Epilogue:
"Where to next?"
Lois looked around the small town from behind dark sunglasses. "Next was the book shop."
"Right – kama sutra wasn't it?" Clark wrapped his arms around her from behind, moving in unison with her as he whispered in her ear.
"I didn't know you already had three copies," she replied primly. "You never have told me *why* you had three copies."
"One was a very rare edition given to me by a family in India when I saved their daughter. One is in English because I couldn't read the Indian one at the time."
"And the third?"
"I, uh, came back and bought the one that you had picked up – just because."
She smacked his arm. "Why?"
"I was smitten."
"Was?"
He laughed. "I'm still smitten. You know that."
"Well it's nice to hear it every once in a while."
"You heard it this morning, Mrs. Kent," he growled before kissing the spot on her neck.
She laughed. "Do you think Zeke has any idea why we named him what we did?"
"He's nine, not psychic. He knows that Ezekiel was after Ezzie and that we just liked the name Ezekiel Steven but he doesn't know his initials come from Eureka Springs."
They spent a few minutes browsing around the bookstore before heading to get some more lotion.
It had been ten years since they'd first met in front of the hotel in Eureka Springs and those years had been good to them. Just weeks before the birth of their first child, they'd won their first joint Kerth for their introduction of Superman and not long after that they moved into the brownstone they still occupied. Two years later, Lara Lane Kent had joined their family. Not long after that, Lois had become the recipient of Clark's powers for a time, choosing to become Ultra Woman for a week until they were able to reverse the effects of the Red Kryptonite.
It wasn't the only Red Kryptonite they'd encountered. There had also been the piece that had made Clark apathetic and the piece that made his powers go wonky. They'd cleaned up Shuster's Field and most of the Green Kryptonite once Clark's powers had come back two days after the incident at the farm, but they had encountered it from time to time, including the time Lex Luthor had imprisoned Clark, as Superman, in a cage coated with the toxic substance in an effort to stop their investigations.
They'd won their Pulitzer for the series of stories that brought down his empire.
Three years after Lara's birth, Jonathan Joel joined the family.
And, now, on their tenth anniversary, they were retracing their steps from that first day in Eureka Springs.
Lois wandered around the store, sniffing this lotion and that body wash before finally settling on the same cucumber she'd bought the first time they were there.
"Let's get out of here." Clark's arms wrapped tightly around here. "We've got that room, with the Jacuzzi, and it's just down the street..." He trailed wet kisses down the side of her neck.
Instantly on alert, Lois sniffed the air.
Nothing.
She looked around, her eyes coming to rest on the sun catcher she'd noticed the first time they were there.
Red.
Glistening in the sun.
Glowing really.
She turned in his arms. "Clark," she said sweetly. "I need you to do something for me."
He kissed her, passionately. "Anything. Anytime. Anywhere."
"Right here. Right now."
"What?"
"I need you to use your vision gizmos on that sun catcher. What's the red one made of?"
He looked over the top of his glasses. "It's Red Kryptonite. Why? Can't we go back to our room now?"
"In a minute, sweetheart. First, we need to break that."
"Why?"
"Because it's affecting you, sweetheart. Just like the first two times we were here."
"And I distinctly remember telling you to take full advantage of me if we ever encountered whatever it was again." He kissed her again, but not nearly like he wanted to before she pulled away.
"And if you go break that for me, I'll take you back to the hotel and take full advantage. How's that?"
"Promise."
She held up three fingers. "Scout's honor. I'll distract them; you break."
Lois headed for the counter, pulling both clerks into a conversation about the merits of one line of products over another. There was a gust of wind and a shattering sound as the sun catcher fell to the floor. The piece of Red Kryptonite was nowhere to be seen.
After a few minutes of confusion over how *that* had happened, Lois finished her purchase and headed towards the hotel. Unless she was very much mistaken, Clark was already there, waiting for her.
Sure enough, there he was. He was wearing the black pajamas she'd had him buy the last time – something he saved only for special occasions.
He held out a bag, dangling it from one finger. "I got something for you."
"What is it?" she asked, surprised she wasn't already completely unclothed and on the bed with him. "And what happened to the Red Kryptonite?"
He stood and walked towards her. "In a safe place. That way if I ever forget how much I want you, you can use it to remind me."
"I don't think that'll be a problem, Farmboy."
"I know, but just in case..." His voice trailed off as she stepped out of her pants and pulled her shirt over her head.
She took the bag from his hand and tossed it to the side. "I don't think we really need that, do we?"
Clark's lips were on hers instantly and it was mere seconds before they were on the bed, working in unison to take his pajamas off.
Overcome with need and desire, it wasn't long until they lay breathless in each other's arms.
"Where'd that come from?" Lois asked with a smirk.
"Where do you think? And where'd you get that underwear, anyway? And how'd you keep me from finding them?"
"They were at CostMart."
"Matching Superman bra and underwear? I don't remember authorizing that as part of the Superman clothing line."
Lois gave a one armed shrug. "Well, it worked, didn't it?" She leaned up and looked down at him. His eyes were still slightly glassed over. Had he really meant what he said about 'taking advantage' of him like this?
"I love you, Lois Lane-Kent." The intensity in his words, his eyes, caught her off-guard. Suddenly clear and bright, she knew he was in control. He'd never do anything he felt was wrong, even under the influence of Red Kryptonite – no matter which version of it.
"I love you, Clark." She kissed him lightly as he brought one hand up to cradle her face, his fingers tangling in her hair.
"I'm still falling slowly for you, you know," he whispered when he pulled back.
"I'm still falling slowly for you." She settled into the crook of his arm, one of her arms tossed over his abdomen.
They lay there until they both began to doze; cocooned in their own little world, where only the two of them existed.
*****
Fin
