When Virginia proposed the challenge of taking a first season story and having it result in Lois and Clark being married I took up the challenge and "The Green, Green Glow of Home - Matchmaker Style" was the result.
That was all well and good, but then I started thinking - What about future episodes? How would the fact that they are now married affect the dynamic? For instance, how would "Pheromone My Lovely" be changed by the marriage? How would it affect "Honeymoon in Metropolis" and "All Shook Up", “Witness” and “Illusions of Grandeur”?
So, to answer the question - ‘What if Lois and Clark were already married when Illusions of Grandeur happened?' I offer the following.
Illusions of Grandeur - Matchmaker Style
This is a sequel to Witness – Matchmaker Style
Rated PG-13
Disclaimers: The characters in this story are property of DC, December 3rd productions and Warner Bros. No Copyright infringement is intended. I have just borrowed the characters for a short time.
My thanks go out to my betas - Artemis and Ray for their help.
In this, the sequel to Witness - Matchmaker Style. Lois and Clark have been back from the assignment in Smallville for a few weeks. The events of PML were delightful, however, Lois really has no recollection of what happened. Clark finally had a chance to give Lois a real honeymoon. Then her life had been threatened because she had witnessed a murder. Now they are investigating the kidnappings of the children of wealthy families.
Lois and Clark had tried living in Lois’s old apartment, but since it was on the first floor it was deemed too exposed for Superman takeoffs and arrivals so they now have returned to Clark’s ‘old' apartment. They had recently been contacted By Lois’s sister, Lucy, who had at that time informed them that she would be transferring to MetU and asked if she could live with them. Lois had told her sister that she could have the old apartment.
In this particular story a lot of the dialogue is taken from the script text. I wish to express my thanks to my Beta readers Artemis and Ray Reynolds for their invaluable help. This was a VERY rough draft when it first landed in their hands.
* * denotes emphasis
< > denotes thoughts
As always comments are welcome. (ken.janney@kjanney.com)
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Chapter 1
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Universal Locator Designation
Alpha -34 x Gamma 255 x Tau -225
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Early on Sunday morning, Clark had heard an emergency call for Superman from Milwaukee over the radio. They were both up and Clark had just finished making breakfast. He ate his breakfast at super speed and Lois told him that she wanted to catch the Sunday morning talk shows, had some correspondence to catch up on and that he could stick around after the incident to hold a press conference if he felt there was a need. He gave her a kiss and spinning into his Suit moved through the bedroom to the balcony and left.
He had made it to Milwaukee in time to prevent it from becoming a major incident. All in all it had been a trying week and he was feeling a little run-down. There hadn’t been any reporters at the incident, so he had seized the opportunity to rest and recharge. He was flying in a reclining position, fingers laced and hands behind his head as if he were on a sofa simply soaking up the sun’s rays as he coasted along in the direction of Metropolis. He was below the air traffic lanes so that he wouldn’t present an obstacle. He was so relaxed that he had even closed his eyes.
He was replaying the events of the last few months in his mind. The events in Smallville with Trask and how Lois had saved his life when Trask was trying to shoot him brought a smile to his face. The sudden change in their relationship, jumping directly from business colleagues, although he was already in love with his partner, to both of them being in love with each other and … married! (GGGoH – Matchmaker Style, link in the FDK)
The pleased smile turned into one of great pleasure as he recalled the pheromone incident and how it had affected Lois. The time on the island satisfying her needs had been a labor of love … literally. (PML - Matchmaker Style, link in the FDK)
His smile changed again as he thought about when they finally had a chance to have a honeymoon and it was interrupted by their discovery of Congressman Harrington accepting a bribe for information about a military device test and the tsunami that he’s had to battle. (HiM – Matchmaker Style, link in the FDK)
It hadn’t been long after that he’d had his biggest challenge to date, a seventeen mile wide asteroid. He was happy that Lois had been able to help him recover his memory. He smiled once again at the technique she had used to help him recover his memory of being Clark, bedroom therapy. The act of joining their bodies had brought Clark back in a flood. Then when she recounted all of the times that Superman had saved her it had gradually brought Superman back. (ASU – Matchmaker Style, link in the FDK)
His smile turned to a frown at the memory of their most recent adventure. Lois’s life had been endangered because, of all things, Superman had to speak to a bunch of sixth-graders at a career day function. He would really have to reconsider those kinds of activities. It wasn’t like any of those kids could aspire to a career as a superhero. That event had taken him away when she had really needed him. (Witness – Matchmaker Style, link in the FDK)
He was startled out of his reverie when he had the impression that he was in the middle of a busy highway. The sudden honking of horns brought him to a halt in mid-air. His hands came out from behind his head and he looked around. As he did a black and white object passed. His first thought was of a police car, but then the realization hit that this police car had a pair of wings. Looking around he saw more such marked beasts and realized that he was in the middle of a flock of Canadian geese which accounted for the honking he had heard.
Dropping a couple of hundred feet to get out of their way he muttered to himself, “So much for a nice Sunday flight.” Then he thought about it and said to himself, “I’d rather have Lois with me anyhow and I bet she’d love a flight.” So thinking he put on a burst of speed and cut the air in the direction of their apartment. He landed on the balcony and entered the bedroom.
Lois heard him and started to move in the direction of the bedroom. Once she stepped in he took in her apparel and said, “Grab a sweater. I want to take you flying.”
Lois smiled in anticipation and ran into the closet to fetch the garment. They exited and closed the French doors. Once they were on the balcony he picked her up and they took off.
Once they were airborne she turned to him and said, “This is one of my favorite perks of being married to Superman. I get to go flying with him whenever I want.” She kissed the side of his neck. “Where are we going?”
He smiled an enigmatic smile and said, “I thought I’d introduce you to some friends.”
“Oh, who?”
“You’ll see. Ah, there they are. Just up ahead.”
Lois looked, “All I see is a flock of geese.”
“Yep.”
“They’re your friends?”
“Let’s just say that they are more like a passing acquaintance,” and laughed and told her the story.
Lois was still laughing as turning in mid-air he set a south-westerly course and within minutes they were over Smallville.
Recognizing just where they were, Lois said, “Oh, Clark, we can’t visit your parents. I look a mess.”
“No you don’t and even if you did, they wouldn’t care. They don’t love you for how you look; they love you for who you are.”
They landed in the front yard and Clark spun into his jeans and sweat shirt as they walked up to the door.
Before they were even able to knock the door opened and Martha was standing there arms open to receive Lois into a motherly hug.
Clark said, quietly, “See what I mean?”
Lois smiled and stepped into the hug which she returned with as much fervor as it was delivered. Lois reveled in the feeling of unconditional love that she received from both of Clark’s parents. They didn’t judge her for how she had been when they first laid eyes on her. She still quailed at the thought of the gaffs she had made at that first meeting, saying that she thought that Jonathan could be a cross dresser of all things. She tightened her hug slightly at that thought.
Over Lois’s shoulder, Martha said to Clark, “Your dad is in the barn. Why don’t you go see if there’s anything he needs?”
Clark nodded his understanding and turned away. It was apparent that Martha wanted some time alone with Lois. It had all happened so quickly, she was still trying to get to know her daughter-in-law and enjoying doing it. Martha had learned a lot about Lois a few weeks ago when Clark had lost his memory. When his parents had arrived, he and Lois had been engaged in the bedroom therapy that had brought back his Clark memories. They had seen the results of that and understood just how deeply Lois loved him.
Clark jogged to the barn and entering called out, “Dad?”
From under the tractor he heard, “Over here.”
Bending down and looking under the tractor he asked, “Anything I can help you with?”
Jonathan smiled and said, “Yeah, this nut is stripped. I can’t get a good bite on it with the wrench. Think you can get it off?”
Clark crawled under the tractor and reaching up, grasped the offending nut and pinching it with his fingers removed it from its bolt.
“Thanks, son. Now I can replace it with a new nut.”
Clark supersped to the work bench, retrieved the nut, returned to his position under the tractor and put it on the bolt before Jonathan had a chance to even move.
Once that was done he helped Jonathan out from under the tractor.
Jonathan started wiping his greasy hands on a rag that he pulled out of his back pocket. As he did he asked, “What brought you out here?”
“I was just taking Lois for a joy flight and thought we’d stop in and see what’s cookin’.”
“Well, we had breakfast a while ago. I think your mother could be making lunch.”
“That’s great! Maybe she can give Lois a cooking lesson while she’s at it.”
“Is Lois serious about learning to cook?”
“Yep! I’ve been teaching her. We haven’t done anything complicated yet, but we’re taking our time. She decided that it was fun to work together in the kitchen and she really doesn’t mind me teaching her. In fact, don’t tell her I said this, she’s the first one in the kitchen and almost literally tapping her foot in impatience if I take too long getting there to start making dinner.”
Jonathan put his arm across Clark’s shoulder and said, “I won’t say a word. What do you say to going in and seeing what
is cooking and finding out how soon we will be eating.”
When the two men of the family entered the kitchen through the back door they found the two women of the family busy, side by side, working at the stove, chatting animatedly and laughing together.
Hearing this, Clark became concerned. <What stories is Mom telling Lois?>
Martha said, over her shoulder, “Have a seat, boys, lunch will be served in a couple of minutes.”
Lois left her position at the stove and started setting the table and as she did she gave Clark a conspiratorial wink in reply to which Clark smiled. Apparently Lois had been having a good time with his mom, her mother-in-law.
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Back in Metropolis, on a large walled estate, two young boys had just come out of the mansion into the early fall sunshine. They were laughing and joking as they descended the steps to the lawn. When they reach the bottom, one of the boys, Nick a skinny boy with long straight brown hair shouted, “Race you to the tree!” and took off running.
Chris, a slightly heavier lad with curly light brown hair and glasses reacted quickly, but not quickly enough and try as he might, Nick got to the tree and tagged it a second before Chris.
Nick threw up his arms and started dancing around like a winning prize-fighter and shouted, “I’m faster than a speeding bullet!”
Chris shouted, “No way!”
Both boys were out of breath from the run and collapsed to the ground.
Nick relented, “Okay. But I’m faster than
you. And stronger too.”
Again Chris rebutted, “No way!” and tackled Nick. The two boys, apparently best of friends were rolling around on the ground having a friendly wrestling match when something, out of place, caught their eyes.
There was awe in his tone as Chris asked, “What is it?”
Nick, being very practical asked, “How should I know?”
Their wrestling match completely forgotten the two boys got up and slowly approached the object.
It was a large box, like a steamer trunk, painted a shiny black with white moons and golden stars painted on it. Across the top there was a line of text in gold.
Chris read, “Open the lid and step inside, and you'll go on a magic ride.”
Nick suggested, “Maybe your dad sent it from his trip.”
With a look of wonder, Chris said, “Yeah, cool.”
Apparently the bravest of the two, Nick reached for the lid and opened the box. When the two boys peered inside all they saw was … nothing. It was totally empty.
Seeing this apparently harmless empty box, Nick challenged, “You wanna get in? Or are you scared?”
Replying to this challenge with one of his own, Chris asked, “Aren’t you?”
Not one to refuse a challenge or admit to being scared, Nick replied, “No way.”
Suiting his actions to his words, Nick climbed over the side of the box and stood inside. He looked around, up and down and then voiced what was happening, in a disappointed tone, “Nothing’s happening.”
Chris suggested a possible solution, “Maybe you have to close it.”
Nick nodded his agreement, “Okay.” He ducked down as Chris closed the lid.
Chris stood there for some seconds watching, but nothing appeared to be happening. Eventually he asked Nick, “Do you feel anything?”
Thinking that Nick just couldn’t hear him when in the box, because Nick didn’t answer, Chris shouted, “Nick? Hey, Nick!”
When Nick still didn’t answer Chris threw back the lid of the box. To his total amazement Nick was nowhere to be seen. The box was as empty as when they first opened it. Chris looked around at the surrounding area walking all around the box looking for a back door that he just hadn’t seen. Not being able to find Nick, Chris finally became really scared and started running for the safety of the house just as fast as his legs could carry him.
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Later, back in Metropolis, Lois and Clark were discussing their time in Smallville with his parents.
“Clark, I really love your mother. The more I get to know her, the more special I see that she is. I can see how you turned out the way you are. They have to be the best parents in the world.”
“I don’t think I need to tell you that they think a lot of you too. Dad loves you like a daughter, the daughter that they never had before. They have always told me that I was an answer to their prayers for a child, well, you are the answer to their desire for a daughter.”
“I’m glad that things have worked out this way. I’d hate it if they didn’t like me or if they were like my parents. I couldn’t bear that. I’m glad we can visit them on the spur of the moment that way. We couldn’t do that with my family.”
“You want to know a secret?”
“You know I always do.”
“When Mom called us when we were at the Lexor, she wasn’t calling me. She wanted to talk to her favorite daughter.”
Clark didn’t need his super vision to detect the tear that formed at the corner of Lois’s eye and he was sure that it wasn’t a tear of sadness either.
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