Previously... No Martha/Jonathan intro this time. This was the end of part 5, but it was so long that I needed to split it.Honeymoon in... Vegas 6/7
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Wednesday afternoon
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Twenty feet away from the spring, the canyon widened to roughly fifteen feet across. The slick eroded sides of the canyon had been carved into ledges and Lois was sitting on one of them with the cape draped over her head like a veil as she used it for shade. It was too cold to sit in the shade of the canyon but too hot to sit in the sun. Clark, on the other hand, didn't seem the least bit bothered by the heat of the day. He had stripped down to his boxers and was lying on a stretch of pebble-free sand like he was at the beach. His only concession to the bright sunshine was an arm thrown across his eyes.
Lois gathered up yet another handful of pebbles and took aim at the ledge a few feet off the ground across the canyon from her. It was a narrow ledge and she'd almost perfected her throw to land rocks on it. Her gaze cut over to look at Clark again. It stood to reason that his eyes were closed beneath his arm and he had no idea that she was also passing the time by surreptitiously checking him out. She told herself she was only concerned about his injuries.
Blind! She had been so blind not to make the connection. Clark was buff - she had already known that. She had seen him in a towel, in sleeveless t-shirts, and in wet clothes that had clung to every muscular ripple of his body and she still hadn't even considered the possibility that there was more to him than just his impressive ability to be annoying. Her memory flitted back to that amazing kiss on the bed as her eyes wandered to his lips. His mouth was bruised and swollen and she felt a stab of anger for everything that Tony had done to him. For all his strength, Clark was the gentlest person she knew and it seemed unfair on a cosmic level that something like this could have happened to him.
Clark shifted slightly and winced and her anger towards Tony and Mickey grew. How had this happened? She knew Clark was frustrated by this turn of events. She knew he blamed himself - which was probably an accurate assessment. But if she had been in his place she would have held back from revealing herself too. Since Superman had first appeared in her life, she had been turning the mystery of where he came from over and over in her mind. She had thought about the possibility that he might have a secret identity, but she had never considered the idea that being Superman
was his secret identity. He wasn't mysterious to be coy, she had guessed that much. She just hadn't fully comprehended
why.
"Are you feeling any stronger?" she asked.
"Mmm," he offered non-commitally.
Lois sighed and plinked another rock onto the ledge. Superman. In all her daydreams about Superman, all the scenarios she had concocted for them to be alone - and half-naked - this one had never occurred to her. She looked over at Clark again and then glanced away, feeling guilty in her curiosity. He wasn't lying there for her perusal; he was trying to heal. She scratched her knee and tried again to draw him into conversation. "You said you wanted warm sand on your honeymoon. Was this what you had in mind?"
He grinned, but didn't lift his arm to look over at her. "But where's the clear blue water?"
"At least we have some water. Would you settle for a clear blue sky?"
"I guess I'll have to." Clark sighed and wished that he could float. He had been concentrating, trying to will himself above the ground but it simply wasn't happening. Deep down he had been clinging to the hope that distance from the mine and a little sunshine were going to make all the difference. Now that they hadn't, he wasn't sure what to do. Was it the bullet? Had some trace of whatever had affected him at the mine become trapped inside him when he was shot? Would his powers ever return?
The air in the canyon was so hot and still and Lois shifted uncomfortably beneath her makeshift tent. How could he lie there like that? Wasn't he burning up? She edged a few feet to her right to sit partially in the shade.
"Aren't you afraid you're going to get sunburned?" she asked, more to break the boredom than out of curiosity.
"I've never had a sunburn before," Clark answered. "But I have kind of wondered what it would be like."
"It's no fun. Your skin gets really tight and itchy and it actually does feel like it's on fire. And then you start peeling."
"The peeling part sounds interesting." He wiggled his toes and wondered how odd it must feel to shed one's skin.
"It's not," she told him matter-of-factly. "And it's terrible if it's on your back where you can't reach."
"Isn't that what marriage is about? Maybe this would be a good time to discuss your wifely duties."
He hadn't lifted his arm and his lower face was still, but she was absolutely certain he was pulling her leg. She toyed with the idea of coming up with a list of her own - his husbandly duties - but she couldn't think of anything she was willing to say out loud, even in jest. So she ignored him instead, taking aim at the ledge, only to find that her new position made it harder to land a pebble on it.
After a few failed attempts she glanced at Clark again. He didn't look like he was turning red, so maybe he wasn't going to get a sunburn. Which was kind of sad - the thought of scratching his back for him wasn't entirely without merit. Wifely duties. She blushed at where her mind went and wondered if he had thought the same thing.
"Did you really mean it, when you said you liked being married to me?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Well," he let the word hang as he pretended to consider the question. "That was before we got kidnapped, shot and left for dead. This hasn't been the most ideal marriage. But just going by the first six hours of our married life? Yeah, I definitely liked that part."
Lois tossed another pebble, missed the ledge and resolved to stop trying to delve into just how committed he was to this marriage.
Clark couldn't resist adding, "Especially the part where you kissed me."
"Kissed you? You kissed me!" Had she kissed him? With shame, she remembered that it was actually her proposition that had led them to the bed.
"You kissed me first." Clark fought the urge to lift his arm and look at her.
"And you pulled me down to the bed with you!" Lois felt indignant. Was he implying that she was more attracted to him? Because that was simply not true. He had it bad for her. He'd had it bad for her since the very beginning and now he was going to act like a disinterested party?
"All I did was sit on the bed," Clark said smoothly. "You're the one who pushed me so I was lying down."
Her cheeks flushed from both embarrassment and the memory of kissing him so thoroughly. "And you rolled on top of me."
"You wanted to keep going," he added.
"And you didn't?" she asked pointedly.
Clark swallowed. "Yeah, I did."
Her eyebrows furrowed as she remembered that last intense kiss just before she had fled for the relative safety of the bathroom. "Where was the Suit? You had on a short-sleeve shirt and I, uh, I touched your back. So where was the Suit?"
"I hid it behind the television cabinet while you were changing into your pajamas."
Her jaw worked without making any words for a few seconds and then she said, "So you were wearing it under your clothes when we got married?"
"Yep."
"Wow," she whispered and then giggled. "I'm married to Superman, huh?"
"Yeah, you are." He peeked from beneath his arm and wanted to laugh. She was sitting there with his cape over her head like a veil. He grinned at the thought of a horror movie titled, 'The Bride of Superman.'
"Well then, my life's ambition is realized. I can die happy now."
At that, he lifted the arm from his eyes and raised his head to look over at her. "Don't say that, not even in jest. You aren't going to die, Lois."
He was in earnest and her empty stomach tightened a little bit more. "Let's make a deal then," she said. "If you don't die on me, I promise not to die on you."
His eyes met hers and he nodded. "I promise," he said solemnly.
Her gaze dropped to the raw-looking bullet wound beneath his ribs. "I'm going to hold you to that promise, Clark."
He nodded again and she looked away, a little flustered by the sudden intensity between them. Lois concentrated on picking up a few more pebbles to toss at the ledge. Clark lay back down and put his arm over his eyes. The sun felt great, but it still hurt to breathe. He heard another soft 'clack' as Lois continued to pitch pebbles against the canyon wall.
"Lois, when we get back to Metropolis, will you go out with me?"
There was a clatter as she dropped the gravel she was holding. Then she cleared her throat and said, "You're supposed to date me before you marry me, not after."
Clark lifted his arm just enough to peek at her. She was watching him warily, as if she was waiting for him to turn the tables on her. "Ah, but that could be a scorching good night kiss if I'm dating my wife."
The thought made her heart beat faster. Lois tried to keep her tone casual as she answered, "A real date this time, not a stakeout?"
Clark's smile widened. "Where do you want to go on this date? We could try another concert."
"Dinner." Her painfully empty stomach gurgled at the thought. "Take me to dinner at that new restaurant down the street from my apartment. I've wanted to go there since they opened but I just never found the time. Then you can walk me home afterwards." She tossed a pebble at the canyon wall and smiled at the thought of walking home arm-in-arm with Clark.
"Could I kiss you good night?"
Was he serious, or teasing her? The tone of voice was playful and she bristled for a moment that he was making fun of her. Then she decided to tease him back. "Only if it's a scorching kiss, like you said."
He lifted his arm away from his face and propped himself up on his elbows. "Oh baby, you have no idea how scorching it could get."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Do you breathe fire, too, Clark?"
He winced as he laughed. "No. No fire."
She pitched one of the small pebbles in his direction and it landed on his ankle.
"Ow!" Clark sat up and gave her a disbelieving look. "That's spousal abuse!"
She looked at him assessingly. "So this scorching kiss of yours - have you given one to Mayson?"
"No. Just you."
"Me?" she asked in manufactured confusion. "When did you ever give me a scorching kiss?"
His eyes narrowed as he acknowledged that she had outwitted him on that one. Lois raised one eyebrow as if she were really expecting an answer. Clark lay back down and put his arm over his eyes again.
Lois picked up another pebble, turning it over in her hands as she strove to sound lighthearted. "So why did you agree to go to the mountains with Mayson? Were you trying to make me jealous?"
"Were you jealous?" he shot back.
"No!" Lois frowned. She had denied that far too quickly.
"I didn't agree to go out with her. She asked me and we were interrupted before I could say anything. She just assumed that I was okay with the idea." Clark wanted to lift his arm or sit up, but he sensed that it was easier for her to have this conversation without him staring at her.
"So you didn't want to spend the weekend with her?"
"Not really. Not like that, anyway."
"Like what?" she pressed.
"Are you honestly going to tell me that you don't think there are expectations to be met when two consenting adults go to a secluded location together?"
"So you didn't want to meet her expectations?" she asked hopefully.
Clark swallowed hard. Leave it to Lois to cut to the heart of the matter so quickly. "No, I didn't."
Okay, so Mayson was out. But there had to have been someone, sometime... "So whose expectations have you met? I don't think you've ever mentioned any kind of serious girlfriend in your past."
"Have you told me about all of your serious relationships?"
"Actually, I have. I mean, you know about Claude."
"And Lex." He couldn't keep the bitter note from his voice.
"I never met Lex's expectations."
"Really?" Clark pushed himself to a sitting position, wiping the sand from his hands with a few small claps.
"You thought I had?" Lois looked at him in amazement. What kind of girl did he think she was?
"Well, you were engaged..." Clark hedged.
Her mouth made a perfect 'O' in astonishment. Had he really thought that? "Don't make assumptions! We're married and I haven't met your expectations, have I?"
He grinned. "Don't beat yourself up about that, Lois. I'm not deducting points for it."
She frowned and realized that he had neatly deflected her. "Nice try. You didn't answer my question. Whose expectations have you met?"
He flushed and looked away. "No one's," he admitted softly.
Lois furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Ever?"
He shook his head.
"You're kidding me, right?" He had to be teasing her.
"Nope."
"You, you're, oh my god, really? I, uh, geez. I don't know what to say to that."
Say you'll be mine, his mind whispered. Say you'll want me after this is all over.
Lois giggled and tossed another pebble, missing the ledge. "Are there any other secrets you want to tell me? I mean, you seem to be on a roll here."
He shook his head. "I don't have any secrets left from you. How about you tell me one?"
Her mind raced, trying to think of something to tell him that wasn't embarrassing or self-incriminating. "I didn't hate you, when we first met. I just made a conscious choice to keep my distance from you."
"Why?"
"That first story we worked on together? We were riding in a cab and you ended up sitting really close to me and our knees touched. It sent shivers through me. I told myself it was silly to get all worked up over someone I'd just met. But the truth was I liked you so much that it scared me. So I pushed you away."
A warm glow spread through him. "When did you decide not to keep your distance anymore?"
She laughed, then grimaced at the pain it caused in her shoulder and ribs. "Oh, I've made and broken that vow over and over again. When the Planet reopened, I almost told you that I was falling for you. Then you said you were just making it up about being in love with me. You big liar, you could have saved us both a year of loneliness if you had just kept your mouth shut or let me talk first."
"I'll remember that in the future. So you're no good at keeping vows, huh?"
"In sickness and in health, I kept that one. I could have just left you back at the mine."
"True. You did keep that one." Clark grinned, happy simply to hear her repeat part of their vows.
"And I had my chance with Tony, so I forsook others in favor of you."
He grunted. "Don't make me laugh, it hurts too much." Clark lay back down. "You're a good wife, Lois. The best I've ever had."
"I'm the only wife you've ever had." She fought a smile and wished he could have really meant the words.
"And yet you keep threatening to annul our blissful union," he pointed out.
"Like you haven't wanted a divorce since the moment you said, 'I do'!" she shot back.
"Lois, when did I ever say that I wanted an annulment or a divorce?"
She blinked as she realized that he hadn't. Never. Not once. The closest he had come was in placating her with an 'of course' when she told him they were getting an annulment. Was it possible that he didn't mind being married to her?
"Do you want a divorce?" she asked, her heart beating frantically at the thought that he was about to say 'yes, of course'. It should be what she wanted. She would be free to carry on unencumbered once they got back to Metropolis. In a blinding moment of clarity she knew that she would be devastated if he did.
Clark felt a flush go over his skin and wondered if maybe he had sat in the sun too long. Could he tell her the truth? She looked so anxious and he wondered which answer would freak her out more. He decided to try and dodge the question.
"Are you asking Clark or Superman?" He kept the words light and teasing.
Dread filtered through her. He thought she only wanted to be married to Superman, not to Clark. She could hardly blame him for thinking so.
"Is there a difference?" she asked.
Only to you, he thought. He shrugged in answer, watching her closely to see her reaction.
Lois looked away, embarrassed that she had taken seriously a conversation he had obviously meant as banter to alleviate boredom. Feeling desperate not to appear needy, she shrugged back at him. "There's no difference," she said with forced cheerfulness. "And don't worry about my expectations. I married you for your mind."
When she dared a glance at him, he was smiling.
"Really?" he asked. "Because I married you for your smokin' hot body."
Even though she knew he was teasing, she blushed and drew the cape tighter around her.
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By late afternoon half the canyon was in shadows. Lois couldn't get warm, even with the cape wrapped around her as she sat in the waning sunshine. She was exhausted, but unable to doze for more than a few minutes at a time before she would wake up shivering with cold.
When Clark realized that she was struggling, he moved to sit next her. "Lois?" he asked softly.
She didn't open her eyes and he put his hand on her forehead to check on her. Her skin was hot and damp with sweat.
"I'm cold," she whispered.
Fear shot through him. It was the infection; she was becoming feverish as her body fought it. He put his arm around her waist and moved closer to her. "Is that better?"
"Are we going to try walking again tonight?" she asked. Please, let him say 'no'. Lois was no longer sure she could even make it of the canyon, let alone all the way to civilization. If they could just rest, she was sure she'd feel better in the morning.
"I hate to leave the water," Clark said. "Why don't we stay here tonight? We can get better hydrated and set out first thing in the morning. We never heard the helicopter today, so maybe they've given up looking for us."
"Okay," she agreed and her head came to rest on his shoulder. What if she didn't feel better in the morning? It was wrong to make him stay here, getting weaker along with her when he could still save himself. "Clark? Maybe you should go without me? You could go and get help."
"Did you leave me?"
She didn't answer because she knew where his logic was headed.
"We're in this together, Lois. I promised I wouldn't leave you and I meant it."
Clark moved a couple of feet from her and smoothed away the gravel from next to the canyon wall so that there was only sand. He crawled back over to Lois and gently eased her over so that she was lying on the sand. The rock wall behind her was still warm and he lay down in front of her, wrapping his arms around her. "This should keep you warm tonight," he murmured.
She was quiet for so long that he thought she had gone to sleep. But then she said, "This isn't so bad. I think if I had to choose, I'd want to die in your arms."
"What if I go first?" he answered, his voice a little huskier at the thought of actually losing her.
"You know how competitive I am. Are you really going to make this a contest?"
He tightened his arms around her. "It's not a contest. Besides, you promised you wouldn't leave me."
"That's right," she murmured. "I did. You're a good husband, Clark. The best I've ever had."
"I'm the only husband you've ever had."
"I know." Lois tipped her head back so that she could see his face. "But, even if you weren't, you'd still be my favorite."
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In the blackness of night she became restless in his arms, mumbling something over and over that almost sounded like his name.
"Clark?"
This time there was no mistaking it, she was saying his name. "What is it?" he asked softly.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered, her hand patting his arm repeatedly. "Will you forgive me?"
"For what?" he asked, confused at her apology. Was she dreaming?
"I'm the one who spilled coffee on your keyboard and ruined it. That was me and I didn't 'fess up and I'm so sorry. It was an accident."
"Lois, that was weeks ago."
"I know, but I had to tell you. I have lots of things to tell you. I guess it's too late now, huh?"
No," he whispered into her hair. "It's never too late."
"I love you, Clark. Did you know that?"
"I love you, too."
"I'm glad we're married," she added and patted his arm again.
"Me too." He wished it wasn't so dark so that he could see her.
"I won't die a spinster, huh? Will you tell my mom that we were married? I know she's disappointed that I'm still single."
"You can tell her yourself."
She snuggled a little closer to him and whispered, "Don't worry. Superman will find us. We'll be rescued."
Worry flooded through him. "Superman? Lois, I'm Superman."
"Mmm. That's nice. So you're not angry with me?"
"I'm not angry," he reassured her, tightening his arms around her. "Get some sleep."
"Clark? Are you going to divorce me?"
"No."
"Not ever?" she asked hopefully.
"Not ever," he reassured her. "Not ever, I promise."
Til death parts us, his mind whispered. How much longer until that happened?
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Thursday morning
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As the sun began to rise he kissed her cheek, frightened by how cold it was. "Lois?"
"Mmm?" Her eyelids fluttered but didn't open.
"Are you still with me?"
"Yeah." Even just that word was muffled and filled with pain.
"We need to get going now."
"M'kay."
She didn't move, though, and he pulled her to a sitting position. "You have to stay with me," he told her. "You promised."
"I..." If she said anything else it was too indistinct for him to catch.
Clark tried to scoop her up but his ribs protested and he couldn't help the groan of agony. Lois flopped back to the ground and didn't move. She seemed so limp, so distant, and it sent a chill stab of fear through him. Working on desperation alone, he pulled her to a sitting position again, holding her shoulders as her head flopped back weakly.
"Get help," she mumbled. "Leave me."
"I can't leave you," he whispered. "You didn't leave me."
"S'different."
"It's no different," he assured her and positioned her so that he could hoist her over his shoulder. He staggered upright and took a few stumbling steps as he tried to cope with the pain shooting through his body. Lois groaned and he realized her injured ribs were pressing down directly on his shoulder.
"I'm so sorry," he panted. She didn't answer and he was almost relieved that she had passed out. That was better, he hoped. Gritting his teeth he slowly began the hike out of the canyon and back to the road. He made the journey one hundred steps at time. He would go one hundred steps and then stop to check on her. His heartbeat hammered loudly in his ears each time, afraid that was going to find she was gone.
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Clark was becoming less and less steady on his feet. He had to change the number of steps to seventy-five, then to fifty. Now he was staggering along at twenty steps between rests. Lois had long since ceased to answer him and he was tortured by the thought that he was slowly killing her. Maybe he should have left her in the canyon where she had shade and water.
Clark tried, but couldn't manage more than ten steps. He dropped to his knees in the middle of the dusty road, setting Lois down as gently as he could in front of him. His breath came in shallow pants as he tried to decide what to do next. There was no shade, no breeze, no water. They were going to die and there was nothing he could do to save them.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled to her. She didn't answer and he was glad for it. It was so much less painful to think that she would just drift from this world to the next without having to wake up and be in agony anymore.
"Lois," he murmured, "can you hear me?" His shaky fingers felt for and found a pulse. It was faint, but at least it was there. He pulled her onto his lap, cradling her in his arms despite how much it hurt to do so. Clark kissed her cheek, then her closed eyelids.
"You don't have to stay with me anymore," he whispered into her hair. "But I want you to know that I'm glad you married me. I love you. I've loved you since the day I met you. All I ever wanted was to be able to hold you for the rest of our lives." The words became stuck in his throat and he choked on a half-sob at the knowledge that he had got his wish.
"All I ever wanted," he repeated, hoping that she could hear him. "My wife."
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End 6/7
