The first part of the story is
here . If you haven't read it, this epilogue may not make sense. Both parts will be submitted as one story to the archive.
October 6, 2033Hand-in-hand, Lois and Clark walked down Clinton Street, which had recently had a resurgence of new businesses opening. After another forty years of marriage, it remained a thrill holding each other’s hand. Clark’s aura had again slowed Lois’s aging. She looked like a woman in her thirties rather than her age. And Clark, well, he still looked like he was in his twenties.
Lois remembered the walk they’d taken down this same street forty years ago. With hindsight—or was it foresight?—she and Clark had been able to make a difference faster than the first time. Although she wouldn’t have changed a thing in either lifetime they’d lived. Each was unique. As Mike had predicted, the changes meant that their second lifetime was different, which pleased both Lois and Clark. They had avoided some mistakes and met new challenges. Through it all, their love and family had grown.
The first lifetime had been spent forging their bonds of love and trust and overcoming their fears. The second one allowed them to create the family they’d missed the first time. She was proud of each family member. All of their children were superheroes in their own right. And when they turned old enough, they and the grandchildren had started their training under Clark. The Kent Farm where Laura and her family now lived was the training ground for the new superheroes.
The world was a safer place and Metropolis a brighter city than before Superman’s arrival.
Lois remembered fondly how forty years ago she’d proposed the second time. They’d married on October 6, 1993, three years earlier than the first time. She hadn’t wasted a moment and convinced Superman to fly their parents, Lucy, Jimmy, Perry and Alice to Las Vegas for their intimate wedding.
Dr. Platt had been placed in Superman’s protective custody. Six months after the successful launch of the colonists, he had joined his wife and daughter Amy on the Prometheus. Allie had been saved by Superman. Together he and Dr. Lane had turned in evidence about Max Menken. This time he and many others including Lex lived to face their crimes. The Smart Kids and many other innocents had benefited from Lois and Clark’s return to the past.
She smiled, remembering the disappointment on Cat’s face when Clark had announced their engagement. Mayson similarly had difficulty hiding her reaction when Lois and Clark informed her they were happily married and expecting their first child. Even though Mayson never liked Superman, she became a colleague who helped bring down Intergang. She had transferred to Washington after marrying Dan. A sonic boom overhead interrupted Lois’s reminiscing.
Clark looked up and whispered, “Jon.”
“Do you need to… ?” Lois asked as she made the flying motion with her hand.
He cocked his head, and Lois recognized his expression. He and Jon were communicating telepathically. After a moment, his expression cleared. “No. He has it under control.”
Glancing down the street, Lois recognized the old-fashioned awning. “Oh, look, Clark! Second Chances is back!”
“Do you want to step inside?”
“Yes! Maybe we’ll meet some old friends.”
Clark smiled and gently placed his hand on the small of her back. Even after one hundred years of marriage if she counted both lifetimes, which she always did, his touch still made her feel safe and cherished.
They reached the door of the cafe, which appeared as timeless as the first time they’d entered it. The green-and-gold-striped awning looked the same, and the gold still matched the letters of the cafe’s name. The inside also hadn’t changed. There were the warm wood tones with the cheery gold-and-green colors they both remembered. The tables throughout the room were filled. As they glanced around, Mike came up to them. The antique jukebox played the same song as before.
Mike greeted them warmly, and then stepped aside as they looked around the cafe. Their family was seated at the tables. All six children and their spouses, including Jon who was slipping into place, along with all their grandchildren stood and cheered. “Happy Anniversary!” And, in a corner table, Lois and Clark saw their grinning counterparts, the Clark whom Lois had convinced to be Superman and his Lois, with their grown children. Mary Frances stood smiling in the back.
With tears in her eyes, Lois turned to Mike. “Did you arrange this?”
Mike smiled and shook his head. “It was your children and grandchildren who thought of it, and they are the ones who made it happen. All I did was provide the place and ask the other Lois and Clark if they’d like to join the celebration. Come on. You have a party to attend as the guests of honor!”
From the back of the room they heard, “Dance with her, Dad!” In a Metropolis Moment, everyone in the room joined the cheer, “Dance! Dance!”
With a twinkle in his eye, Clark took Lois in his arms, and they glided around the room. After a few moments, Lois and Clark’s feet never quite touched the floor. The adults noticed, and quickly distracted the children too young to know the family secret.
Lois whispered softly in his ear, “
This is dancing.”
As they had done countless times in the past, they were soon lost in each other. The room disappeared as they found themselves held in each other’s gaze and embrace. With their century of practice, only Lois and Clark could in their own way, both fully aware of their K-rated audience, show their lifelong love and commitment. All in a crowded restaurant of family and friends, while dancing on an inch of air.
NotesMike is from the Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman episode “Swear to God, This Time We’re Not Kidding.”
The original Mary Frances is the nun in some of my other stories, including “The Nun’s Tale” and the Missions series.
Teri Hatcher played the young Donna Eleese, Sam Beckett’s future wife in the Quantum Leap episode “Star-Crossed.”
This story was written in response to a challenge on the Lois and Clark Message Boards to write a story based on the last song you heard, which was Roy Clark’s “If I Had To Do It All Over Again.”
Comments go here and are always welcomed! 
