Clark looked sidelong at Lois, mid-sip of his beer. He put the bottle down. “I never thought that.”
“How could you not? I mean…with the…and the…weren’t there days when you were screaming in your head ‘Hello McFly! Are you blind?’ I would have been if I were you.”
Clark snorted, nearly sending some beer up his nose. “No, I don’t think I said that—“
“Come on!”
“At least not the ‘McFly’ part,” he said, grinning.
Lois glared at him, but his grin was catching and soon, she was grinning too, despite how angry she wanted to stay with him. “I blew you off when you came back. I was too wrapped up in…god this is weird. I was too wrapped up in your altar ego being back that I shoved you aside. I’m sorry for that.”
“Lois, you don’t have to apologize.”
“No, I do. I just. . . Clark, we were close before. I was close to Clark Kent and him once upon a time. That’s why I’m so angry with you. I always laid myself bare for you, for both of you and now I feel as if I wasn’t worthy enough to get the same back—“
“No, Lois, that’s not it at all. It was complicated and I thought I was protecting you and making it easier for you by not telling you. You know the reasons…I just didn’t realize that by keeping it secret from you, for trying to protect you as I did, that it’d just end up hurting you more and I regret so much…Most of all, I regret not being there for you when you were pregnant with our son.” He broke off, emotion clogging his throat. “Those are five years of his life I’ll never get back.”
“I have a lot in pictures and caught on camera.”
“Not the same and you know it.”
“I do, I know it. But, there’s nothing that can be done about it now. The thing is, I spent five years without the love of my life and while I adore Richard, the plain and simple fact is that he’s not you. I haven’t been very fair to him, keeping him around as I have, making promises like marriage that I never meant to keep, bringing him into Jason’s life and giving him a father because his real father wasn’t there and I . . . I just can’t do it anymore Clark. I can’t live the lie any longer.”
Clark reached out and took her hand in his, squeezing it. “What do you want to do, Lois?”
“That’s where you come in. I want you to tell me what you want for once. I’m tired of doing it all alone, keeping it all inside and having to be the strong stoic one when inside, I’m a mess missing you, loving you and not being able to have you. I’m tired of being one of the guys Lois Lane. I want to be one of those passive women that lets her man choose what he wants. Just. . . don’t deny me my love, Clark, that’s all I ask.”
“I don’t think that’s possible now, Lois,” Clark said hoarsely.
“Then tell me. What are we going to do?”
Spike thought it was absolutely adorable the way his girl got all nervous as soon as they crossed the threshold to her home. He winced as a certain memory of a certain Slayer once upon a time banishing him from her home, and now he was able to stroll right in. Not only that, but she wanted him there. She’d all but asked him to come over and spend the night with her.
The night had been so surreal for him; he wanted to pinch himself to make sure all of it was really happening that he was really there, in her home. That she cared for him, that she wanted to give them a chance.
“Hello! You there?”
He blinked and reared back, Buffy was waving her hand in his face.
“Sorry, pet. I guess I’m not the only one that got nervous.”
She pouted. “I am not nervous!”
He chuckled. “Oh you so are. As soon as we stepped inside you got all fidgety and started rambling. You only do both of those things when you’re nervous.”
She rolled her eyes. “I hate that you observe everything. Is there anything that you miss?”
“Well, it did take me a while to pick up on the fact that you wanted me,” he teased.
She barked out a laugh, “No it didn’t. You knew the whole time. You called me on it enough.”
He shrugged. “Most of that was wishful thinking and hoping that the power of suggestion would work.”
“So underneath that tough, confident exterior is an ancient, hopeful and uncertain vampire?”
“I like how you slid the ‘ancient’ in there, pet.”
“I still have to get my digs in when I can.”
“Yuk it up. Just know that what goes around comes around.”
“I’m not going to be around as long as you—“
He grabbed her then, hauling her into his arms and kissing her soundly. “You don’t talk like that, you hear me? You’re going to be around for a long time, Buffy. Especially if I have anything to say about it, and as it turns out, I do. Got it?”
She was swaying in his arms, looking up at him dazed. “Uh huh.”
He grinned and kissed her softly, taking his sweet time to savor and taste her. Pressing his forehead against hers, he whispered, “I love you.”
She kissed him. “I know,” she whispered.
“And I’ll be there for you—“
“These five words I swear to you?”
“Huh?” he blinked, confused.
Then his girl started to sing, entirely off key. “I’ll be there for you, these five words I swear to you, when you breathe, I wanna be the air for you, I’ll be there for you!” She stopped at his amused and baffled look. “Though, you could never give me air.”
“Buffy, I love you enough to find a way if I needed to.”
She smiled brightly.
“And what was that horrible song you just sang?”
Buffy shook her head and sighed. “I can always count on you to miss the finer points of pop culture. Come on Spikey, let me show you my room…though you’ve seen it quite a few times haven’t you? All those times you stalked me and snatched my stuff when I wasn’t here…” She said as she took his hand and led him up the stairs. “Can I get my cashmere sweater back by the way?”
“You’re bloody hysterical you know that?” he said dryly.
“I know. It’s why you love me.”
“One of many reasons, luv, one of many.”
*'I'll Be There for You' lyrics by Bon Jovi. I heard it on the radio tonight and just had this image in my head of Buffy breaking out in song during a sappy moment. :)*