and then Clark was gone.

Kathy was still in the kitchen, having spent this time quietly watching and listening since she knew about as much about making clothes as Clark did. Jonathan, on the other hand, had gone back to the den to watch the rest of his movie on cable television as soon as the talk had shifted to Clark’s outfit. So Lana pulled Kathy aside with a conspiratorial wink and asked quietly, “How’s that new boyfriend you’ve been telling me about?”

Panicked that either of her parents might have overheard that, Kathy said, “Shhhh!” and in the process, made more noise than Lana had. She then dragged Lana upstairs and into her bedroom for a more private chat. Once they were both sitting cross-legged and were comfortably ensconced in a nest of Kathy’s covers, Kathy looked at her closed door and placed a glowing pink barrier across it to ensure privacy and then said softly, “His name is Timmy, but he wants to be known as Tim now because it sounds cooler. I apparently have to wait forever to go out on actual dates, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have a boyfriend at school.”

“Just be careful, Kathy. Some boys will tell you anything to get what they want, whether that’s just a kiss or something more.”

Kathy looked at Lana quizzically, and asked, “This isn’t going to be another talk about the birds and the bees, is it?”

“Another talk?” Lana choked out.

“Yeah,” Kathy said resignedly. “Earlier this year, Dad went off the deep end when he found out I had kissed a boy. Mom, on the other hand, sat me down a few days later for a long talk about sex. She answered every question I had, and some I really didn’t want to think about.” Kathy shuddered at the memory. She still couldn’t imagine her parents doing any of that…that stuff. Even trying to think about it gave her the willies.

Just as Lana was about to say more, Clark knocked at Kathy’s door, and asked, “Hey, Kathy, will you let my girlfriend come out to play?”

Kathy rolled her eyes and removed her pink force-field. “Go on, Lana. We can’t have you keeping Clark waiting.”

As she made her way out the door, Lana said, “See ya, Kathy. I’m glad your mom talked to you about this at your age. Forewarned is forearmed.”

“Huh?”

“Knowledge is your best defense.”

“Oh.”

Clark followed Lana downstairs to the basement where he had her suitcase sitting inside his old bedroom door. When she stepped inside to change, she noticed he was smiling strangely.

“Okay, Clark, what’s up with the cheesy grin?”

“Simple. You mentioned earlier that you wished it could be warmer inside the Fortress. That made me wonder why I had never asked Jor-El about that, so I went ahead and asked him a few minutes ago. He seemed surprised by the request, but said it would be easy for him to raise the temperature inside the Fortress to just below freezing.”

“So I don’t have to dress up like Nanook of the North this time?” Lana asked hopefully.

“Nope. Plain old Metropolis winter gear will do just fine.” Looking her over head to toe, Clark added, “In fact, if you’ll just put on your coat and grab your gloves and a scarf, we can go now.”

Lana scurried back upstairs to grab her coat and her sketch pad, both of which she had forgotten to get the first time by the kitchen. She came back down wearing her coat, gloves, and scarf, and was carrying her sketch pad. Clark already had the portal glowing brightly and ready for their use.

“How come you didn’t tell your parents about the other half of our mission today, Clark?”

“I wanted to wait to tell them. If it’s good news, we can tell them right away, but if the news is bad, then we may want to keep that to ourselves until we’ve worked out our own feelings.”

“Okay. When it comes to telling this to your parents, I’ll follow your lead.” Lana looked at the portal. “Are we ready?”

Taking her other hand, Clark said, “Let’s go,” and they headed toward the glowing doorway.

Nemu

12-02-2006, 01:02 AM

:D
To answer Binkys below... Of course I'm happy... Card updated ;)

Now... That was good!

I will wait the next few updates sitting at the edge of my seat...

The visit with Jor-El... then the Art show...

I hope Jor-El gives them good news...

PPMS Card!!

SVsleuth

12-02-2006, 01:14 AM

:) LOL, funny chapter, Card. Loved Clark getting so embarrassed. Can't wait to see what Jor-El has to say. I'll bet he is pleasantly surprised that Lana is nudging Clark toward the destiny Jor-El always had in mind. I think he will warm up to Lana quickly. Hopefully there will be good news concerning their other questions as well. PPMS!

binkys711

12-02-2006, 01:22 AM

I take it you guys are happy? ^^^^ :p lol me too! great update Card! :D

hehe loved how Lana really admires his tushy :p then again who wouldn't ? ;) and I burst out laughing with the 'whopper' comment! :lol:
I hope Jor-El gives them good news! I want Clark Jr. and Lana Jr.! :p

PPMS!!!

happycamper

12-02-2006, 02:38 AM

Very nice Card. Too bad Lana had to subject him to all that embarassment...:lol:

Once the costume - and disguise - is ready, will Clark be able to become The Man of Steel, or is that still in the future?

Jor-El and the art show next, I hope!

:D :D

*#~ ClAnAfAn99210~#*

12-02-2006, 07:48 AM

yay!!!!!

superman_lives_on

12-02-2006, 08:42 AM

WHOO! Lana thought up the cape--and Martha helped her to think up the smaller, yellow-and-black version of the S-shield. I just hope Clark is able to get used to the skintight nature of his suit...and its one drawback. :rolleyes: :)

Heh...bet Lana wasn't expecting Kathy to have gotten that Talk yet!

Here's hoping all goes well at the Fortress...and at the Art Show! :D

NYC300Z

12-02-2006, 10:08 AM

Great Update Card! Really leaves me wanting more! Like Nemu said so many things going on!

PPMS!

maitriniazngurl

12-02-2006, 05:04 PM

TWO UPDATES!! Yay!

Great updates!! Took a while to read!! But GREAT!!

Clana is so happy... can't wait for more!!

PPMS!

Minnesotagirl

12-02-2006, 11:30 PM

I just caught up. Great job, Card! I'll be anxiously awaiting your next update.

kewl

12-03-2006, 08:04 AM

hope there'd be good news at the FOS!
ppms card!

binkys711

12-05-2006, 10:03 PM

wth?! what is this doing on the 2nd page? ....for shame! :p lol that just mean you have to update again Card....and if you haven't noticed I am.....

*bump*

...bumping this thread with my 6000th post! which is not dedicated to this thread! To show you how much I appreciate and adore this fic Card! Your a great writer and you are always dere for me, although I'd I wish you would update already :p lol! :lol: Love ya Card! and...

PPMS!!! I need my clana fix again! hehe.... :D

Hahaveryfunny

12-05-2006, 10:51 PM

Great Clana Card! PPMS! When you have the time & you write very well. Keep up the good work!

Cardinal

12-07-2006, 09:15 AM

Chapter 98 - Babies?

This trip to the Fortress of Solitude was already much more enjoyable than the last one just because of the much warmer air temperature. Though she was about to meet her other prospective father-in-law, Lana was actually much more relaxed now than during her initial visit. Back then, Clark was on the edge of unveiling his deepest secret to her and she hadn’t known what to expect. Now, she and Clark were back here for some help and some answers as they took concrete steps toward their life together.

Being more loosely dressed this time, Lana was able to explore the uneven terrain inside the Fortress instead of Clark having to carry her around. The flooring looked to be made of individual plates made of compacted snow and ice, but she found her footing to be excellent. Lana made her way around the room slowly, completing her tour in front of the crystal console. Clark had stood still and watched with a quiet smile on his face as Lana looked around, only joining her when she came to a halt at what had to be their destination.

Now that Lana was faced with actually meeting Jor-El, her anxiety level started to rise. Her arms flapped uselessly at her sides, hands slapping against her hips, as her face began tightening up. Clark noticed this and said confidently, “Everything is going to be fine, Lana. Jor-El will love you. How could he not?”

Lana still wasn’t able to relax. Her eyes began to glaze over a bit, and her sketch pad was tightly clenched in her left hand. Clark firmly grasped her on both sides of her waist and launched them both into the air. As they soared toward the distant reaches of the Fortress, Lana swiveled her head around in wonder. For her, the Fortress took on a completely new aspect when seen from above. While she was looking around, Clark’s eyes were locked on her. He knew exactly where he was going and why.

In a matter of seconds, Clark landed them on top of a remote outcrop. He had originally come here years ago because of the panoramic view of the Fortress that it provided. He had come back many times since because it was so tranquil. He couldn’t imagine a place that gave him a greater sense of peace. He hoped it would have the same effect on Lana.

Once Clark set Lana down, she took a second to be sure of her balance and then looked around. To say she was awestruck by the view would be an understatement. ‘Oh my God’ was all she was able to say. Hit with sudden inspiration, Lana wanted to sit down and start sketching immediately, but she knew they were pressed for time today, so she limited herself to extracting a promise from Clark to bring her back to this very spot someday. She wanted to try and recapture some small part of what she was feeling right now and put it on paper. Lana thought any halfway-decent hack of a painter could reproduce what they were seeing, but she believed all of her best paintings were created when she did her best job of translating her feelings about what she was seeing into an image.

Clark sat down on the edge of the ledge, dangling his legs out into space. He looked back at Lana and invited her to sit beside him, but she was leery about getting too close to the edge. She knew the floor of the Fortress was a long, long way down, and though she knew in her mind that Clark would catch her if she fell, she just couldn’t quite manage to move to the very brink.

“Would it help if I held you on my lap?” Clark asked. “Or would you feel better if I moved away from the edge myself?”

“Lap,” Lana said, walking as close to the edge as she dared before sitting down.

Clark leaned back, twisted, and gently lifted Lana, setting her down across his lap. One hand kept her legs securely in place while he used his other hand to rub her back.

“What’s up with the last minute nerves, Babe?” Clark asked.

“I don’t know,” Lana said coming near to tears. “It doesn’t make sense…but there it is. I don‘t know if I’m afraid of the answers we might get, or if I’m afraid of him not liking me, or what…I just know I’m scared.”

Clark said nothing and continued to support her and rub her back. Lana found that just being wrapped in Clark’s arms was helping calm her nameless fears. She leaned in toward him, resting her head on his chest as the soothing back rub continued. Slowly, she gathered herself and finally tilted her head up to look at Clark.

“Thank you,” Lana said.

“Your welcome,” was Clark’s automatic response. Then he asked, “Umm…what for?”

“For not making light of my fears. For just supporting me and giving me some time to collect myself.”

“I hope I’ll always be supportive of you, Lana.”

Smiling hugely, Lana said, “Me too.” Rubbing her one free hand on her thigh, Lana peered down over the edge, and said, “I think it’s time for us to get back to business.”

Clark’s rubbing hand took a firm hold of Lana’s shoulders, while the other hand continued supporting her legs, and he gently rose into the air. The flight down was slow and easy compared to the flight up, but though she had more time to look around and enjoy the incredible view, this time, Lana’s eyes were locked on Clark.

Once they were standing in front of the console again, Lana asked, “How do we talk to him?”

Just as he did with Kathy, Clark pulled the correct crystal out of its slot and held it out to Lana.

Like Kathy, Lana accepted it and then Clark guided her hand to the proper tube. They released it together, and when the crystal slid into the tube, a three-dimensional hologram of a gray-haired, middle-aged man appeared. He was clothed from top to bottom in a silver robe that sparkled as if actually made from the metal itself. Emblazoned in the middle of the robe was an irregular black pentagon inscribed with a black letter S that touched all five sides of the pentagon. Lana immediately began to memorize the details of the El family crest just in case Jor-El didn’t give her permission to sketch it.

The man spoke with a careworn voice, and said, “Kal-El, Son, how may I…” He broke off in mid-sentence as he realized someone else was with Clark, who himself was beginning to have a strong sense of déjà vu. This felt exactly the way his last visit here felt. Jor-El took in the appearance of the person by Kal-El’s side and it was obvious to Clark and even to Lana that he was shaken to his core.

Hesitantly, and with emotion cracking his voice, Jor-El asked, “Louise? Is that you? How is this possible?”

Clark didn’t know who Louise was, but he was anxious to make his introductions, so he said, “Jor-El, this isn’t Louise. This is Lana Lang. She’s someone very special to me.” Pointing toward Jor-El, Clark added, “Lana, this is my father, Jor-El. Or at least, he’s the memory and will of my father.”

Intent on finding the connection, if any, between Lana and Louise, Jor-El pushed on. “What was you mother’s name, Lana?”

Lana was surprised by the question, but saw no harm in answering. “Laura…Laura Lang, formerly Laura Potter.”

“Potter?” Jor-El asked excitedly. “From Smallville, Kansas?”

Clark and Lana shared a look of disbelief, and Lana cautiously said, “Yes…?”

“Did she have an aunt by the name of Louise McCallum?”

“Yes, I think so at least. From what I remember, my Great-Aunt Louise was murdered when she was about my age.” Lana peered suspiciously at Jor-El. “How do you know Louise?”

Jor-El projected a two-dimensional image of Louise on a nearly flat wall surface. Wistful longing was evident in his voice as he said, “There she is, or was, I should say. Louise McCallum…the love of my life.” Clark and Lana were both astounded by how incredibly similar Louise looked to Lana. They appeared to be twin sisters with the only differences being ones dictated by the differing fashions of their respective eras.

When Clark overcame his surprise long enough to realize what Jor-El had said, he raised an eyebrow at the idea that his birth mother was somehow second best in Jor-El’s heart. Jor-El saw the eyebrow raise and guessed what it meant. “Kal-El, that does nothing to alter what I eventually felt for your mother, but the facts are immutable. If I had been given a choice, I would never have left Earth. Louise McCallum would have divorced her husband Dexter and we would have married.” With a bit of humor in his voice, Jor-El added, “Just think, Kal-El, you might have grown up in Southern California with a movie star for a mother.”

Clark didn’t know which was more surprising, that Jor-El was showing some actual passion, or that he seemed to be trying to crack a joke.

Lana recovered from her shock and got them back on track by saying, “It’s great that I resemble my great-aunt, and it’s unbelievable that three members of Clark’s family have had relationships with three members of mine, but that’s not what we’ve come here to talk about.”

“And what would that be, Lana?” Jor-El asked.

“I…well…” she looked warmly up at Clark, who returned her look. Clark clasped her free hand and she could feel his warmth, even through the insulation of her glove.

When they returned their gazes to Jor-El, it was Clark who spoke, saying, “Lana and I are considering marriage…” Jor-El’s smile grew even larger which made Clark uncomfortable. He was used to the dour version of his father. “…and we were wondering if it was possible for us to have…to have children.”

If Jor-El’s smile was large before, it was nothing compared to the smile he had upon hearing his son had finally found someone. Knowing Kal-El’s love was a close relative of the woman he himself had to leave behind all those years ago was just icing on the cake.

Clark was thunderstruck. All he could think of was, Who is this man and what has he done with my father?

“I am happy for you both Kal-El and Lana. I wish you every joy…including the special joy of children.” Jor-El looked into his son’s eyes. “Lara and I didn’t have you long on Krypton, Kal-El, but your birth was one of the great moments in my life. You and your Earth wife will be able to have children, as long as she isn’t sterile herself.”

Clark and Lana looked at each other both joyful and surprised. Joyful, that he could have children, and surprised, that they had never thought that she might be the reason they couldn’t have kids.

“If you will allow me a few moments, Lana,” Jor-El said, “there is a non-invasive test I can perform that will determine your ability to give birth.”

Lana couldn’t talk, but nodded her permission, and Jor-El closed his eyes as if concentrating. Until now, Clark had always thought that having a computer program close its ‘eyes’ while it was ‘concentrating’ was funny, but not now. He and Lana were both unconsciously holding their breath until Jor-El’s eyes opened and his incandescent smile returned.

“Congratulations, Lana. You are fully capable of having children. Though since you are narrow in the hips, you will want to be especially careful to be near medical assistance when the time for children comes.”

Twin smiles of unadulterated joy exploded onto Clark and Lana’s faces. She launched herself into his arms and they kissed deeply and powerfully as Jor-El looked on benevolently. They look so much like Louise and me. They even have the same passion. I hope Kal-El truly does hold on to her, instead of making my mistake. Since he refuses his destiny here on Earth, a fulfilling marriage is all I could wish for him.

Jor-El finally took notice of Lana’s sketch pad when he saw it in her hand behind Clark’s back. When the two lovers broke their embrace, Jor-El asked politely what that was and what it was for. Lana replied, “That has to do with the other reason we came up here. Clark, your Kal-El, has decided to put his immense talents to use and we need some help.”

SVsleuth

12-07-2006, 09:16 AM

:) It was sweet how Clark took such good care of Lana when she got so nervous. So wonderful to see the happy couple together like that.

Jor-El is surprising Clark even more than when he brought Kathy to meet him. I guess he really has a soft spot for the ladies - and especially for one who is so like Louise.

Now Jor-El will be pleasantly surprised that Lana is able to influence Clark to become Superman, when all of his own previous efforts to get him to accept such a destiny had failed. One more reason for Jor-El to love Lana. ;)

Oh, and one more thing:

Hit with sudden inspiration, Lana wanted to sit down and start sketching immediately, but she knew they were pressed for time today, so she limited herself to extracting a promise from Clark to bring her back to this very spot someday. She wanted to try and recapture some small part of what she was feeling right now and put it on paper.
I'm looking forward to Lana's opportunity to sketch the Fortress, so don't forget to write it in a future chapter. ;) I guess she couldn't show it to very many people, though, could she? It would have to be just for Clark, not for public display.

Great story. PPMS!

treker

12-07-2006, 09:52 AM

[i]`

Clark didn’t which was more surprising, that Jor-El was showing some actual passion, or that he seemed to be trying to crack a joke.

]

I really loved the update Cardinal. One question....shouldn't there be the word "Know" in the above sentence?

"Clark didn't know which" instead of Clark didn't which"

I'm not complaining, I know it was a long chapter and I know how easy it is to miss a small detail amoung so many words.

Good job....

superman_lives_on

12-07-2006, 10:11 AM

Heh...Jor-El's humanity once again makes its presence known. I can't say that the whole Louise thing surprised me at all--I just didn't really think about it until I read the chapter.

I definitely prefer Marlon Brando's Jor-El to Terence Stamp's. I still think there's something sneaky going on with the latter...but that's neither here nor there. :)

Nemu

12-07-2006, 12:24 PM

man i was second butat work :( sucks!!!

Excellent update...

yay they can have babies!!!!

Jor-El sure was surprising for Clark... but since we knew about Louise... then we knew that he would at least give Lana time to make her point...

And now he will really love her since she had influenced Clark into fullfilling his destiny as protector of the Earth...

And Joe will be even more happy to see that sonce they are so close and already figuring their future WITH the Superman life in it that they will reach a balance between the two... allowing Clark to not make the same mistake that he himself did...

PPMS!!!!

binkys711

12-07-2006, 07:11 PM

awesome update Card! can't wait to see Lana's sketch..well read it anyways :p

HOORAH! Lana and Clark can have kids! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

LOL so funny imagining Jor-El like that :rotfl: Louise really had a profound influence on him. I'm happy he accepted Lana with open arms :) how could he not? :p

PPMS!!!

Hahaveryfunny

12-07-2006, 07:31 PM

Whoo who! Clark and Lana can have kids! Whoopie! I'm gald Jor-el was so nice to Lana and welcoming towards her. Great story! PPMS!

Cardinal

12-07-2006, 08:51 PM

Originally posted by treker
I really loved the update Cardinal. One question....shouldn't there be the word "Know" in the above sentence?

"Clark didn't know which" instead of Clark didn't which"

I'm not complaining, I know it was a long chapter and I know how easy it is to miss a small detail amoung so many words.

Good job....

Yeah, There should be. SV pointed it out just before I left for work, but I had no time to fix it. :(

happycamper

12-08-2006, 12:41 AM

Clark was thunderstruck. All he could think of was, Who is this man and what has he done with my father?
I was wondering the same thing... :lol:

So this Jor-El is "human" too. I guess Lana - and Louise - just bring out the best in the male of any species.

:D :D

kewl

12-08-2006, 07:51 AM

YIPEEEE!!!! they're gonna have super kids!!! super update card! can't hardly wait for the next one, ppms ;)

Cardinal

12-09-2006, 07:32 PM

Okay. In my next update, which will be coming up very shortly, I will be using an idea I just used in my other current story, "Somebody to Love."

It's the synthflesh mask, and while I used it first in the other fic, I actually came up with the idea for this thread. Hope you don't mind too much...and if you do, well then :p .

Nemu

12-09-2006, 07:33 PM

cool that is way better than the wrestling mask ;)

PPMS!!!

superman_lives_on

12-09-2006, 07:36 PM

"Very shortly"? Does that mean tonight?

happycamper

12-09-2006, 07:51 PM

No, it's much better than the wrestling mask...although that would have made a funny story.

:D :D

Cardinal

12-09-2006, 08:17 PM

Chapter 99 - Costume Assistance

Jor-El couldn’t believe his ‘ears.’ In actuality, he ‘heard’ through the use of strategically placed audio receptors, but in any case, he still couldn’t believe it. He had been waiting for Kal-El to complete his Earth education before making yet another effort to get him to fully embrace his Kryptonian heritage and put his skills to use for the betterment of humanity, but this slender young woman had done his work for him.

“How…?” was all Jor-El could manage to ask.

Lana wasn’t sure what Jor-El was asking, but Clark had no doubts, so he said, “Lana talked me into it. I took her flying one night because she had something she wanted to talk about that was related to my abilities. Once I touched down on the library roof, she made her case, and it went something like this.” Once again, Clark’s eidetic memory came into play as he gave Jor-El a word-by-word replay of Lana’s short speech.

“When you’re done playing football, your legacy will be a few lines in a record book and some dusty trophies locked away in a glass case, but if you decided to use your abilities instead of hiding them, your legacy would be lives saved and injuries averted…and the families of those you saved would be saved, too. Saved from anger and depression, saved from financial hardship, saved from a life spent looking back instead of one spent moving ahead. You could have an impact on this city like no one else has ever had!”

Jor-El was stunned…stunned to learn of the compassion, imagination, and foresight possessed by his son’s intended. Then he wondered if this amazing young lady knew what she was getting herself into. Being the wife of a man who was doing what this would entail would not be easy. Kal-El would be giving so much of himself to others that he might not have the time to devote to her and her needs.

“Lana, are you fully aware of what a life with Kal-El will be like if he pursues this course?”

“I think so, Sir.” Lana glanced at Clark before continuing. “Clark and I have talked about this several times. I know I’ll be giving up a lot, but I think I will be getting back so much more. Not only will I have Clark, but I’ll get to know that I’m playing a small part in helping so many people.”

“Your idea is sound…as far as it goes, but the full extent of what Kal-El will have to deal with is much greater than you anticipate, Lana. He will need to become a protector of the entire world, not just one city, and he will have to deal with so much more than just natural disasters, accidents, and common criminals.” Both Clark and Lana looked at Jor-El with confusion in their eyes. He recognized this and tried to explain. “Krypton wasn’t the only other inhabited planet out there, there are others, several of which are far more advanced than Earth. If they ever find this planet, Kal-El will be the only thing on this planet capable of standing up to them.”

Clark and Lana looked at each other. Neither one had anticipated anything like what Jor-El had just laid out for them and both of them were scared.

“Be easy, both of you. I can help Kal-El prepare for this.” Jor-El turned his focus to his son. “Once it is time for you to embrace your destiny, come to me and I will see to your training.”

“Training? How long will that take?” Clark asked. “How long will Lana have to wait for me?”

Jor-El shrugged his shoulders. “The training takes as long as it takes. With the use of Kryptonian technology to speed the learning process, it shouldn’t take too long. Maybe only a matter of ten Earth years or so.”

Lana’s eyes rolled back in her head and her body slumped toward the floor as she fainted. Clark caught her before she hit, and as he kept her upright, he asked irately, “Are you out of your freaking mind? Why would Lana wait that long for me?”

“I did say she wasn’t fully aware of what needed to be done.”

“What will I be learning?”

“You’ll be learning the collected knowledge of all known planetary civilizations.”

Desperately grasping for anything that might lessen their separation, Clark asked, “Isn’t there anything I can forego learning about? After all, you’ll still be right here to act as a resource for me.”

Jor-El studied his son, saw his frenzied desperation, and took pity on him. “Since you will be defending Earth, and not actively contacting other civilizations, I suppose you can get by with just learning about Earth. That should only take a few months. The rest of the knowledge will be kept here for your use in times of crisis. Sound fair?”

Relieved, Clark replied, “Yes.”

Lana finally began to stir in Clark’s arms. “Nooooo!” she moaned. “Can’t wait ten years.”

“Shh, Lana. Shh! We don’t have to wait that long. Jor-El has offered a compromise that should only keep us apart for a few months.”

Lana was thrilled to hear that, and the young couple celebrated with a kiss, while Jor-El smiled with satisfaction.

See? Jor-El thought. Offer them something completely unreasonable, and they practically beg me to give them the solution I really wanted them to take all along.

Once Lana was completely revived, she explained about the difficulties Clark would have keeping his identity secret due to the small amount of fame he had garnered playing football and then she asked for some help with the costume.

Jor-El immediately saw the wisdom of both having a uniform and making it skintight. The former would tend to make his son look more official as he performed his duties. The skintight part would keep the uniform in one piece as it would fit inside Kal-El’s protective energy field. The color scheme of the uniform didn’t matter to him, but it seemed Lana had good reasons for choosing blue, red, and yellow.

As far as the use of his family’s crest on the uniform to identify Kal-El, Jor-El thought that to be fitting since Kryptonian males always wore their House’s crest on their chests.

Soon, Jor-El was contemplating Lana’s idea for a cape and her desire to make it possible for Kal-El to make use of his abilities without having to wear that restrictive leather luchador mask. This was where she was stuck and really needed help. Both problems had answers, one which was easy and another which was not. The cape was the easy answer.

“Kal-El,” Jor-El asked, “do you still have the blanket Lara and I wrapped you in before sending you to Earth?”

“Yes, Jor-El, I do. It’s kept in a closet in my bedroom at home.” Clark’s eyes lit up as he got what Jor-El was hinting at. “Yes, that thing has to be four or five feet long and at least three feet wide.”

“Really?” Lana asked excitedly. “That’s an almost perfect length…but, can it stand up to the abuse it’ll have to take?”

“It should,” Clark replied. “Mom says that blanket is indestructible. She claims I threw it into the fireplace once when I was little. Instead of being burned up, the blanket sat there and was completely unmarred once the fire burned itself out.”

“Kal-El is correct. That blanket can stand up to anything on this planet short of a nuclear blast.”

Lana was happy. Now that she’s found a suitable cape, she needed to find a way to permanently attach the cape to Clark’s spandex suit and Jor-El already had a solution for that, too.

It came in the form of a formula that Jor-El gave them for an adhesive so powerful, that when applied, it essentially caused molecular bonding between the two surfaces that were being stuck together.

After Lana finished writing down the complex instructions for making the formula, she asked, “So, you’re saying anything we stick together with this stuff is going to be attached permanently.”

“Correct.”

Lana smiled once again. This’ll make it easy to attach the family crest to the front of the suit and to the cape, too.

The mask was going to be a more difficult problem to solve. Jor-El completely agreed that if Clark was able to show a face, any face, he would be seen as being more trustworthy than someone who was hiding behind a mask and Jor-El believed that in the long run, the goodwill his son would be able to build up would be as valuable as anything else he might do.

Jor-El’s solution was one that would take Clark some time. When he returned to the Fortress for his training, Clark would have to undertake a tiny bit of Kryptonian vocational training that would allow him to make tools. Then he would be instructed to make a first set of tools, that would allow him to make a second, finer set of tools, which would allow him to make a still more precise set of tools.

Once he had this third-generation set of tools, he would be able to make a synthflesh mask, which was used on Krypton by professional actors to immerse themselves and their audiences in their performances. That mask would fit him like a second skin, allowing a full range of movement as well as altering his voice. He would look and sound like a perfectly normal human being, but no one would recognize him, not even Lana or his family.

Jor-El estimated that the time necessary for Kal-El’s vocational training and the subsequent construction of the mask would add roughly one month to his total training time, a compromise that both Lana and Clark were willing to make.

Finally, before Clark and Lana returned to Metropolis to tell the Kents the good news about their prospects of gaining future additions to their family, Lana asked for, and received, permission to sketch an accurate picture of the El family crest. Lana stood right in front of Jor-El for five minutes, making careful pencil strokes and erasing where necessary to get every line and curve just right.

Once Lana was happy with her sketch, they were both ready to go home, but Jor-El stopped them just before Clark pulled the communication crystal from its tube. “One last thing, Kal-El. Besides being able to have children with Lana, as a Kryptonian, you are able to decide when and if you have children.”

Astounded, Clark asked, “How do I do that?”

“It’s all in your mind, Kal-El. If you want to have children, you just have to make the choice and your body will do the rest…that is, as long as the woman you are with is in her fertile time of the month. On Krypton, birth control was strictly a thing of the mind.”

After they both thanked Jor-El profusely for his assistance, Clark and Lana clasped hands and stepped into the portal to return to Metropolis. Once there, Clark said, “I can’t wait to tell Mom and Dad they’re going to be grandparents someday.”

Lana looked up at Clark coyly, and asked, “So, does that mean we’re getting married? I don’t remember a proposal yet.”

“No, not yet, Lana, but it’s getting closer by the day.”

Nemu

12-09-2006, 08:18 PM

:D
Hmm I wonder why Lana fainted because of the ten years ;) lol

Well... this sure was interesting... and the ending... funny...

Now is the next few episodes going to be about the after effects of their visit and the art show? I sure hope so!!

PPMS!!!

binkys711

12-09-2006, 08:22 PM

Woof yay! problems solved!

Oh man I laghed so hard when Lana fainted! :rotfl: iono why it just seemed to funny to me! and LOL Jor-El wanted the training to be simple anyways....that sly kryptonian!:lol: I'm happy everything on the suit is settled and is going to turn out fine :) hehe, so when is the proosal coming Card? hmmm?! :p Loved da update!

PPMS!

SVsleuth

12-09-2006, 08:51 PM

Jor-El must love Lana for making his task easier for him in getting Clark to agree to use his abilities to protect people. Clark & Lana never anticipated him having to protect Earth from alien threats. That's quite a revelation for them, but they seem to be warming up to the idea pretty well.

See? Jor-El thought. Offer them something completely unreasonable, and they practically beg me to give them the solution I really wanted them to take all along.
Sneaky, Jor-El, sneaky.

So now, it will take Clark a few months plus one more to train & produce his mask. I know it's not ten years, but several months will still feel like an eternity to Clark and Lana when the time comes. I mean, when he went to NYC for a couple of days for the Heisman ceremony, he flew back home just to spend time with Lana, and nearly missed bedcheck.

And what's this new Kryptonian ablity Clark has? If he wills it, they can conceive a child, as long as she is fertile, but if he desires to postpone pregnancy, conception will not occur, even if she is fertile. Oooo, I hope there is never a day when Lana wants to conceive but Clark doesn't, or vice versa - because it seems he has all the power. Must be a tricky power to learn to control, especially if he wants to always be certain he and Lana are on the same page.

So, when IS that Art show? Seems it's time for it now, no? PPMS! ;) Wonderful chapter, Card.

happycamper

12-09-2006, 09:25 PM

4th. Back later.

Sorry, I had to attend a Christmas concert at the symphony here (they joked that we were the only 2200 in the state of Hawaii not watching U2 at Aloha Stadium).

Very cute update. Lana and Clark can be parents, the costume problem is solved, and his destiny can now be fulfilled!

Loved Jor-El here. He loved Lana (of course) and made both Lana and Clark very grateful that the training would "only" be a few months...:lol: It's just the use of proper incentives! And isn't there some saying about being old and devious?

Still stalling on the proposal, Clark? Don't wait too long! Of course, he can be forgiven because he must have something much more important in mind...namely, the art show!

:D :D

superman_lives_on

12-09-2006, 09:26 PM

Jor-El, you sly little devil... :D Thank goodness that he's a noble man in this version of the story! :D :D :D

I don't at all mind the idea of reusing the synthflesh mask...actually, it's a very clever idea, so it'd be a shame not to use it again! And the cape will be indestructible by its own nature, while the suit will be within the energy field that shields Clark from harm...very nice that both will withstand anything other than Kryptonite, which has yet to be named.

And speaking of names...I don't think the name "Superman" has come up yet... I wonder how it will? :)

I certainly look forward to what comes next! :D

NYC300Z

12-09-2006, 10:20 PM

Great Update! Glad everything's working out so well for them! I wonder how the art show's going to go that has to be soon!

ppms!

kewl

12-10-2006, 05:46 AM

great update card!!!!

Cardinal

12-12-2006, 12:22 PM

Chapter 100 - Art Show

Clark and Lana hurried up the stairs to the first floor, each of them anxious to tell his family their news. They had to hurry so they could get home in time to make it to the opening of the Met U Campus Art Show, so they tried to hit the high points of their visit, including Jor-El’s joyful acceptance of Lana, Clark’s sudden need for ‘summer school,’ and the help Jor-El had given them with the costume.

Everyone was concerned about Clark having to spend as much as four months by himself during training, but since Lana seemed to be okay with it, his parents didn’t raise too much of a fuss. Kathy, of course, thought it was cool that her brother was going to be training to become a superhero.

“Maybe you’ll get your own comic book, Clark,” Kathy said. “Then you’ll be just like Spiderman.”

Clark lightly ruffled Kathy’s hair with one hand and said, “Nah, I don’t think I’d want to be in a comic book. I’ll just have to settle for being the real thing.”

Once the rest of their news had been exhausted, Clark and Lana began looking at each other with a pair of special smiles that Jonathan and Martha recognized immediately. They were the kind of smiles that people save for the ones they love. Twin smiles that blended passion, joy, confidence, and commitment into a comprehensive expression of happiness. They knew the kids were steadily growing closer, but it looked like a big announcement was coming.

Martha automatically looked down at Lana’s left hand. Seeing no engagement ring, she wondered what the big deal was. Jonathan wondered the same thing. He knew Clark hadn’t come to him to borrow any money for a ring, so they couldn’t be announcing an engagement…could they? Holding hands so closely that their arms touched from their wrists up to Lana’s elbow, the young couple faced Clark’s parents and began to talk.

“Mom, Dad,” Clark said nervously. “Lana and I have been doing some serious talking recently, and we think it’s time to fill you in on what we’ve been discussing.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Kent,” Lana said, squeaking on the word ‘Kent.’ She thought that made her sound all of twelve, but she forged ahead anyway, “Clark and I are seriously considering marriage.”

Kathy was so excited that she started dancing in the kitchen, but both parents were a bit subdued. They were both curious as to why Clark and Lana were announcing the fact that they were just ‘considering’ marriage. Before either Jonathan or Martha had a chance to ask though, Lana added, “We’ve been talking about this recently, and one thing came up right away. Children. We both want kids, but we weren’t sure if we could have them. Obviously a half-Kryptonian, half-Human child is possible, just look at Kathy. Thing is, if we get married, we’d like to create our children the ‘old-fashioned way.’”

“And…?” Martha prodded. She was sure of the answer by now, but she wanted it made official.

“Should Lana and I marry,” Clark said, while looking at his parents. “You two will become grandparents.”

“What about me?” Kathy piped up.

“You, Half-Pint,” Clark said, “will be Aunt Kathy, a terrible role model for any girls we have, I’m sure.”

“I will not!” Kathy said. “All of your girls will want to be just like me.”

“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”

“Hey! Cut that out.”

The Kents had always been afraid to talk seriously about things like grandchildren, because they hadn’t wanted to put any extra pressure on their son, but after receiving news like that, they wanted to celebrate. Lana and Clark, however, begged off, telling the Kents they already had plans for the evening. Making their actions fit their words, Clark grabbed Lana’s suitcase and they hustled out the door.

“I think Kathy was more excited than your parents were to hear about us being able to have kids,” Lana said, as she unlocked the doors of her SUV with her keyless remote.

“I don’t know about that,” Clark said. “Kathy just happens to wear her emotions on her sleeve. Mom, on the other hand, got a serious ‘Granny Grin’ once we told her we could have kids.”

Clark opened Lana’s door for her, and after she settled herself in her seat and said, ‘In’ to indicate she was safely inside, Clark shut her door and placed her suitcase on the floor in between the first and second sets of seats. The drive home was quick and uneventful, and before they knew it, they were coming to a stop in front of Clark’s townhouse.

“What are you going to wear tonight, Lana?” Clark asked.

“Why?”

“Well, I thought we’d coordinate just a little bit. It might look funny if I show up in a blazer and tie and you’re wearing a Henley and jeans.”

“If you are going to voluntarily wear a blazer and tie, then I’m definitely not going to let you down. After all, I think I ought to encourage any little impulses you get when it comes to fashion.”

Hands on his waist and face wide open with mock astonishment, Clark said, “Are you saying I’m less than fashion conscious?”

Lana patted Clark on the shoulder, and said, “Poor baby. That’s exactly what I’m saying. Sometimes, I think you’re completely fashion unconscious. You’ve got one more semester until you graduate and the days where your wardrobe can consist of nothing but t-shirts, jeans, and sweats are numbered. It’s time for you to start expanding your horizons a bit.”

Clark climbed out of the SUV and stuck his head through the open window after shutting the door. “You’re probably right about that. Maybe I can get you to take me shopping at the mall like you did with Kathy.” Ever so nonchalantly, Clark added, “And while we’re there, maybe we can check out some jewelry stores to see what they have in the way of engagement rings.”

Lana’s eyes perked up at the mention of shopping, especially if it meant she was going to get to help reshape Clark’s wardrobe, but that was nothing compared to her reaction upon hearing the magic words ‘engagement rings.’ She sat bolt upright in her seat and slowly turned to face him, suddenly afraid that any hasty movements might scare him away.

“I would love to go clothes shopping with you, and if we somehow happen to wander by every jewelry store in the mall while we’re there, I won’t object to seeing what they have and trying on a few dozen rings…in each store.” Smiling brilliantly at Clark, Lana added, “Now get going we don’t have any time to waste…and don’t worry, I’ll be ready on time. Just pick me up when you‘re ready to go.”

Clark was smiling broadly until he realized it didn’t look like Lana was joking about the ‘few dozen rings…in each store’ part. Then his smile turned sickly and he headed for his townhouse door. Me and my big mouth, he thought glumly.

Excited for more than one reason, Lana drove home, with visions of all sorts of engagement rings dancing in her mind. Time was scarce, so she knew she’d have to pick out an ‘old reliable’ outfit and just go with it instead of agonizing over every article of clothing, or risk being late. After a quick shower, Lana decided on a simple spaghetti-strapped black cocktail dress, sheer stockings, and three-inch heels. That was one thing about dating Clark; he was so tall that she could wear any shoes in her closet and not worry about how it might make him look.

Lana then quickly fixed her hair at the nape of her neck into an elegant knot before turning to her cosmetics. All of the time she had saved elsewhere during her preparations, she poured back into this. She didn’t get too many chances these days to put on her ‘best face,’ but tonight, she wanted to do it perfectly. She enjoyed dressing up once in a while for a special occasion, and if Clark liked what he saw, he might want to make sure they had a few more special occasions to dress up for.

Lana finished off her makeup with a shade of lipstick carefully chosen to draw attention to her lips, but not one so bright as to overpower the rest of her face. Then she placed the amethyst pendant and silver chain she had just recently received around her neck, carefully moving the pendant to the location where it would draw the most interest. After that, she grabbed a few essentials, threw them into a black clutch purse, and headed to the living room to wait. Having told Clark she’d be ready to go on time, Lana was very happy to have completed her hurried preparations before he made it to her door.

What she didn’t know, and what Clark would never tell her, was that he had been waiting in the parking lot in his truck for ten minutes, using his x-ray vision to see when she finally left her bedroom. He felt like crap for having tricked her into getting all dressed up on no notice at all, but he wanted her to be looking her best just in case she won the Order of Merit, which was being presented tonight at eight. Wanting her to feel she had started the night out on the right foot, he made sure she was ready to go before allowing himself to get out of his truck and walk to her door.

Clark was dressed in a blue blazer, white oxford shirt, red silk tie, and khaki slacks. He had a black wool dress coat on just for show as the outside air temperature was now down to twenty degrees Fahrenheit. Back at home, just before he had pulled the tie out of his closet to knot around his neck, Clark had smiled as he realized that what he had on was the same combination he had been wearing the night everything really started for them on the way to the Astronomy lecture back in September.

Clark slipped a Listerine breath strip into his mouth just before knocking on Lana’s door. He was rewarded when Lana strode to the door ten seconds later. When she opened the door, all he could think was, Whoa! Before offering her his arm and escorting her to his truck, Clark stepped back to fully appreciate her beauty and style.

“Looking like that,” Clark said, “you make me think just a little bit of Audrey Hepburn in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s.’”

“Really? Audrey Hepburn? You’re just too sweet.”

He definitely noticed the pendant, and its location at the top of the slight hollow between her breasts was guaranteed to get her new jewelry noticed. After she posed for her man, Lana took a nice, knee-length wool coat out of her closet and Clark held it so she could slip her arms into the sleeves.

For her part, Lana loved how well her rugged football player cleaned up. She wished he would dress nicely a bit more often, but she knew how uncomfortable he felt in an oxford shirt, much less a shirt and tie, so she didn’t push it too much. Some battles are worth fighting, Lana thought, like getting him to use his abilities…and some fights just have to wait for a later day.

The drive to Lot 24A was very short, and they strolled arm-in-arm up the wide sidewalk to the front entrance of the Student Union just as the Art Department began allowing people to climb the staircase in the lobby up to the second-floor ballroom. When they stepped inside, Clark and Lana gave up their heavy coats to the students who were running a coat check service to raise money for charity.

As they approached the foot of the stairs, Lana squeezed Clark’s arm and said, “Thanks for coming with me tonight, Clark. I would’ve come by myself, but having you with me makes it special.”

Don’t thank me yet, Clark thought, until you’ve seen the surprise. The closer they got to the art displays, the more apprehensive Clark became. Maybe Nell and I made a huge mistake. Lana might not want to have her artwork on display.

While on the staircase, Lana’s thoughts were about the last time she had climbed these very steps on her way to buying a date with Clark in the bachelor auction. She had been determined and a bit scared back then, now she just planned on enjoying herself. She was really looking forward to seeing what the creative minds and hands of Met U’s best were doing.

Lana felt that her need to create, which had always been strong, was beginning to wither on the vine. She knew she’d eventually get to do some creating in her architecture studies, but right now, Drafting was just a basic ‘how to class’ and her Trig class was just the first of several math classes she’d need as a foundation for what comes later. Seeing what others were doing, immersing herself in that world again, if only for a few hours, was her way of recharging herself.

When they made it to the top of the steps, Lana saw that the temporary runway that had been set up for the bachelor auction had been dismantled. In fact, the room was sectioned off by temporary dividers, with different types of art in each section. There were paintings, ceramics, sculpture, etchings, and more.

Lana wanted to save the paintings, her personal specialty, for last so she led Clark to see the other stuff first. Lana was able to appreciate all of it, even though she did quickly develop some favorites. Clark liked the classical type of art, but wasn’t able to get into the abstract and modernistic stuff. But he wasn’t here for himself anyway. He derived his pleasure from everything Lana said as she was drawn more and more into the show.

Clark had been checking the room from time to time with his x-ray vision. He was looking for Nell and Dean, and finally saw them come up the stairs a good ten minutes after he and Lana had.

When Clark and Lana finally made their way to the paintings, Clark took a deep breath and crossed as many fingers as he could. Here goes nothing, he thought as he followed Lana onward.

Lana had been generally admiring of the other types of art, but when she stepped into her area of expertise, her standards became more exacting and her comments were more critical. To Clark, it seemed to be a case of Lana being more comfortable with critiquing paintings since they were her home ground, so to speak. Also, her technical knowledge about the rules and techniques of painting seemed to be much more in depth.

Clark was paying very close attention to Lana now, both because she had a lot to say about the paintings on display, and because he had scanned ahead and knew that her first painting of four was just around the next corner. Then Lana stepped around that corner and stopped dead in her tracks.

She saw the painting and thought it looked very familiar, but her brain could not manage to reconcile what her eyes were showing her with what she knew to be true, which was mainly that her collected art works had been destroyed months ago.

It wasn’t until she read the small placard next to the painting that she truly realized the painting was hers. The placard listed the painting’s title and it’s painter. When she read her name, she did a double take and automatically looked in the bottom right corner of the painting to see if her loopy ‘LL’ signature was there.

It was.

Oh my God, Lana thought. How did this get here? Instantly, she suspected Clark had something to do with it, but she didn’t see how since Nell had thrown everything away months ago. Wait…Nell and Clark. Those two looked like they were sharing a secret back at Thanksgiving when they came back from that halftime walk. At least now I know what they were smiling about. I wonder how many paintings Nell saved. Only one way to find out.

Torn between the excitement of seeing one of her paintings again and the dread of finding out this might be the only one left, she turned to Clark and asked, “Mmm…how many more of my paintings are there?”

Unsure of how to read her reaction, Clark nervously asked, “Here in the art show? Or altogether?”

“Here in the art show, I guess.”

“Umm…four.”

Four? Lana thought. Her jaw dropped upon hearing that number. Getting more than one or two paintings into an art show of this size was a rare honor, but four was almost unheard of. She grabbed Clark by the hand and ruthlessly yanked him around the painting section to find her other paintings. She quickly located two more, but was strangely unable to find the fourth.

Finally, she turned to him and asked, “Are you sure it wasn’t three instead of four?”

Sure of her reaction now, Clark grinned confidently and told her the last part of the surprise. “Your fourth painting isn’t in here, Lana. It’s in another room across the hall.”

“But why would they put a painting somewhere else? That doesn’t make sense.”

“It does if that painting is in the running for the Order of Merit, which as I understand, is like the Best in Show prize at a dog show.”

“You mean…”

“Yup. That painting of yours has already been chosen as the best painting in the entire show. Now it’s competing against the best item from every other artistic discipline.”

Lana was so excited that she didn’t know what to do next. So she did what came naturally and gave Clark a big kiss, first on the cheek and then on the lips as he turned his head toward her. Clark was a bit dazed from the unexpected kiss, but he didn’t mind one bit.

As for Lana, this was far more than she had ever hoped for. Ever since she had read the notice for this art show, she had been missing her art, both creating new art, and her collection of her stuff that she had gotten rid of. More and more she had been wanting it back, and now it looked like she had gotten her wish.

“Where’s Nell?” Lana finally asked. “She’d never miss something like this.”

Clark nudged Lana onward and said, “She’s waiting with Dean in the other room next to your fourth painting.”

“Which is…?”

“‘Kansas Sunset.’”

My favorite, Lana thought. Needing no more encouragement than that, she was off like a rocket, walking as fast as she could manage in her dress and heels with Clark trailing along in her wake.

Nemu

12-12-2006, 12:23 PM

:D

lol Katie is as cute as ever...

And the last part of the show was funny in a way and very sweet...

Now... I'm happy that Lana is happy... but I hope she wins...

PPMS!!! (and to say I stumbled on this update completly by luck ;))

SVsleuth

12-12-2006, 12:46 PM

:)

“I would love to go clothes shopping with you, and if we somehow happen to wander by every jewelry store in the mall while we’re there, I won’t object to seeing what they have and trying on a few dozen rings…in each store.” Smiling brilliantly at Clark, Lana added, “Now get going we don’t have any time to waste…and don’t worry, I’ll be ready on time. Just pick me up when you‘re ready to go.”

Clark was smiling broadly until he realized it didn’t look like Lana was joking about the ‘few dozen rings…in each store’ part. Then his smile turned sickly and he headed for his townhouse door. Me and my big mouth, he thought glumly.
That was hilarious! My favorite part of this chapter. :D

I also love how nervous you showed Clark to be, here, second guessing himself:

Don’t thank me yet, Clark thought, until you’ve seen the surprise. The closer they got to the art displays, the more apprehensive Clark became. Maybe Nell and I made a huge mistake. Lana might not want to have her artwork on display.
Thankfully, Lana is pleased with his surprise:

Lana was so excited that she didn’t know what to do next. So she did what came naturally and gave Clark a big kiss, first on the cheek and then on the lips as he turned his head toward her. Clark was a bit dazed from the unexpected kiss, but he didn’t mind one bit.
Can't wait to find out if Lana's painting wins the Order of Merit. PPMS!

superman_lives_on

12-12-2006, 01:24 PM

It's Spider-Man, not Spiderman. Urrr... :rolleyes:

Heh...anyway...

Kathy was at her most adorable (and amusing) in this one for sure. :) :D Heh...the Kents were wondering what the hold-up with actually getting engaged was... They really must approve of the idea. :)

And the art show...well, what can I say? Lana DEFINITELY approved of this surprise...a four-pronged surprise, no less. And it's always great to imagine her and Clark being dressed up. :)

mysteryman1

12-12-2006, 01:35 PM

Update Soon.

happycamper

12-12-2006, 08:16 PM

We find a Lana happy with her paintings being displayed. How marvelous for Clark (and Nell)!

I guess the yearnings for what you love never really goes away - whether it is an activity or another person...a lesson I wish certain TV executives would keep in mind!

I love Kathy, as always. And I agree with SVsleuth that Clark's chagrin at the thought of hunting for a ring was absolutely hilarious...:lol:

:D :D

binkys711

12-12-2006, 10:23 PM

Oh YAY! of course Kathy was soooo adorable! I just love her! :D hehe

And Oh MY goodness! PHEW! thank god Lana didn't take this art show the wrong way! Clark was saved! :p I am so happy Lana is happy! hehe she seemed all giddy and excited that her paintings were there. I kept laughing trying to imagine little petite Lana dragging and pulling Clark everywhere trying to find her paintings! :lol:

I like how the Kents surveyed Clark and Lana and how close they were :) and LOL Lana's reaction to Clark talking about shopping and engagement rings!

Great update Card! PPMS!!!!

kewl

12-13-2006, 06:00 AM

OMG card, that was such a super dooper fabulous awesome update!!! :D i'm so excited about lana's painting competing for the order of merit... ppms!!!

Sakura

12-13-2006, 07:55 AM

great update :D

NYC300Z

12-13-2006, 07:38 PM

Great Update! Glad Chloe was wrong;) Funny how Clark didn't think Lana was serious at first about trying on all the rings!

PPMS!

clana-lives-on

12-13-2006, 08:55 PM

Looks like Lana is happy with the surprise. I can't wait for the two to go shopping for rings..that will be fun. ppms!!

Cardinal

12-19-2006, 12:35 PM

Chapter 101 - Order of Merit

Lana burst through the open doorway of the smaller room across the hall, with Clark a few steps behind. Though the finalists’ artworks were being displayed on a temporary dais at the far end of the room, Lana made a beeline for Nell and Dean who were sitting and talking quietly off in a corner.

Dean was the one facing the doorway, but he made no sign of seeing Lana as she came in, so Nell’s first clue that her niece was in the room was when Lana wrapped her arms around Nell and then kissed her on the cheek. Clark had followed Lana over, but stayed a few steps back, not wanting to interfere in this moment between Lana and Nell.

“Lana, dear,” Nell said, “I’m happy to see you.”

“Not half as happy as I am right now,” Lana said. She swung around Nell until she was directly in front of her aunt. “I can’t believe you saved those paintings. How did you know I’d want them back?”

“Oh…intuition. I always figured you‘d come back to your first love.” Nell tipped her head toward Clark who had just come into her view. “While Clark has captured your heart, art has always been your soul. I couldn’t stand to see you throw away something that is such an integral part of who you are, so I saved everything.”

Incredulous, Lana asked, “Everything?” She had only asked Clark how many paintings of hers were in the show, she hadn’t had the time to ask about the rest yet.

Nell nodded her head in acknowledgement. “Everything.”

Hearing that her personal collection had been saved, Lana was overcome with emotion and began bawling. Nell took her into her arms and just held her. She was amused when, almost instantly, both Clark and Dean were holding hankies in her face for Lana’s use. Using the hankies, Nell tried desperately to save Lana’s carefully applied makeup…with mixed success.

Looking around Lana’s body to see Clark and how well he cleaned up, she was both impressed and amused. Impressed, to see just how dashingly handsome he was when he wanted to be, and amused, once she saw the red lip print which was clearly visible on Clark’s cheek.

Nell smothered a laugh, and thought, Looks like Clark already got his ‘thank you’ from Lana.

When Lana finally collected herself, Nell told her, “You might want to go check your makeup, Dear. You’ve still got half an hour before they have the award ceremony.”

Lana sniffled, and said, “Yeah, I probably look frightful right now.”

Clark reached over and raised Lana’s chin toward him. “Oh yeah, you’re lookin’ real scary right now. I bet there are a hundred women in here that would kill to look as ‘frightful’ as you do.”

Lana smiled broadly, and slapped him lightly on the side of his shoulder. “You, my dear man, are biased.”

The hand that had raised Lana’s chin returned to her face to brush away a final tear. “I’m not just biased, I’m in love.” Studying her radiant smile, and silently vowing to do whatever it takes to make her this happy as often as possible, Clark added, “But, uh, I wasn’t kidding. A few tear tracks do nothing to diminish your beauty. They just make you look more adorable.”

Lana leaned in for one more kiss from Clark before scurrying off to find the nearest Ladies’ room. Ten minutes later, she rejoined her three-member fan club to find that they had been joined by someone she didn’t know. Nell took it upon herself to make the introductions as Clark stepped to Lana’s side and claimed her hand.

“Lana, this is Professor Malone. He’s an art instructor here at Metropolis University. Professor Malone, this is my niece, Lana Lang. She’s the artist who painted 'Kansas Sunrise.'” Clark took Lana’s clutch purse so she could shake the professor’s hand.

“Miss Lang,” Professor Malone said eagerly, “you have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

“I’m pleased to meet you,” Lana replied.

“I’m not one of the judges for the show, or else I wouldn’t be allowed to meet you until after the award ceremony, but since I’m not, I can do whatever I please.”

Lana enjoyed the complete lack of self-importance exhibited by this professor. It was a far cry from what she was used to from her days in Chicago. There, all of the professors acted like they had already ‘been there, done that, and got the t-shirt.’

“What would please me right now,” Professor Malone said, “is to tell you how very talented you are, Miss Lang. I helped choose the best painting before turning the final judging over to some other judges. When I saw your body of work, especially that special painting over there on the dais, I wondered who you were. I knew you weren’t in any of my classes, so I looked up your transcript and saw you had spent two years attending art school in Chicago.

“I don’t know your exact reasons for leaving that school, but now that you are here, I want to encourage you to return to your art. A student with your talent is rare. Most of the students I have need to be shaped to become a decent artist, but you, Miss Lang, are already well beyond decent. All you need are a few, very slight adjustments before you’re ready to truly shine.”

Lana was floored. She had always gotten good grades in art school but she had quit anyway, due in large part to the fact that the instructors there always made her feel not quite good enough…as if she’d be good, but not good enough to make a career out of painting. Always practical, Lana had reluctantly decided if art wasn’t going to be able to pay the bills in her post-college life, then she’d need to find a new career. Hence, architecture.

“But, but…” she said, in a futile form of protest.

Smiling grimly, Professor Malone said, “I know a number of your old art professors from Chicago, Miss Lang. I know how they like to ‘nurture’ talent. They’ll beat a talented student such as yourself into the ground over and over to try and fix one tiny problem without giving any real praise for the many things you do so extremely well. I called some of your former instructors in Chicago, and they were disappointed to have lost you.”

Curious now, Lana was unable to stop herself from bitterly asking, “Who was disappointed? I was led to believe I had no great talent and so…I thought I’d need to find a different career.”

“My dear…all of them were disappointed. Jones, Scaglietti, Braun, Tompkins, Deneuve, Brewster…the names go on. I am determined to not lose your talent, so much so that, even though scheduling has already been completed for the next semester, I will open one more spot in any one of my advanced classes just for you. Please come back to us.”

Lana was completely bewildered. She had been led to believe she wasn’t good enough and now here was a professor almost begging her to come back to what she loved to do the most. Not wanting to be hurried into a decision, Lana temporized, saying, “My schedule’s already full. I’ve got sixteen hours of classes scheduled already and it would be hard to fit another class in…and then there’s the cost of another class plus the cost of art supplies.”

Turning to Lana’s loved ones for support, Professor Malone said, “Please help me convince Miss Lang to give painting one more chance. It would be a crime to lose a young artist of her caliber.”

There was a commotion on the dais as the chairs for the judging panel began to fill. The eight o’clock time for the award presentation was almost upon them, and Professor Malone made one last pitch. “I’m as free with praise as I am with criticism, and when I criticize, it’s constructive, not disparaging.” He leaned in close to Lana’s ear and whispered, “And unlike a couple of your professors from Chicago, I’m not any kind of perv.”

That last comment stunned Lana. I haven’t told anyone about that, Lana thought, not Clark, or Nell, or Chloe, so how did Professor Malone know about that?

Shaking ever so slightly, Lana said, “I…I’ll have to think about it. Discuss it with my family and friends.”

“Please do, Miss Lang,” Professor Malone replied. His grin was one that was well worth seeing as he added, “And if, or maybe I should say when, you decide to paint once again, come by my office and I’ll get you added to one of my classes.”

The professor excused himself and returned to his seat, while Lana and company found their own seats. Due to her conversations with Nell and then Professor Malone, Lana hadn’t had a chance to get a close look at any of the contenders. Everyone else had though, including Clark, who had taken a good look at them while she was fixing her makeup.

“I don’t know squat about art, Lana,” Clark whispered as a speaker approached the podium, “but I think you’ve got a real shot at this.”

Lana reached over and tightly clutched Clark’s hand, grateful for the fact that she could squeeze as hard as she liked and he wouldn’t feel any discomfort at all.

“This is weird, Clark,” Lana whispered back. “Two hours ago, I didn’t even know I was in the art show and now I’m getting nervous about maybe getting to win the Order of Merit.”

While they had been whispering, the speaker had started. “…a distinguished panel of judges. From the University of Kansas, Professor Fred Schipisi, from Wichita State University, Professor Mary Weeks…”

Nell leaned in from Lana’s other side and whispered, “Personally, Lana, I don’t see how you can lose.”

Lana reached her other hand out to give Nell a squeeze and smiled. The confidence that her loved ones had in her was contagious and her case of nerves began to fade away.

Finally, the speaker, who turned out to be the Chairperson of the Met U Art Department, Professor Lopez, said, “The selection process was tough, with two candidates that apparently stood out, but by a vote of four to three, the Order of Merit for the 2007 Fall Semester Art Show goes to…’Kansas Sunset,’ an oil painting by Miss Lana Lang.”

There was polite applause from most in the crowd, but one group of four in the back was excited. Lana was overjoyed, but she was trying hard to maintain a dignified appearance in the midst of this artsy crowd. Any unseemly displays of emotion would only make her look like a hick who had just gotten lucky, so when Professor Lopez held the small crystal trophy up and asked for her to come forward, Lana made her way to the dais with nothing but a slight smile on her face.

When Clark saw Lana up there accepting her prize, he thought she looked like she fit, like she truly belonged. If this is what she truly wants to do, Clark thought, I’m going to support her all the way.

Lana didn’t have an acceptance speech planned, obviously, so she just winged it. “When I came here tonight, I had no idea I’d be winning this award,” Lana said. Heck, I had no idea I was even in the show at all. "So, I’d just like to thank the judges for selecting my painting, and most of all, I’d like to thank my family and my boyfriend, without whose support tonight would not have been possible. Thank you.”

Lana’s three supporters all nearly choked with laughter when she put that emphasis on the word support, as only they knew she was referring to the fact they had entered her paintings behind her back.

As Lana returned to her family, Dean said, “For an occasion like this, we need to celebrate.”

“I agree,” Clark said, “I was going to surprise Lana by taking her out to dinner, whether she won or lost, but we would love it if you two came along with us.”

Lana was pleasantly surprised to learn Clark had been planning to take her to dinner, but she was even more surprised when he asked her family along with them. She liked the fact that Clark was trying to work on his relationship with them, so she enthusiastically seconded his request. “Yes, do come with us, we’d love to have you.”

SVsleuth

12-19-2006, 12:36 PM

:) Yay! so Lana won the Order of Merit. I can't wait for her to continue with painting in Prof. Malone's class, with Clark's full support.

But what is this about perv professors in Chicago? I'm wondering if Lana will further explain this down the road.

Great to see Clark so obviously pleased to play a part in bringing Lana such happiness, and in helping her rediscover her love for painting.

Also, good to see Clark & Nell continuing to get along.

Looking fwd to more soon. I know you're going to make us sweat waiting for an official engagement, but I hope it comes soon.

Nemu

12-19-2006, 12:38 PM

:D
Ok... Lana in this was funny...

That was very good Card... and well no surprise that she won ;)

Hmmm... soo those teachers in Chicago were pervs... maybe something happened?

Oh well... let's not dwell on this ;)

I'm sure she will eventually return to art... like Nell said... it is her soul ;) (or in it ;))

PPMS!!!

happycamper

12-19-2006, 01:42 PM

:)

Almost too good to be true. Lana has the support of both Clark and her entire family, and now the evident respect of an Art Professor who is not a 'perv.' :lol: And the trophy, of course. :lol:

I really enjoyed Lana in this update, but despite her own thoughts, I don't know how anyone could have judged her a 'lucky hick' no matter what the circumstances.;)

On with the ring search, Card. I'm looking forward to all of Clark's pain and suffering...

:D :D

NYC300Z

12-19-2006, 06:13 PM

That's terrific for Lana~! Let's s see if Clark's second try with Nell is a much better one I'm pretty sure it will be!;)

PPMS!

maitriniazngurl

12-20-2006, 07:58 AM

Wow, What a happy story!! Lana won! They're going out to dinner.... I'm sure Clark will be Great!

Please update soon, I can't wait!

superman_lives_on

12-20-2006, 10:41 AM

WAY TO GO, LANA! :D :D :D

But the "perv" remark threw me for a bit of a loop. What exactly happened at that place? :(

Still, I don't suppose it could have been utterly traumatizing...just disturbing. *shudders it off* Anyway...

Loved Clark's offer to have Nell and Dean join him and Lana for dinner. Wonderful idea. :D

binkys711

12-20-2006, 06:39 PM

*throws confetti*

YAY! Lana won! *does happy dance*

I'm so happy that Lana won! LOL poor girl had to wing it on a very importnat acceptance speech! oh well, I'm sure she'll have plenty more to come ;) :) I'm proud that Clark is trying so hard to join Lana's small family and that he absolutely supports Lana in whatever she decides to do. :D That's our Superman!

Ugh, if any of her old professors lay a hand on her I'm gonna open up a can of woop-@ss, now were is Clarky? *looks around*

Great update Card! PPMS!!!

Nemu

12-28-2006, 11:50 PM

so Card? how far are you in the next update???

PPMS!!!

Cardinal

12-28-2006, 11:59 PM

Chapter 102 - Approval

Dinner was at Lucchesi’s, an Italian restaurant that looked like a hole in the wall but served the best food. It wasn’t until Clark and Dean had seated their ladies and taken seats of their own, that Clark remembered when he had been here last; it had been on his first date with Elaine. He hoped Elaine had found another guy, but he didn’t know for sure since that was the one topic he was afraid to talk to her about. In any case, Clark was with the woman he wanted, the woman he would always want, and that was what mattered to him the most.

Clark was careful to not order any alcohol, even though he knew he could get away with it here, because he suspected Nell would notice, and he desperately wanted to impress her. When he ordered iced tea, Lana followed suit. She still wasn’t too fond of alcohol after what happened on her birthday, and she didn’t want Clark to feel uncomfortable as the only one without an adult beverage.

The four of them ordered bruschetta as an appetizer, and everyone had a different entrée. Nell ordered Chicken Florentine, Lana had Shrimp Scampi, Dean had Veal Marsala, and Clark had a steak crusted in Italian herbs.

Halfway through a companionable dinner, Clark and Lana began feeding each other small bites of food. Dean took his cue from the young lovebirds and started doing the same with Nell.

When the dessert cart was rolled up to their table, Lana’s eyes grew big, but her stomach was small and she was too full to order anything more. Though when Clark ordered a slice of tiramisu, Lana got a predatory gleam in her eye which let Clark know she’d be sneaking a few bites of his dessert. Nell and Dean decided to share a piece of triple chocolate cake. While they were waiting for their luscious desserts, Lana decided now was the time to learn how the ‘Great Art Conspiracy,’ as she now thought of it, came into being.

“Nell?” Lana asked.

“Yes, Lana?” Nell replied.

“How did you and Clark come up with the idea to surprise me like this?”

For the next several minutes, Nell and Clark explained in detail, from Clark noticing Lana’s wistful look when she read the art show notice on the outdoor bulletin board, to Nell asking for Clark’s opinions about Lana’s two portraits on display at home, to the fact that Nell had kept everything in storage.

Lana’s face glowed when she heard Nell repeat what Clark had said about her talent back on Thanksgiving Day. She already knew Clark had said he liked her work, but the insecure artist inside of her had wondered if he was just wanting to make her feel good. Having independent confirmation that he had really liked what he saw was wonderful.

Still, it was what Nell had done that made Lana want to cry. Lana had sometimes wondered if Nell really understood her, but knowing the trouble and expense she had gone through to help out her confused and disappointed niece was all she needed to know on that subject. Nell understood her just fine.

Dean confessed that he had been kept in the dark until they were already on the way to the art show, and then Clark said that none of his family knew either. He had thought his parents would’ve been able to keep the secret, but he was sure that Kathy couldn’t. When Lana expressed surprise upon hearing that, Clark explained.

“Kathy’s usually really good about keeping secrets, but she thinks of you as her older sister already.”

“She does?” Lana asked.

“Oh yeah, haven’t you noticed it?” Clark asked. “Whenever she wants advice on girl stuff, you’re her first choice. Mom says she’s a bit relieved that Kathy has someone with a more contemporary viewpoint to go to, while at the same time, I think she’s a bit jealous of you.”

“Oh no! Your mom will hate me.”

“Don’t sweat it, Lana,” Clark said. “I used to be Kathy’s sounding board for general stuff and I think you’re taking over that role too. Kathy’s growing up and she’s making her own decisions on who she wants to pattern herself after…and you seem to be her choice.”

Lana was touched beyond words.

“Personally,” Clark said, “I don’t think she could’ve chosen a better female role model than you.” Clark cleared his throat. “Anyway, I think Kathy might have blabbed something to you about the art show that would’ve given everything away. To keep from offending her when she found out everyone but her knew about it, I decided to keep it a secret from everyone.”

Shortly thereafter, the two desserts arrived and Clark waited until Lana’s mouth was occupied with a bite of the tiramisu before asking, “Lana? I don’t want to put you on the spot right now if you’re not ready to make a decision, but do you think there’s a chance you might want to take Professor Malone up on his offer?”

Nell and Dean both perked up upon hearing the question that they were both dying to know the answer to. Lana took her time swallowing the bite of dessert to give herself time to frame a response.

“I think I’d like to,” Lana said, “but I don’t know if I should. There are some really talented artists out there that barely scrape by, living from commission to commission. They don’t get to have the big gallery openings and get fawned over by a bunch of self-important sycophants; they never find a powerful patron who can help get them noticed by the ‘right people.’”

Lana had been looking at each of her dinner companions in turn, but for her next comment, she was staring directly at Clark. “I don’t want to feel like I’m leeching off of my husband…whoever he turns out to be. I want to feel like I’m contributing my fair share.”

Clark took up the challenge, answering what he felt was an implied question in Lana’s last statement. “Speaking as a man who hopes to be your husband someday, I feel like this is a great opportunity for you and I’d love for you to take full advantage of it. It would kill me if I thought I had, in any way, kept you from sharing your talent and your love for art with the rest of the world. If you want to do it, I’ll be right beside you, supporting you all the way…and if you decide against it, I’ll be there to support you on the road to becoming a world-class architect.”

Lana blushed upon hearing Clark’s statement of unqualified support and looked down at her dessert plate while toying with a few remaining crumbs. Dean was pleased to see Clark supporting Lana the way he felt a man should support the woman he loves, while Nell sat back in her chair, giving Clark a newly appraising look.

“You really mean that, Clark,” Nell said, “don’t you.” Those last two words were said as a statement, not a question.

“I do,” Clark replied. “This relationship is a partnership. I believe Lana’s just as entitled to my full support as I am to hers. Whatever she chooses to do with her life, I’m going to be there, doing everything I can to make things easier for her.”

Lana looked up at Clark, with adoration in her eyes as her hand reached across to caress his. She didn’t care who else was listening, she just had to speak. “I must’ve been very, very good in a past life to have earned enough karma to end up with you, Clark Kent. I love you so very much.”

Clark hadn’t known what he was going to say, he had just said it, and he definitely hadn’t been prepared for the emotional impact it would have on Lana. “I love you, too, Lana. Whatever you want…remember that.”

Had Clark been looking at anyone but Lana, he would have noticed the way what he said had affected Nell. She was struggling to fight back tears, and couldn’t stop herself from sniffling. Dean was patting her on the back of her hand while he watched the young couple become more attached right in front of his eyes.

No one wanted to speak, but the waiter finally broke the spell when he came to present the bill. Clark and Dean had brief argument over who was going to pay, an argument that was settled by the fact that Clark had the bill in his hand and wasn’t about to give it up.

On their way outside to their respective rides home, Nell pulled Clark aside for a quick chat. “Umm…Clark? If you feel that way about Lana, why haven’t you proposed yet? I know I asked about a proposal at Thanksgiving, but this time I truly wonder what you’re waiting for. I mean, I know you said you wanted to make sure this is the real thing even after your passion cools off a bit, but with you two, I’m not sure it ever will.”

“That’s one thing I’ve been waiting for, true. But the other thing I need before I propose is almost as important.”

“And that is…?”

“Your approval,” Clark said simply. “I won’t ask her until you give us your blessing.”

Nell looked deep into Clark’s eyes and saw that he appeared to be dead serious. She then looked over Clark’s shoulder to where Lana and Dean were waiting expectantly, and returned her eyes to Clark’s before saying, softly but clearly, “I thought I’d have to make you jump through some hoops to prove your devotion to Lana, but as far as I’m concerned, you already have. You have my blessing, Clark. Ask her whenever you’re ready.”

Clark’s smile was so large that it threatened to swallow the rest of his face. Nell reached up as if to straighten his shirt collar and said, “One more thing, wipe that humongous grin off of your face before you turn around, or else Lana will know what’s coming.”

Nemu

12-28-2006, 11:59 PM

:D
Well... I guess I smelled it coming ;)

That was excellent!

And Clark won Nell over completely... it is nice to see how you write it...

oh and btw... you seem to have a pattern in their food choice... I just re-read your serie of fics (At Last, Lifetime of tomorrow, proposal and wedding) this week and Clark had almost the same type of food in those when they went on their first date...

soo good too...

so is your next update going to be on Somebody to Love?

anyway...

PPMS!!!

oh yeah sorry SV... I keep getting in front of you lately ;)

SVsleuth

12-29-2006, 12:01 AM

:) Yay! A proposal is on the way! Clark needs to make it official. I wonder if they are still going shopping, and if she will be trying on a lot of rings?

I'm so glad Nell has come to believe in Clana, & has given her approval. Now to see how long Card will make us wait for Clark to pop the question for real. PPMS!

clana1fan4ever

12-29-2006, 12:13 AM

binkys711

12-29-2006, 12:32 AM

oh woof! I just read 'proposal' in a comment and had to whip through the chapter thinking he popped the question...but as titled he sought approval first from Nell. Good Clarky boy!!! that's the way! :D I was as touched about the clana conversation of love and support as Nell was *grabs more tissues* :p hehe well almost. Very sweet Card! I loved it! Oh and Lana stealing bits of Clark's Tiramisu was adorable! :) :p sooo cute!

So when and HOW is Clark gonna pop the question? Now that's the real question now isn't it? I know you Card, it will be the most romantic proposal imaginable...right? *cough cough* RIGHT?!?! *nudge nudge* ;)

PPMS!!! :D

NYC300Z

12-29-2006, 01:14 AM

Well Clark's defiently won Nell over~! I wonder what Clark will plan for the proposal? After everything they've already done together what could Clark do?

PPMS!

superman_lives_on

12-29-2006, 10:07 AM

Heh...I do wonder how Clark will go about proposing to Lana? Good thing he managed to earn Nell's approval so easily. :D :)

Personally, I think Lana ought to take the professor up on his offer--it'd be a shame if she didn't share her clearly impressive talent with the world.

maitriniazngurl

12-29-2006, 12:08 PM

OOooo! Great update!! Nell has been woned... and all thats left is the proposal... the wedding... and the honeymoon! Then Clark and Lana are going to finally be able to live happily ever after... I can hope... :)

PPMS!

kewl

12-30-2006, 09:17 AM

card.... i'm speechless!!!! omg, that was such an excellent update!!! can't wait for the proposal! i love nell! :D ppmrs!

LovinMe210

12-30-2006, 10:29 AM

thats was such a great update!!
i'm so glad that nell aproves of clark and lana now!!! i cant wait for the proposal!!!

isn't it today KK's birthday???

NYC300Z

12-30-2006, 01:58 PM

Yes today is KK's B-day!

PPMS Card!

happycamper

12-30-2006, 07:07 PM

Everything now is nearly perfect. Even Nell is fully on-board! :)

What are we going to see first - the proposal, or the appearance of our Superhero?

:D :D

escout

12-31-2006, 09:23 AM

I am trying to get caught up!!!! Awesome story. By the way, I was riding in my car listening to the radio and the song, 'Bless the Broken Road," came on. I hadn't heard it before, but I identified with it instantly, because of your story.
I must add...Just like your story, the song was great. I am going to download it and put it on my Ipod.

Have a Happy New Years Eve and Happy New Year!!!!! :)

Cardinal

12-31-2006, 11:24 PM

Chapter 103 - Listening In

When she reclaimed Clark’s arm after he and Nell moved away from each other, Lana asked, “What was that all about? Another conspiracy?”

“Nope. No conspiracy this time, Lana…but it’s still a secret.”

Lana gave him her best puppy dog eyes and asked, “Oh, you can tell me. Pwetty Pwease?”

Clark thought Lana’s protruding lower lip and the way she batted her eyelashes at him were just about the most adorable things he had ever seen. He wasn’t about to tell her the content of the conversation he had just had with Nell, but in that moment, she could have gotten almost anything else she chose to ask for.

Once in the parking lot, Clark held Lana’s door as she climbed into his truck. By the time he climbed in the other side, she had slid over into the middle of the bench seat to snuggle up close to him. Once they were both belted in, Clark wrapped his right arm around Lana’s shoulder, and she rested her head in the crook of his arm while the small crystal trophy from the art show sat in her lap.

No one spoke for the first part of the trip home, but Clark kept sneaking looks at Lana whenever the driving conditions permitted and Lana caught every one of them. There was something different about the way he looked at her that she just couldn’t quite place. There were only two weeks left before Christmas, so they hadn’t quite known each other for four months, but she already knew he was the one. Has he just made his decision? she wondered. Does he now know I’m the one? Just thinking about it made her snuggle in closer and smile contentedly. Whenever he’s ready, I’ll be waiting.

Eventually, Clark’s thoughts left marrying Lana long enough for him to think of something else, and he asked, “Lana, do you have any idea about what you’re going to do with regards to restarting your art career?”

“Not really, but finals are coming up next week and then we have almost an entire month off before the spring semester starts, so I’ve got plenty of time to decide.”

Clark chanced another glance at Lana and asked, “What are you going to do with that trophy?”

“I don’t know,” Lana said, “I haven’t really thought about it yet. I guess I can put it on top of the bookcase in my bedroom, or maybe put it on my coffee table in the living room if I want to be a bit showy.”

Clark winked and said, “Be showy, you’ve earned it. Besides, it’s not like you have that many guests over anyway.”

“True.”

Clark and Lana were at her front door before they talked about anything else substantial. The day hadn’t been physically taxing, but mentally and emotionally, Lana was drained. Still, she wanted Clark to come inside and cuddle with her on the futon for awhile. It didn’t take much convincing to get Clark to agree to stay, and soon they were sitting on the futon, each with a glass of chamomile tea sitting next to Lana’s crystal trophy on the low coffee table in front of the futon.

But instead of cuddling, Clark had volunteered to give Lana a foot massage instead, so she had slipped out of her heels and removed her sheer stockings. The two of them then sat at opposite ends of the futon with Lana’s feet propped in Clark’s lap. When he turned his attention to her feet, he was able to use the size and natural strength of his hands to full advantage.

First, he carefully kneaded the balls of her feet, one at a time. Then he turned to face her and slowly and firmly ran a thumb from her heel straight up to the tip of her big toe, following the line of her bones. He then repeated the process for each of the other nine toes. Next, he worked on loosening her arches, and by the time he’d made his way to her heels and ankles, Lana was a puddle of contentment. Clark finished up with the tops of her feet, including working his way in between each of her toes.

Lana had lost a battle with sleep by this time, so Clark picked her up and carried her to her bedroom. He stretched her out, carefully edged the spaghetti straps off of her shoulders, and slid the black cocktail dress down the length of her body. After hanging the dress in Lana’s closet, he returned to her side, covered her with sheets and blankets, and kissed her softly on the lips before making his way out.

Early the next morning, well, early for a Sunday anyway, Clark returned to Lana’s to bring back the key he had borrowed to lock her front door’s deadbolt before going home. He also held a supply of bakery-fresh bagels along with a tub of cream cheese straight from the grocery store. Lana didn’t awaken, however, until she smelled the rich aroma of freshly-brewed coffee.

Lana rolled out of bed and was halfway to her bedroom door when she noticed she was wearing nothing but her bra and panties. That’s not what I usually wear to sleep, Lana thought, and if Clark and I had made love, I’d have expected to wake up naked. But the last thing I remember is that glorious foot massage.

Lana was still puzzled as she pulled on a pair of short-sleeved white linen pajamas and her well-worn but oh-so-comfy pink bunny slippers. As she opened her bedroom door to get a cup of the coffee she could smell more strongly with each passing second, Lana suddenly had a terrible idea. What if Clark and I did make love and I somehow don’t remember it?

When Lana looked around the corner, Clark saw her and waved her over. She noticed he was wearing blue jeans and a red t-shirt, so she assumed he had gone home to change while he was out getting the food. When she grabbed her favorite coffee mug to pour herself a cup of coffee, Clark asked her what flavor of bagel she preferred.

“Whatcha got?” Lana asked. She still wasn’t fully awake and wouldn’t be until that first cup of coffee started working its way through her system.

“Blueberry, Strawberry, Cinnamon Raisin, and plain.”

Lana opted for strawberry with plenty of cream cheese slathered on top. Clark had the bagel sliced in two and both halves covered with cream cheese before she finished pouring the coffee.

“You really need to get a job at Starbucks,” Lana joked. “The lines they always seem to have in there would disappear like magic.”

“Yeah, but I’m not real excited about being called a barista…and in case you haven’t noticed, green is definitely not my color.”

Clark chose the plain bagel, strategically removing it from consideration so Lana wouldn’t feel obligated to choose it the next time. He did not, however, skimp on the cream cheese. By the time they were done, they had both downed two cups of coffee and eaten two bagels. After cleanup, they moved into the living room and sat side by side on the futon.

“That was some massage you gave me last night,” Lana said.

“Ah, it was nothing,” Clark replied. “Just me rewarding you for being such a good sport and getting all dressed up at the last minute like that.” Clark looked down at her tiny feet. “Those high heels can’t be very comfortable to wear.”

"They're not, but they make me look sexy."

Clark barked a laugh. "No they don't. You're already sexy…they may just make you the tiniest bit sexier."

“Well, if I get a reward like that massage every time I wear high heels, I might start wearing them daily.”

“You did seem to enjoy the massage, but you sure were tired. You fell asleep on the couch before I finished.”

“Really? Did I wake up?”

“Nope. I just picked you up, got you into bed, undressed you, and went home.” While Clark fished around in his pocket, Lana thought to herself, Whew! I’m so glad that nothing happened for me to forget. But then, the very idea that I’d be able to forget sharing myself with Clark in that way is ridiculous. I don’t know why I even considered it to be a possibility in the first place.

Clark finally found what he was looking for, and said, “Here’s your key for the deadbolt, I borrowed it so I could securely lock you in.”

Lana took the key and set it down on the coffee table since she didn’t have any pockets in her pajamas.

“You know,” she said, “we really ought to have extra door keys made for each other. That way, we can each get into the other’s apartment if we have to.”

“Okay, cool. That sounds like a good idea.”

Lana looked up at Clark with a sly grin on her face and said, “Since we didn’t get to snuggle last night like I wanted, how about some snuggle time now?”

“Like you even have to ask.” Clark reached over and lifted Lana off of the futon and sat her across his lap. “Is this kind of what you were looking for?”

They sat there sharing personal space, body heat, and at times, breath. With Lana being on Clark’s lap, that put their faces closer together, which brought on some inevitable kissing. Nothing frantic or passionate, just occasional slow, lingering kisses followed by more quiet conversation.

Finally, Clark worked up the nerve to ask about something he had ‘accidentally’ overheard the night before. Lana could feel him tense up ever so slightly, and so she looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to say what was on his mind.

“Lana, I’d like to apologize for something I did last night,” Clark said as he sucked in a big breath of air. “When we were at the art show and you were being introduced to Professor Malone, he leaned in and whispered something in your ear, and, umm…I, uh, listened in.” Hurrying to speak before she could reply, Clark added, “I didn’t really mean to, but seeing some strange guy lean in on you like that set me on edge. I thought maybe he was going to make an indecent proposition or something. I know, I know, I’m being jealous, or maybe just overprotective, but that‘s the way it felt.

“Anyway, I heard what he did say: ‘And unlike a couple of your professors from Chicago, I’m not any kind of perv.’” Lana could tell from the way Clark was reacting that he was becoming upset, and given the subject, she couldn’t blame him. “If I’m not asking you to reveal too much, what exactly did the professor mean by that?”

Nemu

12-31-2006, 11:25 PM

:D

Yeah I'm also wondering about that...

And I wonder... with Christmas coming up... will we have a Christmas proposal???

PPMS!!!

Oh and Happy New Year!!!

SVsleuth

12-31-2006, 11:25 PM

:) Yes, Lana, what DID that professor mean? We're still waiting to find out. ;)

It was funny how Lana couldn't remember what she might have done overnight. Glad she realized that she could never forget being with Clark intimately.
PPMS!
So, NOW will they go shopping & happen to look at rings?

binkys711

01-01-2007, 12:54 AM

LOL ^^^ poor Clark :\ he will accidentily be going to 13 different jewelers for Lana :p

Did Lana drink one to many iced teas? :p I'm happy she realized nothing happened and it wa soooo funny how Lana started thinking something else happened that night, but heck, when the clana hit the sheets it's definately a night to be remembered! (each and every time :p ;))
Hope Clark kicks the cr!@p out of that perv of a teacher! :mad:

great update Card! PPMS!

and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 2007!

happycamper

01-01-2007, 01:08 AM

A perfect evening for Lana. A special award, and a foot massage that put her straight to sleep! :lol:

I'm glad you're going to address that 'perve' comment. I just hope Clark doesn't go rushing off to Chicago (for a little discussion of course ;) ) as a result.

Happy New Year!

:D :D

NYC300Z

01-01-2007, 01:18 AM

So sweet what Clark did for Lana! I guess now we'll find out what happened to Lana in Chicago, and while it might be horrible at least it got her to go to Metropolis to meet Clark!;)

PPMS!

kewl

01-01-2007, 03:20 AM

yeah, what exactly did lana's prof in chicago do? really curious!
ppms!

Happy New Year 2007! everyone

Mutton Chop!

01-01-2007, 07:37 AM

Okay...It's about freakin time I joined the Kryptonsite Forums!
I've been a silent reader for about a year now, so I guess that qualifies for something, huh? JK

Excellent Update, Cardinal!

BTW Cardinal, you've earned my first post!

Cardinal

01-01-2007, 05:36 PM

Welcome to K-Site, Mutton Chop! :)

And thanks for the first post, that's very cool. :D

Clarkloisclois

01-01-2007, 08:24 PM

Great Job, Card =)

Cardinal

01-01-2007, 11:25 PM

Chapter 104 - Pervs

While preparing to confront this hateful subject, Lana was doubly grateful to be cocooned in Clark’s arms. The comfort and security she felt made it easier for her to talk about a subject she hadn’t mentioned even once since she left Chicago. She had thought if she didn’t mention it, it would just go away. Now, that had been proven false.

Lana shifted position in Clark’s encircling arms and said, “That’s a hard subject to talk about, but if I’m going to, I need you to promise me something first.”

“Okay. Name it and it’s yours.”

“You have to promise me that you won’t fly off the handle and try to deal out justice yourself in this case. No flying to Chicago and hunting anyone down, nothing like that at all…okay?”

“I promise.”

Feeling a bit better now that she knew Clark wouldn’t be getting himself into trouble on her account, Lana said, “There were two professors that were ‘pervs,’ as Professor Malone put it. How he found out about that, I’ll never know, because I only told a select few people in Chicago and I haven’t told a soul since I came back.

“Anyway, the first ‘perv’ had a well-known reputation among the girls on campus for trying to look down blouses as he moved from student to student. He was easy to deal with. All I had to do was make sure I wore blouses with high, close-fitting necks, and I was okay. He was a bit unnerving, but manageably so. If he’d been the worst one, I’d have been able to deal.”

Clark was already on edge, wondering what someone else did that was worse. Lana obliged his curiosity and said, “The other professor was worse…much worse. It was in the class I told you about where I, and everyone else, took a turn modeling fully-clothed.

“I later discovered that this professor had a penchant for asking the prettier girls in his classes to model for him privately if they wanted to make some extra money. I wasn’t in need, but living in Chicago wasn’t cheap, so having extra money was always nice. So…I took him up on his offer. I had thought, ‘What could be bad about doing more of this? It’s just sitting around, doing nothing, and getting paid for it.’

“I quickly found out ‘what could be bad.’ The first time I modeled for him was at his campus studio. Everything was on the up and up, and the painting was beautiful.”

“I bet you get a lot of the credit for that,” Clark said. “The painting wouldn’t be beautiful without a beautiful subject.”

Clark’s little compliments came so often that Lana thought she should be used to them by now, but because he always seemed to genuinely mean them, the newest ones were just as special as the first ones.

“Maybe,” she allowed with a small grin, “but he does have talent. It was the second time he wanted me to model that was the problem. This one was at the studio he had in his home. When we got started, he kept rearranging me, as if he couldn’t find a position he liked. Finally, he asked me to unbutton my blouse, just a couple of buttons.

“I was cautious, but since that left me adequately covered, I complied…but that wasn’t enough for him. It soon became apparent that what he really wanted was for my clothes to come off. He asked, I declined.” Lana began nervously dry-washing her hands. “He insisted, I refused.” Lana looked Clark squarely in the eyes. “He threatened my grades, I threatened his job.”

Lana stopped and took in a deep breath with a shudder. Unsure of what, if anything he should say, Clark just sat there and tried to draw off some of Lana’s tension. Meantime, she paused to carefully consider what she wanted to say next.

“I’m not sure if he just wanted to paint me naked, or if he had some other ‘positions’ in mind. Neither one was going to happen if I could help it, so I made a run for it.

“I think I might’ve been able to handle it, if that’s where it ended, but it didn’t.” Lana shuddered once again, and then Clark could feel the small shakes of her quiet sobs.

One of Clark's hands automatically began rubbing her back while the other one wrapped her more tightly. He couldn’t think of anything comforting to say, and in any case, he didn’t trust himself to speak at that moment anyway. He was angry, something he freely admitted to himself, but Lana didn’t need his anger right now, she just needed him to be there, and to listen. What Lana needed, Lana was going to get, so Clark wordlessly wrapped her in his love and concern and waited for her to speak. His patient support gave her the time she needed to calm her frazzled emotions, and the strength to go on.

“He began tearing away my confidence, bit by bit, making snide little remarks where no one else could hear them. He'd question the composition of a painting one day, and my subject matter the next. I went to the dean once to complain, but got no help there. She said it was my word against his and he was a tenured professor. She wasn’t about to tarnish his career based solely on that kind of evidence.

“So, I just gritted my teeth and gutted out the rest of the semester in his class. That bastard made me question whether I was good enough to be a professional artist. Art used to be my greatest joy, but after a semester in his class, I couldn’t wait to leave it all behind. I was packed and gone the day after classes were over, and I enrolled at Met U a week later.”

When it appeared her story had come to an end, Clark asked quietly, “If it was just that one…jerk, for lack of a better word that I can say in your presence, then why’d you leave art altogether? I can see you wanting to get as far away from that guy as possible, but why not continue your art studies here?”

Lana wasn’t sure how to explain this, but it was Clark she was talking to, and that made everything easier.

“I was already having second thoughts about an art career when this whole ‘modeling drama’ started. Art commissions aren’t the most steady way of making a living.” Lana then snuck a mischievous look up at Clark. “And since I hadn’t met the right guy yet, I figured I might end up on my own. Having my paintings as the sole source of my income was kind of scary. So when I combined that fear with the insecurity I felt after being badgered by that…jerk, as you so politely called him, I felt I needed to go in a new direction.”

Lana then got a dreamy look on her face. “Who woulda thought that running from that mess in Chicago would send me straight to you?” She finally wrapped her arms as far around his chest as they would go and squeezed as tightly as she could manage. “I do love you so, Clark Kent. Don’t ever doubt that. Coming back here was the best decision I’ve ever made.”

Clark kissed Lana on the only part of her head his lips could reach at that moment, which was her forehead. “I can’t say I’m unhappy with the result of your decision to come back here, in fact, I’m deliriously happy about it…but it does bother me that you had to give up your dream for us to meet. And as for worrying about financial considerations…don’t. Do what you want to do. Whatever it is, I’ll be right beside you. We’ll make the money work either way.”

SVsleuth

01-01-2007, 11:25 PM

:) (beat ya that time, Nemu) ;)

You did a great job explaining a touchy subject, Card. I loved how you described how supportive Clark could be by not saying a word, but just being there and waiting patiently. Beautiful.

Also loved Clark's implied meaning at the end. No proposal yet, but he is definitely talking as if he expects to be married to Lana, and they both speak in terms of "we" already. Nice touch.

Come on, Clark, you need to make it official and propose! ;)

Nemu

01-01-2007, 11:26 PM

:D (yeah i was stuck in my PM box when Card posted)

I agree with SV for the silent support of Clark and them already talking in 'we'...

But I still feel like it is going to be a xmas proposal... since you mentionned the holiday... it might mean something...

Lana was wise to make him promise... because I'm sure he would have flown there to put some sense in the guy...

PPMS!!!!

kewl

01-02-2007, 12:14 AM

clark's just super sweet and very supportive.
anxiously waiting for the update with the proposal! ppms card!

happycamper

01-02-2007, 02:02 AM

I guess it is a good thing that Lana made Clark promise to not visit the Windy City. The wrong word from her could definitely result in negative consequences to someone's life. :lol:

A bad situation for Lana - but it did result in her meeting Clark.

As supportive as Clark is to Lana, and as much as he is considering their future together, SVsleuth is right!!! When is Clark going to propose?

:D :D

NYC300Z

01-02-2007, 02:39 AM

Well now that Lana got that out of her hopefully she can move on and go back to her dream this time with Clark by her side! Great Job Card!

PPMS!

binkys711

01-02-2007, 11:12 PM

hey Lana said 'fly' he could easily just 'run' over to Chicago and well *imagines scene*
*Clark walks in and 'accidently' sneezes on perv*
*Lana is sitting on futon watching TV*
*Next day on news: "Profesor frozen solid misteriously in Chicago"*
......Claaaaaaaaaaaaaark!.............

hehe... :D
Even though that perv hurt Lana, I'm glad it drove her into Clark's arms. I guess everything does happen for a reason :)
Anyways, I'm happy Clark is so supportive of Lana! Ada boy dude! :) Now if only the BDA would pop the question already! :eek:

Great update Card!PPMS!!!

Cardinal

01-07-2007, 12:00 AM

Update here either very late Sunday or sometime Monday. ;)

Nemu

01-07-2007, 12:01 AM

cool!!!

NYC300Z

01-07-2007, 02:59 PM

Will be waiting!;)

clanas1ally

01-08-2007, 03:48 PM

I find myself hoping that you will continue this story forever! It's so great! I started reading this story awhile ago and then my life got in the way of keeping up but I'm back right along with everyone else who is awaiting every new update! Again i find myself hoping this story of yours never ends. Invading aliens which Jor-el warned us about versus Clark, Aunt Kathy and a squadron of superbabies. while the rest of the Kent family watches with pride

treker

01-08-2007, 06:48 PM

Hey card....it's monday???? :D

NYC300Z

01-08-2007, 09:42 PM

Monday's almost up too Card!

Cardinal

01-08-2007, 09:51 PM

Sorry, I won't make it tonight, though I am writing right now.

I kinda got distracted watching the BCS championship game, a problem that has been corrected by the blowout score.

I also seem to be coming down with something, at least that's what it feels like anyway. :( It doesn't seem to be affecting my writing, but you never know.

Nemu

01-08-2007, 09:52 PM

ah well lots of ppl are getting sick these days...

just post when you can!

NYC300Z

01-08-2007, 09:59 PM

It's ok Card like Nemu said just post when you can...

Cardinal

01-09-2007, 11:47 AM

Chapter 105 - At the Mall

The next week was the last week of classes. Football practices were still light because the national championship game was more than three weeks away, and also because, with finals starting on Saturday, the players needed to study. It wouldn’t do for the team to have some key players become academically ineligible just before the biggest game in school history.

The last full day of classes was Wednesday, and once practice was over, Clark found Lana waiting for him as usual. After eating dinner in the Student Union cafeteria, the happy couple headed for the Metropolis Mall for an evening of Christmas shopping. Besides getting the last of their shopping done, this was their last chance to spend a lot of time together until finals were over. Clark’s last final was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, but Lana’s last final wasn’t until Thursday morning.

Clark had done most of his shopping while in New York for the Heisman, so he had only a few things to pick up. Lana, on the other hand, claimed to have to shop for almost everyone on her list and he also knew she wasn’t about to pass up her first chance to try on engagement rings. How many jewelry stores are there in the mall anyway? Clark wondered. I think I’m about to find out.

Over the next three hours, Lana led Clark through a number of stores he didn’t even know existed, along with virtually all of the ones he did. She didn’t buy in every store, in fact, in a lot of them, they were in and out in a flash when Lana looked around and decided there was nothing there she wanted. Even so, the pile of plastic-bagged gifts that Clark was carrying grew steadily larger.

By nine o’clock, Clark and Lana made a trip out to her SUV just so they could store what she had already bought. With Christmas rapidly approaching, the mall had extended it’s hours until midnight, so after carefully storing her purchases in the back of the SUV and covering them with a blanket, Clark and Lana headed back inside.

When they went back inside, Clark finished up what little shopping he had left to do before Lana began guiding him to the various jewelry stores in the mall. Several times during their earlier shopping rounds, Lana had made like she was going into a jewelry store while Clark was laden with her packages just to see if she could get a rise out of him.

He obliged her the first time with a look that said, plain as day, ‘Now? Are you out of your mind?’ Thereafter, he had managed to keep his normal calm demeanor. Lana really didn’t want to start looking at engagement rings until her Christmas shopping was done, because she wanted Clark to be able to participate in the process of choosing possible rings without her packages getting in the way.

In the first store, Lana got her left-hand ring finger sized, a size 5, and then went with Clark to look at some general styles before zeroing in on specific rings. Clark paid careful attention to the rings she chose to try on. Did she prefer round, marquise, oval, cushion, emerald, square, princess, pear, or some other style of cut? Did she prefer a solitaire or some sort of grouping of stones? What kind of band did she seem to like?

Clark was, for about the millionth time in his young life, grateful for his eidetic memory. He could remember everything that happened without having to take a note. Soon, they headed for the next jeweler where the same process was repeated, except for the measuring since Lana now knew that piece of info.

On their way out of the mall, barely half an hour before its midnight closing, Clark and Lana passed by Victoria’s Secret. He’d been extremely careful to avoid even the appearance of looking at other women during their night of shopping, but one of the displays in the window caught Clark’s eye…and his imagination. He was halfway through thinking, I wonder what Lana would look like in that, when Lana busted him.

With an impish grin on her face, Lana asked, “See anything you like?”

“Oh…I think I see several potential gifts in there.”

“And…?” Lana asked. “Anything in particular?”

“Don’t know. I may have to take a closer look.”

Clark figured Lana wouldn’t want to go in there and that their back and forth banter on the subject was about to come to an end.

He was wrong.

They were already holding hands, so Lana only had to adjust her grip slightly to pull Clark along with her into the world famous lingerie boutique.

Lana pointed at the racks filled with silk and lace and said, “Show me what catches your eye.”

Clark pulled his thoughts away from the skimpy pieces of lingerie and how Lana might look in them. He stepped back and gave her a thorough visual once-over before taking her by the shoulders and saying, “This right here. Everything else in this store would just be adornment.”

“Oooh, you know just what to say to make my little ol’ heart go pitter-patter. For that, you might actually get to help me choose something.”

“The gift that keeps on giving,” Clark whispered, “mostly to me.”

Lana knew it was getting close to closing time, so she quickly guided Clark around the room, holding up various articles of clothing in front of her body to both tease Clark and to gauge his reactions. She was careful to only pick out the kinds of things she would actually wear, but when she saw a red glow begin to build in his eyes, she hastily grabbed a dark green camisole and low-rise panty combination and paid for it while Clark walked out of the store to bring his eyes under control.

Once the purchase was completed, Lana added that one small bag to the few bags he already was holding that contained his own purchases. Though that one bag only contained the slightest whisper of silk and lace, it felt heavier to Clark than all of the rest put together.

When they were traveling back to their apartments, Lana asked, “Did I give you enough choices? Or do I need to try on more rings at a jeweler downtown?”

“I think you tried on enough to give me a good idea of what you really like, Lana, thanks.” Clark looked at her left hand, the ring finger in particular. “Whatever ring I get will look gorgeous…as long as it’s sitting on your left ring finger.”

Lana turned to Clark just briefly as she drove, only to see his eyes locked onto her face. She was somewhat surprised to see tears welling up in his eyes, but she had always known Clark was a man of deep emotions. She loved that almost as much as she loved the fact that he didn’t try to hide those emotions from her.

Clark effortlessly carried Lana’s purchases into her apartment and was busily arranging the various packages on her kitchen table, when she grabbed the bag from Victoria’s Secret and scampered off to her bedroom. That made Clark’s eyebrows rise in surprise followed quickly by a smile of anticipation. He had all the packages neatly arranged on the table and was sitting on the futon in the living room by the time Lana made her way out of the bedroom several minutes later.

Not only had Lana changed into her new lingerie, but she had taken the time to brush out her hair until it fell in perfect silken waves about her head and shoulders. The effect on Clark was electric. He loved the way the dark green of the camisole brought out the green in her hazel eyes, and as always, he loved her gorgeous hair.

Clark started to rise to meet Lana, but she lightly pushed him back into the futon. Lana stood back far enough so Clark could see everything and turned ever so slowly to make sure he did.

The torture of sitting and waiting with his heart’s desire just out of reach was getting to be too much. All Clark could manage to say was a rasped, “I don’t know why you bought that, Lana, because you aren’t going to get to wear it for very long.”

“So you like it do you?” Lana asked teasingly. Clark nodded yes rapidly without ever taking his eyes off her perfect form. Lana smiled to see that Clark looked like he was in a trance. “Well then…what are you waiting for?”

Having received Lana’s permission to proceed, Clark was out of his seat like a rocket. Standing inches away from her, his chest fluttering to the beat of his shallow, rapid breathing, the only thing holding him back was trying to decide what to do first.

Lana solved Clark’s dilemma by stretching upward for a kiss as her hands slid up his upper arms to rest on his shoulders. There was nothing light and sweet about this kiss, instead, it was full of animalistic passion. Clark’s hands grabbed Lana at the waist, and he lifted her into the air for better access to her lips. Once airborne, Lana locked her slender legs around Clark’s waist and her hands went from his shoulders around back to his shoulder blades to help her hold on.

With Lana attached to his chest tighter than a miser to his money, and the two of them continuing to kiss hard and fast, Clark walked the two of them back to her bedroom, blindly groping for the walls with his hands to keep from smashing Lana’s back into anything.

Once there, Clark’s hands began sliding Lana’s camisole up her torso. Once it reached her shoulders, she released her hold on Clark’s back and raised her hands in the air so he could finish removing the garment. Lana responded by latching onto the hem of Clark’s blue t-shirt and virtually ripping it off his chest in one explosive movement. Now both bare-chested, their lips and tongues attacked each other’s mouth with abandon.

Lana finally released her limpet-like leg hold just so she could lower herself to the floor and put her hands within range of the buttons on Clark’s Levi’s 501 jeans. In no time, Clark was stepping out of his shoes and kicking his jeans clear of his feet, leaving him clad only in plain white boxers.

At this point, Clark moved things to the bed. It wasn’t long before the last wisps of fabric were gone and the young couple joined together insistently, each trying almost frantically to satiate their need for the other.

After they both reached the point of completion, Clark was laying flat on his back with one arm wrapped casually around Lana’s shoulders, while she was snuggled in tight, her body half turned toward his and her head resting on his shoulder.

“Wow,” Clark said, as he reflected on what they had just done. “We’ve never gone at it like that before.”

“I know, our very own version of The Fast and the Furious,” Lana replied. “You were being so wonderful to me at the mall, and the longer we stayed, the worse I wanted you.” Lana paused and looked down at Clark’s well-defined chest. “I have a secret to confess. I guided you by Victoria’s Secret there at the end of our trip.”

“Not that I mind,” Clark said, “but how come?”

Clark could feel Lana shrug her shoulders as she said, “I don’t know. I guess I wanted to make sure you were as wound up as I was. I just wanted to seduce my man…does that make me bad?”

Clark rolled his head to the side and kissed the top of Lana’s head. “Tonight, that made you very, very bad…and I loved every minute of it.” As Lana looked back up at Clark, he said, “You know, I could really start to like shopping with you if it’s going to turn out like this.”

“Mmm…maybe next time we can go pick out some sexy boxers for you.”

“Well, if I had known you were going to be seeing my boxers, I’d have put on something sexier than plain old white ones.”

They continued to talk, with one of Lana’s small hands slowly exploring Clark’s body, until her hand encountered something she hadn’t expected.

“Again?” she asked in surprise.

“One of the lesser known attributes of being Kryptonian is that I seem to have a very short refractory period. So, yes, I’m ready to go again.”

Lana raised herself up on one arm and threw one leg across Clark’s chest to straddle him. “This is the last lengthy bit of time we’ll get to spend together until finals are over, so maybe we should take it slow this time and really enjoy ourselves.”

As Clark rested his hands lightly on her waist, he said, “Sounds good to me.”

akuma

01-09-2007, 12:21 PM

First?

Ha i was first! That never happens to me. Anyways, great update, and wow they are really horny arent they lol. Cant wait for more, PPMS

SVsleuth

01-09-2007, 01:02 PM

2nd - and I wasn't even home when you updated, Card. Well, at least I beat NEMU this time. :p

Clark better hurry up and propose to her. Seems they've both already decided the other is a keeper, so what's to wait for?

I bet Lana loves Clark's latest revealed Kryptonian ablity. ;)

PPMS!

Dr. Jeckyll

01-09-2007, 04:07 PM

3rd :D

I've been gone too long! But with an update like THAT I definitively had to reply! That was THE most clanaliscious update I've ever read! Loved every bit of it.

From the sweet christmas shopping, to the teasing at Victoria's Secret (we've all been caught staring at those commercials a little too long ;)), and finally the steamin' hot ending. I think many of us would be jealous of Clark’s latest revealed ability though :D

Again this is one of my favorite clana fics and I've been reading your new Somebody to Love as well. I'm a huge Batman fan so you hit bullseye with that one. I've actually been keeping up with the fics I'm reading, I just haven't replied. I’m only reading yours, SV's and aj's though.

PPMS!!

happycamper

01-09-2007, 04:23 PM

Time for a proposal!

:D :D

NYC300Z

01-09-2007, 04:42 PM

That was awesome! Clark should defiently go shopping with Lana more often! lol They were crazy, but hey like they said it's their last lengthy time together in a while....I wonder when Clark will go buy the ring and when he plans on proposing?

PPMS!

superman_lives_on

01-09-2007, 04:45 PM

Originally posted by happycamper
Time for a proposal!

:D :D

MAJOR ditto! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

basketballstar23

01-09-2007, 05:00 PM

oh my lanta!...HA HA! i dunno what to say but if its true love...haha! :lol:...loved it and im sure lana made clark carry her purse one time or another..they hate that....:D

Nemu

01-09-2007, 05:19 PM

well finally home... so time to read :D
Well dont celebrate too fast SV_.. I wasn't home or else I would be first... I did receive the notice but as I were at work and actually working for once... I couldn't come online to post feedback ;)

now...

That was good!!!!!!

So... they went ring shopping... and now Clark knows what she would like the most...

Oh Lana was very very bad there lol...

PPMS!!!

clana1fan4ever

01-09-2007, 06:47 PM

that was a great update!!! time for the proposal:D

binkys711

01-09-2007, 07:23 PM

OMG! The fast and the furious?!?! :rotfl: Awesome line Card!

WOwzer! this update was fantastic! I absolutely loved the clana friskiness!!! ;) Veeeeeery Nice! Heck if this was only the Christmas shopping, heavens knows what's gonna happen Christmas night *wink wink* hehe

I agree with SVsleuth! That new Kryptonian ability must really come in handy :D ;)

Now, when is this proposal coming? :)

A very clanalicious update Card! PPMS!!!

kewl

01-10-2007, 08:30 AM

wow, that update was sooo hot!!! :D next update... proposal? ppms!

clanas1ally

01-11-2007, 08:54 PM

Medicine of a broken smallville heart, after Hydro,.,.,., BRAVO! (kinda rhymed)

Cardinal

01-14-2007, 06:58 PM

Sorry, I've been away. :( I've been without power for two days here in southwest Missouri.

Thanks for all of your kind replies! :)

I plan on updating here next.

Nemu

01-14-2007, 07:10 PM

cooL! i hope it is soon too! ;)

Marshi

01-14-2007, 07:13 PM

PPMS looking forward to the next update!!!

ronmanb77

01-15-2007, 07:07 PM

Love this story Cardinal, you're one of my favorite authors on this site.

Cardinal

01-15-2007, 09:31 PM

A big welcome to K-Site, for both Marshi and ronmanb77! :D :D

Thank you for your support!

Nemu

01-15-2007, 09:40 PM

update coming soon?

Cardinal

01-16-2007, 09:44 AM

Chapter 106 - Christmas

Finals were over, and so were classes until the middle of the next month. Having an entire month off before classes would resume sounded great to both Lana and Clark. They had spent most of Christmas Eve with Nell and Dean, but had driven to the Kents’ to spend the night so that they could wake up early on Christmas morning and be ready for the festivities.

The outside of the house was decorated with strings of lights, something Clark had been unable to help with this year due to school and football practice. He had suggested coming home one night and putting everything up himself while using super-speed, but Jonathan had vetoed that idea. He didn’t want the neighbors to wonder how that had happened overnight.

While Lana oohed and aahed over the lights, Clark shouldered open the front door to the house, which was bedecked with a giant pine and holly wreath, and began carrying in their packages. Arms laden with packages to place under the Kent tree, Lana and Clark made their way inside to find that the interior of the house had been transformed into a Christmas wonderland.

Homemade snowflakes hung from carefully selected positions, and garlands were everywhere, interspersed with sprigs of holly and mistletoe. One such mistletoe sprig was hung directly over the doorway into the den. When Kathy caught Lana and Clark both standing under it, she said, “Mistletoe!” quite loudly and insisted they kiss on the spot. Amazingly enough, they needed little encouragement and gladly complied.

The den, a room that many would call a family room or a television room, was where the tree was located. Once Jonathan had brought it home, early in the month, Martha and Kathy had taken hours to decorate it ‘just right.’ The women had decorated it with what seemed to be a thousand individual strands of silver tinsel and elaborate glass ornaments of many different colors. Strings of lights had then been interwoven with the other decorations to create a wonderful effect. Jonathan’s contribution to the decorations, as usual, was limited by the women to lifting Kathy skyward to place the star on the top of the tree.

After arranging their first load of packages around the tree, the young couple noticed that the mantel of the den’s rarely used fireplace had been covered with huge, fancifully decorated stockings. There was one for everyone, including a brand new one for Lana.

One more trip to Lana’s SUV was enough, and soon everyone was gathered around the empty fireplace drinking eggnog, singing the occasional Christmas carol, and telling favorite Christmas stories. Everyone was especially interested in Lana’s stories, because they hadn’t heard them before. Likewise, the Kents dragged out old stories that every one of them knew by heart, just to see how she reacted to them. Clark was not especially thrilled to know that most of the stories his family told were going to be about him, but he expected that by now.

When it neared midnight, the party broke up, and everyone headed for bed. Even though the Kents knew Clark and Lana were sleeping together, Clark knew they weren’t thrilled with it, so he and Lana had decided to not even ask about sharing a room. That left Lana with the guest room upstairs next to Kathy’s room, while Clark would get to use his old bedroom in the basement.

Once Clark had retrieved their suitcases from the SUV, he carried Lana’s up to her room, where she was admiring the hand-stitched quilt that covered her bed.

“It’s so beautiful,” Lana said.

Clark was looking at Lana when he replied, “Yes, she is.”

Lana dipped her head and lowered her eyes shyly. She never knew how to respond to Clark’s compliments, but her obvious appreciation was all the response he would ever need. They kissed goodnight, before Clark said, “Get to sleep as soon as you can, because Kathy will have all of us up bright and early.”

“How early is ‘early?’” Lana asked.

“Mmm…6 a.m. sounds about right,” Clark said. “Even though she quit believing in Santa Claus years ago, she still takes Christmas seriously. The fireplace was empty tonight because she doesn’t want Santa to get burned on his way down the chimney, and I bet you noticed the last thing she did was to place a plate of cookies and a glass of milk on the mantel for Santa.”

“Why?”

“Who knows?” Clark said as he shrugged his shoulders. “Some traditions just die hard, I guess.”

“Well, in any case, I think it’s cute,” Lana said, as she lightly brushed the tip of Clark’s nose with a fingertip, “just like you.”

Now it was Clark’s turn to blush. Lana loved it that with all of the praise and adulation he received as a football player, Clark was unaffected enough to still be able to blush.

The next morning, Lana learned Clark wasn’t kidding about Kathy’s enthusiasm. Lana awoke to the sound of feverish pounding on her bedroom door. Opening one bleary eye, Lana could see a bedside alarm clock that proclaimed the time was 6:12 a.m. Oh…my…God! I guess there are a few inconveniences to having a little sister, Lana groused. I hope Santa stuck a lump of coal in her stocking.

By the time Lana shuffled downstairs in her trusty pink bunny slippers and flannel Winnie the Pooh pajamas, what she thought were the least sexy bedclothes she owned, Martha, Jonathan, and Kathy were all gathered around the kitchen table. The adults were drinking coffee, while Kathy worked on a mug of hot chocolate and marshmallows.

When Lana asked where Clark was, everyone looked downward as Martha said, “My son isn’t an early riser unless he has to be.” Martha eyed Lana speculatively. “Maybe you’ll have better luck than Kathy did.”

Lana’s sleep deprived mind was not happy. Well, if I’ve gotta be up this early, then Clark does, too! she thought as she marched downstairs. The sound of these slippers on the stairs doesn’t quite sound like impending doom, but he’ll know ‘impending doom’ once I get there.

Soon, Lana’s little fist was pounding on Clark’s door. “Clark Joseph Kent, get your butt, and every other delicious part of your anatomy out here right now.”

Lana’s searing voice cut through Clark’s mental fog like a hot knife through butter. Oh crap, Clark thought, Lana hasn’t had her first cup of coffee yet. He checked his old bedside alarm clock and saw that it was nearly six-thirty in the morning. She’s even less of a morning person than I am. Lana pounded on his door again. Oh damn, time to get up.

Clark zipped out of bed, opened the door, and enveloped Lana in a full-body hug from behind before she knew what was going on. As he bent forward to nuzzle the side of her neck, Lana tilted her head to give him better access since she loved it when he grazed on her neck like that.

Clark’s hands, which had been wrapped lovingly around Lana’s waist, began to roam. He was making it perfectly obvious what he wanted for Christmas, and while Lana knew the Kents were waiting upstairs, Clark’s ministrations were having their intended effect.

Lana’s body was responding and she thought, If I don’t do something, we’ll be going at it in his bedroom with his entire family waiting for us.

“Clar-r-r-k,” Lana managed to moan.

“Mmm?”

“Your family’s upstairs waiting for us to open presents.”

With a mischievous grin that Lana couldn‘t see, Clark replied, “Yeah, I know. I just want to unwrap this one first.”

Clark then turned Lana’s head so he could finally kiss her mouth. Just as their lips collided and Lana was sure she was going to give in to the moment, they heard a gasp from the stairs behind them and then Kathy’s voice said, loud and clear, “Clark and Lana are makin’ out in the basement!!”

Kathy raced upstairs and told Martha, “I know what’s keeping them, Mom. They’re kissing down there.”

Lana appeared in the kitchen seconds later, with Clark close on her heels. He had hurriedly pulled on a old red t-shirt to go along with his blue drawstring pajama bottoms to make himself presentable. The fact that they were both already disheveled from just having woken up, saved them from any questions about how they had gotten that way. Still, Lana’s flushed face and the disconcerted looks in both her and Clark’s eyes gave Jonathan and Martha a good idea of how the young lovers had greeted each other.

Kathy opened her mouth to say something, but changed her mind when she caught the look Clark was shooting at her.

Jonathan just chuckled, shook his head, and said quietly, “What a way to wake up.”

Sure beats coffee, Lana thought. I’m completely wired right now and I haven’t had any caffeine yet.

When an eager Kathy led the way to the presents, Jonathan stayed behind and gestured for Clark to wait also. Once they were alone, Jonathan said, “Ease up on the hormones around Kathy, Son. She’s at a very impressionable age. With the way she looks up to you and Lana, she may try to emulate the both of you. I don’t want her thinking that making out like that is something she ought to try.” Clark’s shoulders slumped. Having made his point, Jonathan cuffed Clark on the back. “Let’s go unwrap some presents.”

Lana had just come out of the bathroom when Clark and Jonathan headed for the den. Clark signaled with his eyes, and Lana followed him to the empty front room. He quickly recounted Jonathan’s mild admonishment, to which Lana’s surprising reply was, “If he didn’t like Kathy seeing what we were doing with our lips, at least she was in the wrong position to see what you were doing to me with your hands.”

“Good, huh?”

“Positively lethal!”

The gift giving went quickly, with each person taking a turn giving a gift. Lana and Clark each kept their gift to the other for last. Lana’s gift for Clark was brightly and expertly wrapped in poinsettia-printed red wrapping paper. To his eyes, it looked like a shirt box, the kind you get at a high-end store, except it was a little bit too large for that.

Lana’s wrapping job was so nice, that Clark almost hated to tear into it. But from the look on her face, Lana was almost as eager for him to open it as he was. That decided things for him. Clark’s hands blurred and the box went from bring neatly wrapped to unwrapped in an instant. After handing off the carefully wadded ball of used paper, Clark lifted the lid on the box and pulled aside a thick layer of protective green tissue paper to see a brightly decorated three-ring binder.

Curious, Clark raised an eyebrow as he lifted the binder out of the box. It wasn’t until he opened the cover and slowly turned the first few pages that he realized what, exactly, his gift was: a scrapbook of his college football career, painstakingly created on the sly by his loving girlfriend.

Everyone else in the family already knew what the gift was since Lana had recruited them to help her find old programs from games and newspaper and magazine articles…anything, really, that she could place in the scrapbook.

The room was absolutely quiet as Clark made his way through the book page by page. Tears bloomed in his eyes as he faced the harsh reality that his football career had only one more game to go. He knew then that he would miss football more than he had thought, but he knew that he and Lana were doing the right thing…a thing he never would have considered without Lana’s guidance.

“It’s…wonderful,” was all Clark was able to choke out as he reached the last page. He hadn’t needed to read the articles, just seeing them brought each and every game to his mind. Even though Lana’s the one who guided me to giving up football, she still gets it. She knows how much this game means to me. He snuck a peek at Lana who was, as always, by his side. This is truly the end of one chapter in my life. It’s almost time for me to start the next one.

Lana wordlessly offered Clark a tissue from her purse. He dabbed his tears and took a minute to compose himself before turning to her and saying “Thank you” as he drew her into an embrace. Lana was overjoyed at his reaction. She hadn’t been sure how Clark would react to a keepsake of this sort. He could at times be the manliest of men, but he had always had, and more importantly been willing to show her, his softer, more emotional side.

Clark finally disengaged himself from Lana long enough to retrieve her present. The size and shape of the box gave Lana no real clue as to what it could be, but the awful wrapping job let her know that Clark hadn’t allowed anyone else to wrap her present. Both Martha and Kathy had warned Lana that Clark’s wrapping ineptitude was legendary.

Tearing open the gold foil wrapping paper, Lana then carefully popped open the Scotch tape with a manicured nail and lifted open the lid. Inside was an authentic-looking sky blue Met U football jersey. It looked just like the one Clark had given Kathy for her birthday. Nothing would do except that Lana immediately try on the jersey, pulling it on over her Winnie the Pooh pajamas.

As her head popped through the top of the jersey, Lana asked, “How’d you get another one? The season’s not over yet.”

“We get new jerseys for the national title game, so they made these available to us to buy. I knew if my sister got to have one, my girlfriend should definitely have one.”

Lana had just pulled her long brown hair through the head hole, when Kathy’s eyes open wide. She pointed at Lana and said, “Mine’s not quite that nice.”

Puzzled, Lana furrowed her brow as she tried to figure out what Kathy meant. A quick look at the jersey didn’t reveal anything out of the ordinary, so Lana asked, “What do you mean, Kathy?”

“Use your hands, Lana, and feel the jersey’s collar on each side right below your ears.”

Doing as instructed, Lana edged her hands up to the jersey’s red-and-blue banded collar and almost instantly found what Kathy was talking about. There was one small hard lump on each side, but the collar was too close to her neck for her to be able to see what they were.

Martha solved that problem by finding her purse and handing Lana a mirrored compact. Only then could Lana see that the hard lumps were in fact diamond and amethyst earrings. She knew instantly that these were intended as companion pieces for the pendant Clark had bought when he was in New York. Lana leaned over on the appropriately named ‘love seat’ and tried her best to crush Clark with a bear hug.

“These are gorgeous!” she squealed delightedly.

“I’m glad you like them,” Clark replied.

“Why’d you give them to me attached to the jersey though?”

Clark looked over to his family and asked, “Could you excuse us for a few minutes?”

Seeing that Clark needed some private time, his parents quickly left, dragging a curious Kathy behind them.

Once they left, Clark said, “Well…what would you have thought if I gave a little velvet-covered jewelry box to you in front of my family on Christmas morning?”

Lana knew exactly what she would have thought. “I would’ve been sure you were proposing to me.”

“And…?”

“And I would have been crushed when I learned it was ‘only’ a pair of fancy earrings.”

“Exactly,” Clark murmured softly. “I had to think of how to present the earrings without getting your hopes up.”

“Too late,” Lana said lightly, as she finally released Clark from her hug. “My hopes are always up, but I will wait until you are ready.”

“It’ll be soon, Lana.”

“When?” she asked teasingly.

“Sorry, Lana. This is the one time a man has to keep an air of mystery about him. You deserve the proposal of your dreams, and I plan to give it to you…” With a quick wink, he added, “…someday.”