TOC Swear to God, This Time We're Eloping (2/4)
When she finally forced herself to pull away, Lois looked into Clark's eyes and saw that they were glowing with excitement. She knew just what he was thinking. That kiss had erased any lingering doubts in Clark's mind. Now that he was finally convinced that Lois wanted this just as much as he did, he was starting to get into the spirit of their wedding.
By this time tomorrow, they would be husband and wife -- for real this time. Her heart pounded with anticipation. This time, nothing could ruin their wedding. Even if they had to go in disguises, no one would know that Lois Lane and Clark Kent were getting married in Las Vegas, Nevada on the evening of October 6, 1996. Today was the last day they would ever be just fiancés. In a few hours, they would be husband and wife. It was like the end of a long, painful journey was finally in sight. The goal they'd been striving to achieve for ages was finally going to be reached. It was the best feeling in the world.
Clark almost voiced Lois's thoughts when he said, "We're really going to do this, aren't we? In just a few hours you are going to make all my dreams come true."
Lois nodded and planted another soft kiss on his lips. He could have been talking about any number of dreams he might have had, but she knew that she wanted to satisfy each and every one of them.
Clark looked into her eyes and said, "My imagination is not playing some horribly cruel joke on me, right? This is real. It has to be real," as he reached out to grab her hand. If this wasn't really happening, would his feelings be this intense? Would he have felt the intense connection as soon as he touched Lois's hands if he was dreaming?
"I swear to god, Clark. This time I'm not kidding." She grinned at Clark and squeezed his hands as she said, "It's really going to happen. By this time tomorrow, we'll be on our honeymoon!"
"Hmm," he sighed as his mind drifted to far away places as he was thinking just what they would be doing at this time tomorrow. And what a beautiful thought it was.
Where would he take her for their honeymoon? He could fly them absolutely anywhere in the world. And he would take her anywhere she wanted, and he was looking forward to satisfying that and every other wish his wife-to-be had now or in the future.
However, that mirthful feeling was short-lived. Clark's treacherous mind immediately threw up warning signals. Over-thinking was a bad idea. Why was he always doing that? His annoying logical mind too often overrode his feelings.
What were they going to do about work tomorrow? Were they just not going to show up? If they were eloping, it would be counter-intuitive to tell anyone, even Perry, what they were planning. But then were they going to show up at work tomorrow and tell everyone they were married? Or should they just call Perry tonight?
What was he doing? Lois probably had all this figured out. It seemed as though she had considered almost everything else. He had to learn how to just go with the flow. Lois was right; he obsessed way too much. Everything he was worrying about now was just a minor detail. Get a grip, Kent! But of course he couldn't do that. He needed to know the answers to his many questions before he could be comfortable.
Clark wondered, "Lois, what are we going to do about a honeymoon? Are we coming back to Metropolis after we get married?"
Lois shook her head wildly. "No, no, no. I am getting the honeymoon we planned so long ago. We're going to Hawaii for a whole week of fun in the sun -- clothing optional," she said, winking at him suggestively.
He felt his breath catch in his throat. No, he definitely wasn't going to object to that idea. Wow, a week on a secluded beach as a married couple -- and this time, there wasn't any chance that a deranged man named Spencer Spencer would ruin their time alone in an island paradise. It was going to be absolute perfection.
"Shouldn't we at least tell Perry we're getting married so we'll be able to take a honeymoon and he won't expect us in tomorrow?"
Of course he wanted the honeymoon that Lois had just described, but he also wanted a job to come back to when they returned. He was fairly sure that Perry wouldn't fire the paper's top reporting team, but his overdeveloped conscience could never let him test Perry's good will.
Lois rolled her eyes and said, "We aren't going to tell Perry that we're getting married until we actually *are* married. He'll be so happy that we finally did it; he'll probably give us an entire month off for our honeymoon! Clark, I don't want to let anyone know that we're getting married until after we've actually done it. That's the whole point of eloping. The more people that know, the more risk of everyone in the world knowing and that means our happiness is in jeopardy. If more people know, someone is bound to ruin our wedding. It's just better for us to do it in secret and then tell everyone after the fact when no one can change what has already happened. Let's just be impulsive this time, Clark. Can't we just do it without asking so many questions?"
Clark raised his eyebrows at Lois. Surely she wasn't serious. She didn't want to tell *anyone*? So, okay, she did have a point about the rumor mill; as soon as one person knew the rest of the newsroom would know. But was that true about the whole world knowing? He wasn't sure. Were they really that important in the scope of the entire world? Even if Lois was right about the rumor mill, he felt like they owed it to at least a few people to tell them what was going to be happening today.
"No one?" Clark wondered suspiciously.
"No one." Now Lois was getting frustrated. Even after she thought she had convinced him, here he was challenging her again. "Clark, that's what eloping is! You should really learn the meaning of the word, Clark." Sometimes he was just such a frustrating lunkhead. But he was *her* frustrating lunkhead.
"But what about our parents, your sister, Perry, and Jimmy? You really want to get married without telling them at all?"
He just couldn't see getting married without their family and closest friends knowing about it. Even if she didn't want a big, fancy wedding as she claimed, he was sure that she would regret it if they got married without their closest family and friends in attendance.
Lois knew Clark was very close to his parents and probably couldn't fathom the idea of their not being at his wedding. As much as she loved everyone that he had mentioned, she knew that they all would understand the couple's motivations. In fact, everyone on that list would give the marriage their blessings no matter how it was achieved. All anyone wanted was for Lois and Clark to be happy. And getting married would make them both absolutely thrilled.
She squeezed his arm reassuringly and said, "Clark, I know your parents will understand. We can even stop and tell them on the way to Vegas if you want. I'm sure they'll agree that this is the best thing for us to do." Then she looked up at him and grinned. "You know, your mom actually suggested this to me a few weeks ago."
"Wait, my mom suggested this?"
Clark wasn't really surprised. His mother was always the pragmatic one. Obviously, she and Lois were thinking along the same lines. She had probably planted the idea in Lois's mind and Lois had run with it.
Sometimes his mother absolutely amazed him. With the exception of Lois, his mother was the smartest woman he knew. When those two got together, there was just no stopping them. They came up with the most incredible ideas -- all of which usually involved him in some way.
But he suddenly realized that both his mother and Lois had the right idea in this case. Eloping was undoubtedly the best plan -- even if he wasn't completely comfortable about getting married without telling anyone.
Of course, his mother only wanted Clark to be happy. And his marrying Lois would do just that. Clark knew that his mother would love to see his wedding, but if she and his father couldn't be there in person, they would be there in spirit. They would be so overjoyed to see their son finally married to the woman they already considered their daughter.
"Yeah," Lois said with a hint of mirth in her eyes, seeing that Clark's expression of initial surprise that had morphed into one of understanding.
Clark shook his head in disbelief, tinged by amusement. "You know, my Mom really does have good ideas."
"She does, doesn't she?" Then Lois kissed his cheek.
Even though Clark was convinced that his parents would be okay with their elopement, he wasn't sure about everyone else on his list of important people in their lives.
"Lois, but what about your parents and your sister and our friends? Shouldn't we tell them?"
"Clark, we're eloping. When you elope, you don't tell anyone, not even your pets!"
Lois shook her head, holding strongly to her belief that no one else should know. Even though she realized Clark was just trying to make sure they weren't going to hurt anyone's feelings, Lois couldn't allow herself to think that way. They'd spent far too long worrying about everyone else. The only important thing for them to do right now was to take care of themselves. They could worry about everyone else later. What mattered was that she and Clark were going to get married. Finally. The rest of the world would have to understand. Okay, maybe her mother wouldn't understand right away, but she would eventually accept it. This decision would affect the rest of their lives, so she and Clark needed to do what was best for them and forget about everyone else.
Then she continued, "Clark, I don't care who is at our wedding. There is only one person I want to be there, and he's standing right next to me."
She had a point -- a very good point.
Lois put both of her hands on his chest and continued, "If you really want to, we can stop in Kansas on our way to Vegas and tell your parents. We can call everyone else after the fact, before we leave for our honeymoon." Then she had a brilliant idea. "Your parents could even be our witnesses."
As much as he loved the idea of his parents witnessing his wedding, he couldn't help but feel a little selfish. His parents got to be there and hers didn't? Clark knew that Lois would be happy to have his parents with them for their wedding. She was definitely closer to Martha than to her own mother. It probably wouldn't worry her in the slightest if Ellen and Sam weren't there. But it did bother Clark. He didn't want anyone to be jealous over this elopement. If eloping meant that they weren't going to tell anyone, then they weren't even going to tell his parents.
No, no he didn't want to start the fight about her parents coming to the wedding again. He already knew what her response would be. Now was not the time to challenge her or disagree with her. He had done that too much already today. This was their wedding day not just some random day in the middle of the week. What good would fighting be today? He wanted only happy memories of this day.
Clark grinned at her. He was so happy that he got into the gleeful spirit that his practical side been trying to suppress. His sense of humor had finally overcome his sense of duty. They were eloping today, in Las Vegas, the place most famous for elopements in the world.
He found himself joking, "Okay, but wouldn't you rather have an Elvis impersonator and Wayne Newton as our witnesses?"
After all, they were going to Vegas. And who was more associated with Vegas than Wayne Newton and Elvis? The sudden, intense excitement that they were going to be getting married today -- right now -- made him feel almost giddy. It was an abrupt mood shift. Maybe it was caused by the knowledge that he had finally completely accepted that this was the best idea. They were getting married!
Lois breathed a huge sigh of relief. If Clark was teasing her, then he had definitely joined her side. He was agreeing with her completely. They really were going to elope! They would be in Vegas getting married before she knew it.
She decided to throw a jibe back at him. "Hey, buster, I'm Lois Lane, not Perry White. I will *not* have Elvis at my wedding! Since you seem to want Elvis at your wedding, maybe you'd rather marry Perry..."
Then she giggled at the shocked and scandalized expression on his face.
"Very funny." Then he grabbed her and pulled her close to him. "Maybe *you'd* rather I married him, huh?" Then he pushed his lips into hers and gave her a hard kiss that seemed to leave her speechless. "Didn't think so." Then he laughed heartily, still amazed that this was really happening.
Lois grinned at her future husband and said, "Come on, Clark. Let's go now. We can leave work a few hours early. It's not like we don't have a good reason. What do you say?"
He couldn't deny her anything now. It wasn't even like they were doing anything at work right now anyway. Besides, this was so much more important than anything else in their lives at this moment. If she just gave him the word, they could be in Las Vegas in about 5 seconds.
A large grin spread over his face as lyrics from a song he had once heard at the Smallville Corn Festival played in his head. Mimicking the lyrics, he sang off key, "Hey, baby, let's go to Vegas. Leave the single life behind. Hey, baby, let's go to Vegas. Bet on love and let it ride."
Lois rolled her eyes and decided to hassle him about that line. She also remembered those lyrics from a song they had heard at the Smallville Corn Festival. Then she remembered who had sung the song and the image of a tall blonde came to mind. She rolled her eyes at Clark and said, "I'm not Faith Hill either, Kent. You really do have a thing for blondes."
It might have sounded like she was jealous, but she was really just kidding. She wasn't trying to accuse him of anything. In fact, she knew that he only had eyes for her -- and didn't have a thing for blondes.
"Hey! No I don't," Clark protested.
Lois decided to tease him more. So she said, "Yes you do. Lana, Mayson... Need I go on?"
"Lo-is. You know that I..."
His heart pounded. Had he just ruined the hopes of getting married today? She couldn't be bringing up an argument that had been settled years ago. Obviously he didn't have a thing for blondes. He loved Lois and thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. Lana, Mayson, and even Faith Hill paled in comparison.
She interrupted him with another kiss. He was so cute when he was trapped and trying to explain his way out of a situation. Sometimes she provoked him just to see this exact reaction -- or the make out sessions that usually followed the argument.
"Clark, I know. I'm just kidding." Then she changed the subject. They had spent way too much time in this conference room and it was time for them to get moving. The anticipation of their wedding was becoming too much for her to bear. "Come on, Clark. Are you ready to go?"
"Viva Las Vegas!" Clark said, agreeing with her completely.
He stood up quickly, pulling her along with him. They were really going to do it! In just a few minutes, they would be in Las Vegas. And in only a while little longer, they would be legally married. It almost seemed too good to be true!
They quickly set out from the conference room and made their way back into the newsroom. The couple was filled with a determination to leave as quickly as possible, before anyone could stop them to ask any questions. The sooner they left, the better.
"Let me just grab my stuff and I'll meet you at the elevator," Lois said quickly as she darted back towards her desk.
Her heart was pounding with anticipation and her hands were shaking as she grabbed her purse and a few important things from her desk. She made it to the elevator without being interrupted. It looked like the Planet staff knew not to interrupt Mad Dog Lane when she had such a determined air. In fact, they absolutely avoided her and turned the other way when she approached.
Clark was not quite so lucky. Even when he was in a hurry, someone was bound to interrupt him, it seemed. This time it was Jimmy Olsen. Who else could it possibly be? Jimmy was one of his best friends, but sometimes he was very annoying!
Jimmy came up to him, wondering aloud, "Hey, CK, where are you running off to?"
Clark decided to tell him the truth. After all, Superman did not lie. Besides, it would almost be funny to see Jimmy's reaction to what he was about to say.
He clapped the younger man on the shoulder and said, "Oh, nothing, Jimmy." Then he started to walk away. "I can't talk; I'm in a hurry."
"Oh, big story?" Jimmy wondered.
Clark shrugged his shoulders and kept walking towards the elevator. When he met up with Lois, Jimmy was still behind him. So he said in a very nonchalant voice, "Not really, Jimmy. Lois and I are just going to get married tonight."
Then the elevator doors opened and Lois and Clark stepped on. The doors closed behind them.
"Okay," Jimmy said. Then what Clark had just said sunk in completely. Sometimes it took a little while for Jimmy's mind to comprehend things. "Wait, you and Lois are getting married? What?" When he realized that Clark was no longer there to answer him, Jimmy just shook his head. "Nah, couldn't be. I must be hearing things."
In the elevator, Lois looked at Clark sternly, shocked at what he had just done. He couldn't have just told Jimmy that they were getting married! It might have just ruined the whole plan! "Clark! I can't believe you just did that!"
"What?" He shrugged his shoulders. "I couldn't just lie to him." Then he wrapped his arm around her shoulders before he said, "He doesn't believe me anyway."
"Are you sure?" Lois raised her eyebrows and glared at him.
He touched his ear indicating that he had picked up Jimmy saying something with his Superhearing, and said, "Don't worry, Lois. He doesn't even think he heard me correctly." Then when she didn't seem completely convinced, he whispered, "Superhearing, Lois. He just said, 'Nah, couldn't be. I must be hearing things.'"
"You'd better be right," Lois threatened.
Clark planted a soft kiss on her lips before he said, "Don't worry, Lois," he whispered. "Nothing is going to stop us from getting married today." He hoped he was right. If only he believed what he was saying, his heart would be much lighter.
As Lois thought about it, she knew that she wasn't really mad at Clark for what he had said. She really did want Jimmy to know eventually, but just not right now. On the positive side, now he couldn't even claim that they hadn't told him about their elopement. He would be the only one in the newsroom who had known their true plans. Yet he hadn't chosen to believe them. It was ironic that Jimmy had chosen to ignore the truth. He would probably kick himself when Lois and Clark showed up in the newsroom as a married couple.
The elevator seemed to be taking a very long time to get to the lobby although it didn't make any other stops. Time seemed to drag for the couple as they anxiously awaited the biggest event of their lives. Now that their wedding was in sight, time seemed to crawl.
It had started out as any day would have, but today had taken on an entirely new context. This day had become their wedding day -- the most important day of their lives. Even though it wasn't their originally planned wedding day, it would be the only day that would end with Lois Lane married to Clark Kent. They hoped. No, it was definitely going to happen. After this wedding, Lois and Clark would forever be husband and wife.
When the elevator finally reached the ground floor, Lois grabbed Clark's hand and pulled him through the lobby. It wasn't as though she really needed to pull him; he was just as excited as she was. However, as he had learned the first time he met her, she liked being in charge, and he wasn't about to make her relinquish that control. He was more than willing to follow her.
They had made it out of the newsroom -- now out of the building -- without any serious questions from their co-workers. This was actually going according to plan. No one had challenged them yet, so they hadn't wasted any time. The next hurdle to overcome was getting out of Metropolis. They hoped it would be as easy as their escape from the newsroom.
"We made it!" Lois exclaimed as they walked through the revolving door and out into the pouring rain. The rain didn’t bother her, though, because her emotions were on such a high that nothing in the world would be able to rattle her. In fact, she almost felt like dancing in the middle of the pouring rain.
Clark grinned at her, his excitement level reaching hers. He knew she had become a woman with a mission. They had a clear goal, and neither would rest until that goal was accomplished, today. "Yes, we did." He couldn't help himself, so he pulled her close and planted a quick kiss on her lips. "Where did you want to go first?" Clark asked.
"Las Vegas," Lois whispered. Then she remembered that they couldn't really leave Metropolis quite yet. She sighed as she said, "I guess we have to stop at your apartment before we leave. You have the rings." The rings were another of those silly important things that they would need to have before they could get married.
Clark grinned at her as he brought her hand to his face and placed a kiss on her ring finger. Then he whispered, "We can't leave home without them."
"Mmmm, you're right." Lois let her hand linger by his mouth, wondering if he would kiss her again. Smiling, she said, "Let's go, Clark. The sooner we get there, the sooner the honeymoon begins."
He felt his breath catch in his throat at the thought of what was to come. First the wedding and then the honeymoon. His hours of being a very patient man were numbered, and he couldn't wait until they were finally over. He had a super strong will, but even he could only be patient for so long. "Do you want me to..." he made a hand motion that they often used to indicate flying.
"Of course," she said in a very matter-of-fact tone. What else would they do? Oh yeah. "I brought the Jeep, but we can leave it here. We don't want to waste any time." They were on a mission! And they certainly didn't have time to waste on such mundane things as the Jeep.
As they spoke, Lois and Clark made their way towards the closest deserted alley. They both had known what Lois's answer would be. Clark's asking was nothing more than a formality.
"Okay," Clark said quickly. He didn't want to waste the time that it would take to drive the Jeep either. What if there was a traffic jam, or they had car trouble? She was right. He did not want to deal with anything like that today. Flying was undoubtedly the way to go. "Ready?"
That was almost a silly question to ask. Of course she was ready. In fact, she'd never been more ready for anything in her life. Lois nodded. Before she finished, Clark stood in front of her dressed in his Superman suit.
He scooped her up into his arms and quickly took off. The flight took only a few seconds and before they knew it, they were flying through his apartment's back window.
When they landed, Clark said, "I'll just grab the rings." He didn't want to waste any time. Although the rings were securely hidden, he knew exactly where he had put them for safe keeping. The rings were residing in a place very close to his heart.
Lois followed him and said, "Where are they, Clark? You never told me where you put them after you got back from New Krypton."
"I kept them in a safe place." He shrugged. The rings were in the safest place he could think of, but also in a place where he was able to see them several times a day. "Let me show you." He led the way to the secret closet where he kept his Superman suits and said, "I wanted to keep them safe."
"You kept them with your Suits?" Lois wasn't sure what his motivation was. He had probably hidden them in his secret closet for safe-keeping. After all, both his apartment and hers had experienced an unusually high number of break-ins. Neither wanted their rings to be stolen before they had the chance to wear them.
"Yeah." He shrugged. "I wanted to see them every day before I got dressed and think about our future. It gave me the power to go on." Yes, he really was a sentimental softie, but he couldn't help it.
"Clark," she said softly. Sometimes he surprised her with his sentimental side. She had been completely wrong about his motivations. "That is so sweet." Then her voice dropped a bit when she said, "I love you."
"I love you, too, Lois." He grabbed the ring boxes off the top shelf and handed them to Lois before he quickly bent down to kiss her.
Now that Lois had the rings in her hands, she fought the urge to take hers and slip it onto her finger. It had been so long since they had purchased the bands. She longed to feel the cool metal against her finger as she slid it on. But she could wait. It was only a matter of a few hours; it wouldn't be long until she would be able to wear the ring forever.
"Are you ready to go, Clark?" she wondered, anxious to get going. Now they were just wasting time. Even though Las Vegas was known to have chapels open twenty-four hours, Lois didn't want to take any chances.
Just before Clark said 'let's go,' he stopped. His mind traveled to the suit and tie he had work to work. Would they be okay to wear to the wedding? He could get the tux from the back of his closet if she wanted to dress up. The suit he had worn today had been okay for work, but was it nice enough for their wedding? He had absolutely no idea what to wear to a wedding in Las Vegas. His words came out quickly obviously showing his confusion, "What should I wear? Should I change? Maybe I should wear a nicer suit. It *is* our wedding day."
Oh, silly Clark. Did he really think that what he wore mattered to her? All she wanted was to be married. Their clothes were the last thing on her mind. The sooner they got to Vegas the better. She wasn't planning on changing until they got there -- if at all. "Don't worry about it, Clark. If we decide we want to change, we can change when we get there."
"So I should bring my tux?" Clark wondered. He was confused. Obviously he was going to have to change out of his Superman suit, but he was just wondering what other suit he should bring.
"Don't worry about it. If we decide we want to, we can rent a tux for you and a dress for me." She grinned when she said, "Or if we want, there are even themed weddings we could choose from. They come complete with costumes."
Clark raised his eyebrows showing his surprise. "Costumes?" Did he really want to hear what Lois was thinking? Probably not.
Lois grinned and said, "They have tons of themed weddings. I don't like a lot of them -- little green aliens with big eyes," she wrinkled her nose and continued, "Star Trek, Medieval peasants." Then she shrugged her shoulders. Clark was not going to like this idea, but she thought it was funny. Her giddy mood had taken over. "If we really wanted to surprise Perry, we could dress up as Elvis and Pricilla."
"Well, that would be a good picture to show Perry," Clark said as he shook his head. "But he would be jealous that we didn't invite him." Then he realized that Lois knew a little too much about Las Vegas than someone who had just come up with the idea would. She had clearly done some research. How long had she been planning this? So he changed the subject, and asked in a suspicious tone, "How do you know this? Were you looking it up on the internet, Lois?"
Oops, he had caught her. Should she deny it? He had definitely caught her red-handed. "Well..."
Clark's mouth turned up into a grin. "I knew it! You were!" As much as Lois tried to be spontaneous and tended to dive into situations head-first, she usually did some form of background research. This idea had probably been swirling around in her mind since his mother had suggested they elope.
"You can never be too prepared," she said, and then laughed at his goofy grin. Yes, he did know her well. She did have a tendency to be spontaneous, but she did the research first. Even when she investigated stories, she dove in head first, but only after she had solidly established her leads. It was the same in this case. She had researched all of their elopement options, but she hadn't made her final decision to go ahead with it until a few seconds before she told Clark.
"So you *have* been planning this. What about spontaneity?" he teased.
"It is spontaneous. Even though I did a little research and your mom sent me some web sites to look at, I didn't decide to do it until today."
"My mom sent you web sites?" Clark shook his head in disbelief. After they were married, he would have to call his mom and thank her. Without her pushing, it would have probably taken them much longer to even think about eloping. He was too concerned with his family to even consider the possibility of getting married without telling them. But now that he knew his parents had advocated this type of wedding, he was less hesitant to go forward with it.
"Yeah." She grinned at him and said, "She's been sending me a few sites a day for the last few weeks. I guess she thought that if she bombarded me with them, I might decide that she has the right idea. Do you want to call her to tell her that we finally decided to do it?"
Clark shook his head. "No. If she wants us to elope, then we'll elope." When he saw Lois's surprised look, he continued, "Using your reasoning, if I make a phone call and someone has a tap on my phone and finds out that we're planning to get married in Vegas, something might happen to ruin our wedding."
"You’re paranoid, Clark." Lois patted his arm softly.
"You hypocrite," he joked. "Aren't you the one that wants to get married in Vegas instead of the Metropolis Court House because everyone that wants to kill us lives in Metropolis?"
"Yeah, but that's different," she said in a very matter-of-fact tone. He obviously didn't understand the criminal mind as well as she did.
To Be Continued <g>
