So does the title work? Actually have American Idol last night to thank for it.
Falling Slowly Lyrics Thanks to Nancy, Alisha and Beth.
[thanks to Bethy for answering my lawyer question]
I did make it past a writer's block. Am working on the next one. Have the outline pretty well outlined out but still need to get from one point to the next and I'm stuck at the moment. It's like 'do I really want to write about the next 3 hours or just jump to x'? Ah I'll get there. Hoping to get it moving today...
Last time:
Molly helped her into her room. Molly dug a pair of pajamas out of Lois' suitcase and went into the bathroom to get some water while Lois changed.
Lois reached out to take the glass when Molly grabbed her hand. "What's this?" she asked. "A wedding ring?"
Lois winced. "Quieter please and yes."
"And your *husband* is where exactly?"
"Not now, please, Molly." Lois was near tears. "I need sleep."
Molly nodded. "Okay. We'll talk more later."
Lois nodded and crawled under the covers.
Before she knew it, she was asleep.
Chapter 3Clark sighed and finally decided it was time to climb out of bed, check out of the hotel and try to figure out what the heck had happened.
He headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower – a glance at the clock had shown him he was going to have to hurry if he was going to get checked out in time and then go get his parents. Where exactly was his flannel shirt again?
He closed his eyes and tried to remember.
He could see her in it, walking away from his spot on the bed towards the bathroom, with miles of long legs visible beneath the hemline. He'd told her she looked sexy.
He winced as he realized he hadn't been home; hadn't done any of the chores. The milk cow would *not* be happy with him.
He finished in the bathroom and dressed quickly, trying to place the scent in the room.
Cucumber maybe?
He headed to the front desk. "I need to check out," he told the lady behind the counter.
She frowned. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kent, but there's a two night minimum with the wedding package."
He sighed. Of course there was.
"You're welcome to check out, of course, but you'll still be charged for both nights."
He nodded, thinking for a minute. "Actually, my parents are in town. Can they use it tonight?"
"You and Mrs. Kent won't be staying?"
He shook his head. "No." He looked around, seeing the guest book. He zoomed in.
Clark and Lois Kent.
Lois.
Right.
Her name was Lois.
But Lois Kent didn't help him much.
Her... maiden name would help, but not his last name.
"So your parents?" the lady prompted.
"They're up at the Crescent Hotel. They're supposed to leave today, but I'll ask them if they want to stay here tonight. Either way, I'll be back to let you know."
She smiled at him. "I'll send the maid service over immediately so it's ready for your parents if they decide to stay."
"Thank you."
He left the office and headed towards the road, deciding not to wait for the trolley, choosing instead to walk to the other hotel. It wasn't *far*, but it would take him a good half hour to get there.
Time to get his thoughts together.
He kept his hand shoved deep in his pockets, stopping for a minute in front of a little lotion and perfume shop. He wasn't sure why. Maybe they'd been there the day before. Yeah. That sounded right.
He continued on, finally walking into the lobby a little bit before noon.
"Clark! There you are." Martha walked quickly to him. "Where've you been?"
"Sorry, Mom," he said quietly, giving her a big hug. "I got held up."
He moved back, reaching for the suitcase his dad had set on the floor near them. She grabbed his hand.
"What's this?"
"Um..." He sighed. "We better sit down."
A minute later they were in a corner of the lobby as he explained what he knew.
"I woke up with a migraine," he told them. "I remember a little bit, but not much. Her name is Lois, I think. Clark and Lois Kent signed the guestbook at the hotel but I have no idea what her last name is – I'm not sure she ever told me."
"You with a migraine?" his dad asked.
Clark nodded. "I know, but yeah. I slept most of it off, I think, but I don't know how to find her or anything. She's from Metropolis. I think she was visiting a friend who works here but..." He sighed again. "Apparently, the, uh, wedding package came with two nights at the hotel so I'm paying for tonight, too, if you guys wanted to go stay there tonight, you can."
"I’m more concerned about the migraine," Martha told him. "What brought it on? Did she do... *something*, find *something*, that could hurt you?"
He shook his head. "No, it wasn't like that. I don't know what happened, but for all we know I get random migraines from time to time now that I'm an adult or maybe I overdid it between..." He looked around carefully. "...helping at that fire and flying you two here or something. But I'm *fine* now."
His parents exchanged a look. "Well then... Another night at a nice hotel for free? How can we turn that down?" Jonathan asked Martha.
She laughed. "We can't."
Clark picked up their suitcase. "Let's go then."
They got on the trolley in front of the hotel riding it around the historic loop until they reached the stop near the Heartstone Inn.
"This is nice, Clark," Martha said looking around at the property.
"Thanks, I guess. I don't remember getting here or anything else." He headed towards the front office. "I'll let them know you're staying."
He headed in and chatted with the man at the desk for a few minutes. A minute later, the lady he'd spoken with earlier came in.
"Mr. Kent, here's your wedding album," she told him with a smile, holding a book out towards him. "We have them ready at checkout but since you're leaving today, we wanted to make sure you had it before you left. I’m sure Mrs. Kent will enjoy them. The pictures turned out well."
He took it from her and stared at the picture of him and a beautiful brunette on the front cover. They looked good together even if they weren't wearing traditional wedding garb.
They looked happy.
The smiles on their faces told the story.
"It's been a long time since we've seen a couple quite so eager to get to their room," the man said with a smirk.
Clark was sure he was eight shades of red. "Um, well, thank you. Is there anything else I need to do to take care of the bill?"
He shook his head. "Nope. You're all set. Just have your parents turn their keys in tomorrow morning."
"Thank you."
He headed out of the office to give the keys to his parents and show them where the room was.
"What's that?" his mom asked, nodding at the book he held in his hand.
"Um, the wedding album," he told them. "Apparently, it's part of the package."
She held out her hand. "Let me see."
He handed it over.
"She's lovely," Jonathan said. "You both look very happy."
"That's what I thought," Clark told them. "But I still don't know who she is or how to find her. I didn't find the marriage certificate – the guy inside said he'd given it to us last night – so she must have it. I guess I'll have to wait to hear from her lawyer."
"You never know," Martha said with a wink at Jonathan. "Maybe you'll just hear from *her* and leave us for the big city. No more farm life for our boy."
Clark groaned. "I didn't get home last night. I better get back before Dolly thinks I deserted her completely."
They both gave Clark a big hug. "Thanks, son," Jonathan said.
Clark took the album back from his mom and headed for the trees as his parents turned towards their room for the night.
He rocketed into the air and headed for Kansas.
Hours later, he sat on the porch of the farmhouse, watching the sun set.
He took a long drink of the iced tea he'd brought outside with him. He'd had a number of chores to take care of since he'd been gone so long. He could have sped through them but decided not to, mainly because as long as he had something else to focus on, he didn't focus on his... wife.
But he was done with everything unless he decided to repaint the barn or something.
He looked at the album sitting on the porch swing next to him.
He finally picked it up, staring at the couple on the front cover.
He was standing behind her, his arms around her. Her hands covered his and they were both beaming at the camera. He stared at it for a long minute before opening the cover.
It wasn't a large album – maybe twenty pictures all together – but every one showed a couple happy, in love.
Or at least appearing to be in love.
They couldn't have been.
They'd only known each other for a few hours.
He sighed as he flipped through the book.
Lois walking towards him down the... aisle.
Holding hands as they looked at each other.
Putting rings he didn't remember buying on each others' fingers.
Smiling at her as they prepared for their first kiss.
Their first kiss.
Slightly dazed looks on their faces after their first kiss.
Cutting the small cake.
Feeding it to each other.
A toast of some kind.
A couple more of the two of them.
He sighed.
How was he going to find her?
*Should* he find her? Should he wait for her lawyer to contact him? Should he talk to Pete, Smallville's one and only lawyer who was also one of his best friends, to find out what he needed to do if anything? Could Pete find out who she was somehow?
He sighed and set the book to the side.
He fiddled with the wedding band still on his left hand. What was he supposed to do with it?
Leave it on?
He *was* married, but if he stayed in Smallville and took the job at the paper, it would be noticed immediately and everyone would be asking about it and where his wife was and why she wasn't in Smallville with him or he somewhere else with her.
But taking it off felt wrong.
He'd always thought he'd marry one time and that was it. For life. Like his parents.
He slipped the ring halfway off before changing his mind and sliding it back on. He'd probably hear from her lawyer sometime in the next few days and once he did, then he'd take it off. He'd hang out at the farm for the next week or so and no one would ever be the wiser.
Right?
He sighed. It was a plan.
Not a good plan.
But a plan.
Two weeks later, he decided it was time to stop hiding and he headed to town, stopping first at Pete's office.
"Clark!" Pete's secretary was out but his old friend immediately stood, meeting him in the doorway with a big hug. "When did you get in town?"
Clark took the seat indicated as Pete went back around his desk. "I've been at the farm for a couple weeks."
"Avoiding town?" Pete asked with a raised brow.
"Something like that."
"Why?"
Clark sighed and held up his left hand, wedding band still firmly in place.
Pete's jaw dropped. "You got married? Who's the lucky lady?"
"That's just it. I don't know."
"What?"
He told his friend briefly what happened. "So I don't know how to find her. I know her name is Lois and I think she's from Metropolis, but she didn't tell me what she does for a living – just that it's a man's world – or her last name or anything."
"What about the bed and breakfast? Do they have any records?"s
Clark shrugged. "I saw the check-in book the next morning, but it just said Clark and Lois Kent. I didn't feel like asking if they knew what my wife's maiden name was."
Pete winced. "I can't imagine why. So what do you want me to do?"
"I don't know. Is there a way to get a copy of the license without knowing her name? I keep expecting to hear from her lawyer about getting a divorce but I haven't yet. I'd guess I'm going to need you for that at some point."
His friend nodded. "I'll make a couple phone calls to Eureka Springs." He handed Clark a notepad and pen. "Write down as many details as you remember – date, time, all that stuff – and I'll see what I can do. I'd think the divorce would be pretty easy but you'll probably need a lawyer from New Troy if she files there. I've got a friend from law school who's in Metropolis. When she files, I'll help you get in touch with him. Something I'd be more concerned about is why you don't remember a lot of it. Could she have drugged you or something?"
Clark shook his head. He opened his briefcase and pulled out the wedding album. "I thought you might ask that so I brought this. Do either one of those people look like they're being coerced or drugged or anything?"
Pete flipped through the album. "She's pretty," he commented. "And you're right. These two people look completely in love, but Clark?"
"What?"
He turned the book around. "A John Deere T-shirt and a flannel? Really? You couldn't have found a place to buy a new shirt first?"
Clark rolled his eyes. "That's part of the day that I don't remember. I remember meeting her, hanging out, going on a trolley ride or three, the carriage, ice cream, the book store. She had a friend who worked at the hotel but I can't remember her name. Something with an N, I think, but I'm not sure. I don't remember anything from the bookstore until... later." He didn't look at Pete as he finished.
"Define... later," Pete asked.
"Later."
"I mean..." Pete sighed. "Man, this would have been easier in the locker room. Do you remember having sex with her? Are you sure the relationship was consummated?"
Clark nodded. "Yeah, it was consummated. I know that much."
Pete chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you remember that, I guess."
"You're right," Clark agreed. "This might have been easier in the locker room except there would have been twenty other guys around."
"Are you taking the job at the paper?"
He shrugged. "Probably. That way no one has to track me down when the papers come in but it also means I have to decide whether to mention this to anyone and if I still wear the wedding ring then I won't have a choice, but taking it off when she hasn't filed seems wrong."
"Well, I won't say anything, you know that, even if you're not officially a client. I'll see what I can find out from Eureka Springs and give you a call."
Clark stood and shook Pete's hand. "Thanks, man."
"Anytime."
Clark left the office and tried to decide what to do next.
The paper. They really did need help and Bill's surgery was coming up. He should have confirmed that he'd help a long time ago.
The office was only a couple blocks from Pete's and it didn't take Clark long to get there. He managed to avoid actually stopping to talk to anyone, instead waving and calling hello as necessary. He had dressed fairly nicely because he wasn't sure what his plans were when he left the house so he kept his briefcase in his left hand without it looking too out of place.
The bell rang as he opened the door.
"Clark!" Lisa practically ran towards him. "How are you? How long are you in town for? Are you going to take over for Bill while he's gone?"
Clark laughed, giving her a big hug. "I'm good. I'm not sure yet. If he'll have me then probably."
"Oh good!" Lisa smiled up at him. "Just remember that I changed your diapers so don't get too bossy on me."
"Don't worry."
"Lisa, did I hear... Clark! I thought that was you! How are you, son? Come on in." Bill motioned him towards the editor's office.
"I'm good, Bill. Thanks."
"Have a seat."
Clark sat in one of the chairs.
"So are you here to offer your services for a couple months?"
Clark hesitated again, then nodded. "Yeah. If you need me, I'm here."
"Well, you know I do and you know this office as well as anyone else I could get to do it."
Clark smiled. "Well, then I'm your man."
"The paper will be in good hands. Do you want to come back another day and go over everything just to make sure you remember or does now work for you?"
"Now's fine."
Clark stood up and Bill showed him around the office again. An hour later, they were seated in Bill's office again.
"Don't think I haven't noticed that ring," Bill said quietly. "No one's heard anything about you getting married. Do we need to put an announcement in the paper?"
Clark didn't look at him.
"Don't be surprised. I didn't get to be the editor of the Smallville paper because I can yodel, you know. Heck, I even scooped Perry White once or twice back in the day. So do we need to make room for an announcement?"
Clark shook his head. "No and it's not something I really want to talk about."
"Trouble in paradise?"
"Not something I want to talk about, Bill. I was kind of hoping no one would notice but I knew better."
"Do I even get her name?" Bill asked quietly.
"No," Clark answered in equally quiet tones. "I don’t want to talk about it at all."
"Rumors are going to be flying if you keep wearing that ring and not saying anything – everything from you met someone overseas, married quickly and either she died or couldn't get a visa or something to you got drunk in Vegas and aren't sure what her name is."
Clark almost started at how close Bill came to guessing the truth but managed to keep his surprise under control. "No, none of those."
"Well, you'll have to have thick skin for a while then but eventually folks will forget about it."
Clark nodded. "I know." He stood and shook hands with the man who had been his mentor in high school. "Thanks, Bill."
Bill walked him to the door. "You start Monday."
Clark nodded and waved to Lisa. "See you then."
Time passed quickly and before he knew it, it had been two and a half months since his trip to Arkansas.
Pete hadn't been able to find out who the mystery woman was. It was impossible to get a copy of the marriage certificate in Arkansas without knowing the maiden name of the bride – Clark Kent and Lois something just didn't cut it. He'd contacted the Heartstone Inn but they hadn't remembered anything other than the couple in question seemed to be very much in love and confirmed that her name was Lois. Her driver's license had been from New Troy, the lady thought, but Pete already knew that.
Working for the paper was rewarding if not much of a challenge. There wasn't *that* much intrigue in Smallville. One of the high school students had been arrested by Sheriff Rachel Harris – an old friend of Clark's – for selling pot but it was a small stash, probably for his personal use that he'd managed to get while visiting California. He'd sold one joint to a friend but it had been seen by the principal of Smallville High and so the arrest was made. He was a good kid who had no prior run-ins of any kind with either the police or school officials and would likely end up with community service for the rest of his life or so rather than anything more serious.
That had been the most scandalous happening in Smallville for quite some time.
Except for his marriage, of course.
He, and his parents, had refused to comment on his marriage or the circumstances surrounding it or where his wife was and after about three or four weeks, people stopped asking and fewer conversations ground to a halt when he walked in a room.
He took out the album regularly, wondering why he hadn't heard from her lawyer. Wondering why they couldn't have met under other circumstances and dated and fallen in love and gotten married in a more conventional manner.
He dreamed about their night together. Over the course of time, he'd remembered almost everything from the time they got to their room to the time he fell asleep holding her in his arms, but from the time they left the bookstore to that point was still something of a blur. He had vague recollections of picking out wedding bands and something about buying cucumber lotion or something and going to a number of different chapels before they found one that would marry them immediately and had a room with a Jacuzzi for the night. He knew that by the time they'd found the Heartstone Inn, they'd decided they didn't care about the Jacuzzi anymore. Heck, at that point, he thought they would have settled for anything with a lock – bed or not. He wasn't even sure why the Jacuzzi thing had been a big deal for his bride, but it had been.
He pulled an envelope out of his desk and took the picture out of it. He'd copied one of the pictures of the two of them and left it in his desk. Bill was going to be back in a couple days and maybe he'd go to Metropolis for a while – just to see if he could find her.
He sighed as he looked at the couple. In this particular picture, he was behind her, his face buried in her hair, eyes closed as though memorizing the scent of her. It was his favorite because she looked happy and completely at peace in his arms.
He slipped it back in the envelope and put it back in his desk, picking up the article about the basketball team tryouts. It didn't need much editing but he couldn't even concentrate on that.
The bell on the front door jangled as it opened and he heard Lisa ask someone if she could help them.
"I hope so," was the reply.
Clark's brow furrowed. The voice sounded familiar.
"I'm looking for someone. I know he's from Smallville and he mentioned the paper once but..."
"Well, I know just about everyone from around these parts," Lisa told her. "For the last thirty years or more. Who is it you're looking for?"
Clark stood to walk to the door.
"I'm looking for a man named Clark. About six foot, dark hair..."
Clark's jaw dropped as he walked out the door and saw her standing there.
"Lois," he whispered.
It was her.
She'd come to find him.
The only question was if it was a good thing or a bad thing.
The sinking filling in his stomach as she looked at him told him the answer.
It wasn't a good thing.
*****
TBC
