Okay. There are 3 parts left and these last three move a little faster (I think). I combined parts 20 & 21 into one part - so this one is a little longer... 15 pages. The new part 21 will also be 15 pages. And the finale is 12 pages.
So here you go and enjoy the ride.
Table of Contents From Part 19:
Clark looked at her questioningly. “But you don’t sleep here anymore.”
Lois shrugged and sat down. “Just because I have an apartment doesn’t mean I can’t crash on your couch, does it?”
He shook his head as he joined her on the couch. “No, I guess not,” he replied with a smile. “But you know one reason I didn’t ask you to move in with me was because I couldn’t stand any more sleepless nights.”
“Sleepless nights?”
“Yeah. Knowing that you were in the next room, just one wall between us, and I couldn’t touch you. It was enough to keep me awake at night.”
Lois blushed. “You can touch me, and kiss me... You can... hold me, Clark,” she said, wrapping her arms around him and cuddling next to him. “We just won’t take it any further than that.”
“What if I can’t resist you?” he asked with a mischievous grin.
“That’s easy. I just won’t let you get any further.”
“Oh, really. You were the one pushing it a minute ago,” he reminded her.
She smiled wickedly. “Yes, but that’s before I knew you were a...” she lowered her voice, “virgin,” she said in a breathy whisper, making it sound like something totally different.
Clark groaned. Maybe he shouldn’t make it a policy to tell her *everything*. She was giving him a sultry smile and he knew, deep down, that he couldn’t ever hide anything from her again. She could see through him like polished glass.
And he wouldn’t want it any other way.
************
PART TWENTY
************
Clark sighed contentedly as the weight of Lois’s sleeping form settled against him. She had been losing the battle with sleep for the past half an hour. They had put in one of his favorite romantic comedies, ‘Romancing The Stone’, but she hadn’t even made it halfway through the movie. Carefully reaching over, trying not to disturb her, Clark hit the off button on the remote. He would rather watch her. Shifting slightly, he slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. He looked down into her sweet, sleeping face and smiled.
He still couldn’t believe she was here, in his arms, and she was going to be his wife. Only a few weeks ago he had nursed his wounded heart after watching her accept Luthor’s proposal. He could have died that night. To lose Lois to another man was bad enough. To lose her to his mortal enemy was almost unbearable.
A piece of hair had fallen across her face and he reached up with his other hand to brush it back, away from her eyes. She had an almost childlike innocence when she was asleep. The stress from the past few weeks wasn’t there in her face. She slept in his arms as if it were the only place she wanted to be.
Had Luthor ever held her like this? Had she ever let him touch her the way Clark had touched her earlier, the way he was touching her now? He had seen Luthor kiss Lois, more than once. The kiss that he had seen them share from the window of Lex’s penthouse, the night of the engagement, had made Clark physically sick.
Just the thought of Luthor touching her, kissing her... seeking his own pleasure from her, made his stomach turn.
<I love Lois, I do. I really do. But she’s just a little too independent, don’t you think? Well, I’ll take care of that...>
He knew Luthor’s reputation with women. They were merely playthings to be sought after, conquered, and then discarded like yesterday’s newspaper. He had no doubt that Luthor would have done the same with Lois. Once he had broken her, he would have been through with her.
Clark tightened his hold on her shoulders and slid his other arm under her legs, lifting her up and into his lap. He was about to attempt standing up with her, when her voice stopped him, “What’re you doing?” she asked sleepily.
“Taking you to bed,” he answered softly, scooting forward on the couch to get in a better position. If he’d had his powers, he could have easily stood up with her without even waking her.
“No,” she protested, clinging to him. “I don’t wanna go to bed. I wasn’t asleep, honest.”
Clark smiled at her murmured objection. “Sure you weren’t. You should have heard yourself, snoring like a bear.”
At that, Lois’s eyes snapped open and an inner light flickered in them. “Liar! I don’t snore!”
Clark chuckled. “How would you know? You sleep alone.”
“I don’t care! I don’t snore!” She scrunched up her face into a pout. “And I don’t want to go to bed.”
“Okay, so what do you want?” he asked, sinking back into the couch with her still on his lap.
“This,” she stated simply, nestling against his chest and laying her head on his shoulder. She smiled to herself before continuing, “and some of those chocolates wouldn’t be bad either.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, but not right this minute. I just want to sit here, like this, for now.” She slipped her fingers into the hair at his neckline and teased it gently.
Clark closed his eyes, relishing in the sensation and realized that he would be completely content with holding her in his arms like this the rest of the night.
“Clark?”
“Hmmm?”
“While I was *resting*,” - Lois could sense Clark’s smile - “I was thinking.”
“About what?” He slipped his fingertips under the sleeve of her shirt and lightly caressed the skin on the back of her arm. It was so soft and smooth. He glided delicately across its silken surface, causing Lois to shiver faintly.
“Mmmm,” she hummed in approval. “About the wedding.”
Wedding. The word had never sent such a strong current of excitement through him before. “What about it?”
“What if we didn’t have a big wedding?” She leaned up from his shoulder and looked into his eyes. “What if we just got married? Something simple. Something we didn’t have to plan for... wait for...”
No waiting. Clark liked the sound of that. But something didn’t feel right. “You don’t want a wedding? With a dress and flowers and cake and all that other...”
“I used to think I did. When I was a little girl, I would put on my mother’s veil that she kept hanging decoratively in the guest bedroom,” she said with a wistful smile. “I would wear it around the house and make Lucy follow me around with a bouquet of paper flowers, pretending that I was getting married.” Her smile began to fall. “That was before things changed between my parents, before I began to question whether or not I even wanted to get married.”
“Yes, but all that has changed now,” he encouraged her. “Besides, you were going to have a big wedding with Luthor. I know that I... we... don’t have near the connections, money, or influence that he had, but we can still have a nice wedding.” He leaned forward and kissed her lips lightly.
“It’s not that. It’s just... oh, how do I put this?” She frowned, closing her eyes for a moment before reopening them. “The idea of marriage used to scare me to death. But I came to terms with my fear of it when I agreed to marry Lex. And I didn’t break off the wedding because I was afraid of getting married, but because I finally realized who I wanted the groom to be. That wedding with Lex - I don’t want ours to be anything like that. All that lavish garb and expense... that’s not what’s important.” She paused and smiled at him. “What really matters is that we love each other and want to be together... as soon as possible. If we have a big, fancy wedding, we’re going to have to save for it. And that is going to take time... and I for one...”
“Don’t really want to wait that long?” Clark finished for her. She nodded at him and he smiled. “Me either.”
She let out a soft giggle.
Clark raised an eyebrow, trying to decide why that was funny. “What?”
“Nothing.” She tried to wipe the smile from her face, but it reappeared as fast as it had left.
“Something!”
“Well... I’m still just surprised that you’re a... you know... that’s all.”
“Is that such a bad thing?” he asked her, trying to decide whether to feel hurt or insulted.
“No!” she protested. “It’s wonderful! I get to have you all to myself,” she said, giving him a squeeze.
“I know how you hate to share,” he teased.
She smacked him and then went quiet for a moment. What did he think of her? She hadn’t waited for him. “I wish I could give you the same thing.”
“Lois, that doesn’t...”
“No, Clark. I do. I can at least say I haven’t had much experience. Claude was really the last man I ever...” she broke off, feeling embarrassed.
Clark couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “But Lex... you mean you never...”
“No!” she all but shouted. “Oh, Clark. No. Never with Lex,” she continued in a softer voice. “He wanted to. But I told him that I wanted to wait till we got married.”
She let out a shudder that he could feel echoing the one in his mind. The thought of her in Luthor’s arms exchanging passionate intimacies had haunted him since the day she had told him that Luthor had asked her to marry him.
“But I wish that I...” she managed before Clark was kissing her again.
“It doesn’t matter,” he murmured against her lips. “This is the start of our life together. I told you before, no more apologies. We leave everything behind and start fresh.”
“No more apologies,” she agreed, kissing his neck before lying against his shoulder again. She brought her hand up and stared admiringly at her ring.
Clark glanced down and realized that she was examining her ring. “I know it’s not very big,” he said regretfully. “But I was thinking later, maybe for an anniversary, that I could...”
“No,” she scolded him, drawing her hand into a fist and bringing it close to her body as if she was afraid he would take the ring away right that second. She opened her hand and glanced down at it again. “It’s perfect.”
Clark gave her an indulgent smile but said nothing else.
Lois knew what he was thinking – that it wasn’t nearly as big as the ring Lex had given her. But she was glad that this ring didn’t resemble that gaudy chunk of rock. In her eyes it was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.
“Perfect,” she murmured again, closing her eyes.
**********
“Great shades of Elvis!” Perry exclaimed, taking a closer look at the ring on Lois’s hand.
“I know it probably seems a little sudden, Chief,” Lois stammered.
“Ah heck, kids, I knew the two of you had chemistry together,” Perry said proudly, glancing over at Clark and then back at Lois. “Why do you think I paired you up? I could see that right from the start.”
“Yes, apparently I was the only one who couldn’t see what was right in front of me,” she told him, giving Clark just the briefest of glances.
“So have you all picked a time and a place, yet?” Perry asked, suddenly all business again.
“Actually, Chief, we’re not exactly sure,” Clark explained. “We can’t afford anything too extravagant right now but we really don’t want to wait until we can. So we wanted to ask if...” He hesitated for a second and Perry jumped in before he could finish.
“You don’t have to beat around the bush, Clark. You know if you kids need to borrow some money that I...”
“No!” Lois interrupted and then continued sheepishly, “I mean, that’s awfully sweet of you, Perry, but no. What Clark was trying to say is that we needed to ask for some time off next week.”
“Next week?” their editor exclaimed, his eyes widening.
“Yeah,” Clark said with a nod. “We haven’t made any decisions yet,” he explained, throwing a side glance at Lois. “But we were thinking of... eloping. Not that people won’t know where we are, and maybe not anywhere too far away, but just one of those quick...”
Perry’s eyebrows shot up. “Eloping?”
“Um, yeah,” Clark continued, fighting the need to fidget. “Well, you know, getting married at a wedding chapel wherever we stay for our honeymoon...”
“Like in Vegas? By an Elvis impersonator?” Perry was astounded.
“Well, that’s not *exactly* what we had in mind.” Clark grinned nervously. “But we were thinking it would be much less expensive and we wouldn’t have to be off work for too many days, although we would like to have a few for a honeymoon...”
“Have either of you told your folks?” Perry asked, interrupting again.
Lois shook her head. “No. Not yet. We wanted to wait and call them once we had made a decision for sure.” Lois shrugged her shoulders. “Even if we’d had a regular wedding I doubt my parents would have come. My father couldn’t make it to my last wedding and I think my mom is probably still recovering from that one.” She glanced over at Clark. “I’m just sorry that Clark’s parents would miss out.”
“They’ll be all right, Lois,” Clark assured her. “I’m sure they would have loved to be there, but they would understand.”
Perry was shaking his head. “Well I don’t.” He frowned before continuing. “If you kids think I’m going to miss this, you’ve got another thing coming.”
“But, Chief,” Lois protested.
“Now just hush, Lois - I’m not through, yet,” Perry said, looking agitated. “If you kids want to have a whirlwind wedding, that’s completely up to you. I’m not going to tell you what you can or can’t do. But I won’t let you run off like this without your friends and family there with you.”
Lois frowned. Where was he going with this? “So then what do you suggest we do?”
Perry was quiet for a moment and then a smile spread slowly across his face until it was practically beaming. “I think you should have it at the Planet.”
Lois felt her mouth fall open. “The Planet? But, how...? When...? It’s still being rebuilt. That could take...”
“Less than two weeks,” he provided for her.
“Two weeks?” Clark interjected. “It’s that close to being finished?”
Perry nodded. “The repairs have been going faster than we anticipated. The structural damage wasn’t as bad as we had first thought.” His smile broadened. “Combine that with the ‘go getter’ that Mr. Stern is and...” He shrugged.
“Wow,” Clark murmured.
“Yeah,” Perry agreed. “Anyway, I had planned to have some kind of welcome back shindig, but what better way to celebrate reopening the front doors of the Daily Planet building than by having the wedding of its two best reporters there?”
Lois glanced over at Clark and caught the twinkle in his eyes. It just seemed perfect somehow.
Perfect. She was really beginning to like that word.
**********
“Okay, bye Mom, bye Dad, we love you too.” Clark hung up his kitchen phone and Lois tightened her arms around him from where she stood behind him.
She lifted her face away from his back to ask, “Were they excited?”
Clark turned and slid his hands through her arms and around her waist, wrapping her in an embrace of his own. “What do you think?” He smiled. “They were beside themselves.” He leaned forward and kissed her lips softly. “Now, what about your parents?”
Lois scrunched up her nose. “Later. I’ll call them later.” At his skeptical look she sighed and rolled her eyes. “I will! I promise. I just know that I’ll end up in some debate with them over...” She waved her hands in the air at nothing in particular. “...and it’ll end up spoiling our evening.” She leaned up and brushed her lips against his. “And I don’t want anything to spoil it. So I’ll call them after I’ve gone home.”
“Ah, so you’re not planning on sleeping over again tonight?” He was only partially teasing. He knew she couldn’t keep sleeping on his couch from now until their wedding, but part of him just hated having to say goodnight to her.
In less than two weeks, he wouldn’t have to, he consoled himself.
Lois raised an eyebrow at him. “Why? Are you offering?”
Clark’s breath caught in his throat. “Are you asking?”
Lois smiled mischievously. “Are you willing?”
He almost choked. “Are you saying...?”
“Are you still a v... very patient man?” she teased, kissing him softly and lingering just a moment before pulling away. Her playful smile seemed to take on an innocent air. “Mmmm. No, I’m sorry. You can’t tempt me...”
“Me tempt you?” he exclaimed in disbelief.
“Yes. I’m looking forward to a virgin sacrifice on our honeymoon.” She kissed him again, letting her tongue flit inside his mouth to tease him. “So, you’ll just have to be on your best behavior until then.”
He groaned. “You’re going to make it hard for me, aren’t you?”
She grinned impishly. “When have I ever made it easy?”
“Good point,” he said with a chuckle.
Lois tugged on his shirt, untucking it from his pants, and Clark grabbed for it, trying to pull it back down. “I was only kidding,” he protested. “If you don’t stop, you’re gonna kill me.”
“Calm down. I was only going to check your dressing,” she said with a sly smile as she led him towards the bathroom.
Clark laughed. “Sure you were.”
She smacked him playfully before retrieving a bottle of peroxide and package of gauze out of his bathroom cabinet. Gently, she worked his bandage with her fingers to pull it back... and then gasped at what she saw.
“What?” he asked anxiously, looking down. She was holding his bandage up and it was blocking his view. “Is it worse?”
She didn’t answer, instead bending down to take a closer look at it.
“Lois?” Clark started to pull away from her when she stood up abruptly and planted a soft kiss to his lips.
“It’s better. It’s...” She looked at him dazedly. “It’s barely even visible.” She stepped away from him and turned his body to face the mirror where he could see.
Clark was astounded. He ran his hand over the smooth skin. The wound had closed up. He could still see where it had been – it wasn’t really a scar but looked more like tissue that was still healing.
Lois was almost bouncing with excitement. “Does this mean...?” She looked down at the healed skin eagerly and then back up at his reflection in the mirror. “Can you...? Are your powers back?”
“I don’t know.”
He closed his eyes and Lois watched anxiously, hoping to see some sign that they had returned. A little levitation off the floor, maybe? Clark opened his eyes a few seconds later and stared intently at her before slumping his shoulders.
“Nothing?” she asked, trying to keep the disappointment from her voice.
He shook his head. “Nothing. I tried levitating, reaching out with my hearing, even x-ray. Nothing yet.”
“Well, you haven’t completely healed up yet,” she told him encouragingly. “And Dr. Klein said your body would probably be working to filter the Kryptonite from your blood stream. So maybe your powers won’t come back fully until that happens.” She threw her arms around him and hugged him. “But they’re obviously there. You wouldn’t have healed up that fast without a little help.”
Clark slid his arms around her in his own embrace. “I think you’re right. And I feel better than I have in... well, in a long time.” But whether that was actually from the wound healing or from the knowledge that Lois was going to be his wife, he wasn’t exactly sure – maybe it was both.
Lois nestled contentedly against his chest. Her head was easing down toward his shoulder when it snapped back up, all of the sudden, startling Clark.
“Is something wrong?” he asked when he saw her eyes narrow suspiciously.
“You checked your ‘x-ray’ capabilities?” she asked, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. “You had your eyes closed...” The smirk widened. “At least until you opened them and stared at me.” Lois let her mouth fall open in feigned disbelief. “Clark Kent! Were you trying to sneak a peek? Were you trying to x-ray me?”
A red hue crept into Clark’s cheeks. “Well, I figured if I was going to get one power to work, that one might just have a little more incentive,” he answered with a flirtatious smile.
“Mmmm, well maybe I could give it some further incentive,” she murmured, her lips brushing lightly across his neck.
“Incentive?” Clark breathed, feeling his skin come to life at her touch. “Or bribery?”
“Is there a difference?” Lois placed kisses up his neck and along his deliciously defined jaw before finally claiming his lips.
“Mmmm,” he groaned, “yeah, a little.”
She laughed softly and kissed him again before tilting her head up to look at him. “You know, I actually... um... daydreamed about making out with you just like this.”
“Where? Here?” She nodded and he continued, “When?”
“After you left for Smallville and I was staying here. Even though you weren’t here, you were everywhere. And I don’t mean your pictures. I could just feel you, smell you... the vivid aroma of your cologne in the closet, the fresh hint of aftershave in the bathroom... the sweet smell of fabric softener in the towel I wrapped around me after my shower. It all reminded me of you.”
Clark swallowed as he thought of her wrapped in one of his towels - the soft fabric touching and caressing parts of her that he had, as yet, denied himself. “So, how did I touch you?”
Lois felt her breath catch at the husky, deep timbre in his voice. “You started off by kissing me, long and dee...” She couldn’t finish because his mouth had covered hers and was stealing her breath. He pulled away from her after a few seconds leaving her head spinning playfully.
“And then what?” he murmured, his lips hovering close to hers.
Lois took an unsteady breath. “You ran your hands up my back and tangled them into my hair,” she whispered.
“Like this?” Clark moved his hands as she had imagined they would feel and her knees felt like they were going to fail her. She couldn’t believe she was telling him this and that they were acting out her daydream.
Not surprisingly, it was better than she had imagined.
“Mmmm, yes. But you were still kissing me, your hands were pulling against me and deepening the...” And he was kissing her again. “Oh, Clark,” she moaned into his mouth, running her hands up into his hair like she had in her fantasy. His locks slid through her fingers as his hands teased at her back, their lips each dancing to the rhythm of the other’s.
Clark groaned, losing himself to her. There was nothing but her – nothing but this moment.
And then...
“So how many days do we have left till our wedding?” Lois asked breathlessly, sliding her mouth from his.
“What?” Clark mumbled, his lips and hands continuing to try and demand her undivided attention.
She couldn’t believe her brain still had the coherence to function or the capacity to do anything except respond to him. But she had sworn to him, and to herself, that she wasn’t going to let things go too far. He wanted their honeymoon to be unforgettable, and so did she. Besides, Clark had claimed that she was the one ‘pushing things’, practically challenging her that she couldn’t keep her hands off of him until the wedding.
She was resolved to outwardly be the pillar of virtue, even if inside, her resolve was crumbling. “I said, how many more days do I get to torture you until our wedding?”
Clark pulled away and looked at her. The playful light in her eyes didn’t do much to extinguish the fire that was growing inside him, but it was enough to goad him into a response. “Enough that I’m willing to bet you’ll cave before I do.”
Her eyes flashed. “Do you wanna make that bet official?” she asked, stepping out of his embrace and crossing her arms in front of her.
He considered it for a few seconds, wondering just how far he could push things, but then he knew the answer with all too much certainty. “No. I’ve always known you were stronger than me, Lois,” he admitted, half kidding, half serious.
Lois felt her head swim. The strongest man in the world had just admitted she was his weakness. She grinned wickedly at him. “Just wait till the honeymoon. I bet Kryptonite can’t bring you to your knees the way I can.”
Clark choked on his own breath. “You really shouldn’t say such things; you have your honor to defend. I might try to make good on my bet.” He grabbed for her and she let out a cute squeak before fleeing from the bathroom. He chased after her, wondering how in the world he was going to make it through the next several days.
**********
Lois walked out through the open restaurant door that Clark was holding for her. Dinner had been exquisite. They were supposed to have a little pre-wedding bash at Clark’s apartment the night before the wedding, which was two nights from tonight. Clark’s parents and her parents – amazingly, both of them – were flying into town tomorrow night. They would all be there – and she prayed that her parents wouldn’t fight – along with Perry, Alice, Jimmy and even Jack.
It was going to be a fun night... but certainly not a private one. And she and Clark had both agreed that they wanted one last quiet dinner together before the wedding. So he had taken her to Ermilio’s, a little Italian restaurant within walking distance of his apartment.
They had talked and laughed. She had snuck a few bites of his decadent chocolate dessert, insisting that she didn’t want to get her own because she didn’t want to be fat for their wedding night. And her head was pleasantly humming from the red wine they had drunk with dinner.
She let out a contented sigh as Clark joined her on the sidewalk, sliding his arm around her, his hand resting against her hip.
“If you’re too tired to walk, I can hail a cab,” he said, giving her a soft squeeze.
She shook her head. “No. We’ll get back to your apartment too quickly as it is, and it’ll be time for me to say goodnight and go home.” She had driven her Jeep to Clark’s apartment, but it was such a nice night that they had opted to walk to the restaurant instead of driving. She sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder as they continued to walk. “This will extend our trip at least a little bit.”
“You could always stay the night.”
Lois could hear the smile in his voice. “No way, Farmboy. You pretend to be all innocent... but I know the real you. The past few days have been torture. I think your virginity will be much safer if I sleep at my own place.” She laughed softly. “We both know how you get after you’ve had a little alcohol.”
Clark chuckled and they walked on in silence for a bit. At least, until he heard footsteps behind them. He glanced nonchalantly over his shoulder, but he didn’t see anyone there. Without trying to cause alarm, Clark casually quickened their pace. He wasn’t exactly sure why the hair on the back of his neck was standing up, but what he did know was that it was late, it was dark, and the streets leading to his apartment weren’t always the safest. Superman could attest to that.
“Clark?” Lois attempted to slow them. “Why are we walking so fast?”
“Are we?” he asked distractedly. “Sorry,” he said, glancing back over his shoulder again. He could finally make out the outline of a couple of guys, pacing them from behind. He could hear their footsteps plainly now, striking against the hard concrete sidewalk.
Clark glanced around. No cabs in sight, and no other people, for that matter. “I think we better pick up the pace a little,” he said stiffly, sliding his hand to the small of her back to urge her forward.
Lois didn’t argue, picking up her pace. She could almost feel the nervous energy radiating from him. Risking a glance around, she found the source of his concern. There were a couple of burly looking guys coming up on them from behind. She felt a knot forming in her stomach.
The knot exploded when two more thugs stepped out of an alleyway in front of them. She glanced back nervously to find that the other men had closed the distance, and she and Clark were now effectively trapped between the two groups.
Clark urged her toward the building next to them, allowing the two groups to converge into one, and effectively putting himself between them and Lois. “Can I help you?” he asked, doing his best to keep his voice even, yet firm.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, you can,” one thug answered him. The young man wasn’t broad or muscular like his companions, instead being tall and sinewy, but he looked foreboding just the same. “You can hand over your wallet and her purse.”
Lois could feel Clark’s body flex instinctively beneath her hands. These thugs had no idea who they were messing with. But right now, Clark was still healing. His powers were there, right below the surface, but they had yet to show themselves. “Just give them what they want, Clark,” she whispered next to his ear. Part of her wanted desperately to smart off to the group of hoodlums, but she didn’t want to put Clark in any danger. If he got hurt because of her smart mouth, she’d never forgive herself.
Clark was about to argue that these criminals weren’t likely to stop at their wallets, when Lois stepped out from behind him. She held out her purse as an offering and said, “Here, take it.”
The wiry-looking thug snatched her purse from her and backed away. He fished out her wallet, throwing the purse off to the side. Clark carefully withdrew his wallet and then tossed it to the same guy. The criminal caught it and then handed the two wallets off to one of his companions before once again stepping closer to his captives.
Clark reached back with one hand, protectively, to feel for Lois, making sure to keep his body between them and her. “That’s all we’ve got. Take it and go. We don’t want any trouble.”
“Ah, but you’ve got trouble,” the speaker for the group continued. He licked his lips greedily. “That’s not all you’ve got.” He leaned to the side where he could address Lois. “Let me see that pretty little hand.”
Lois flinched. No! He was going to take her ring from her. Thinking fast, she held out her right hand for inspection while she used her thumb on her left hand to twirl the engagement ring upside down.
“Not that hand, slut, the other one,” he said, grabbing for her other hand.
Clark’s body was pressed against hers and she felt it stiffen just an instant before he said, “Don’t touch her.”
Lois thrust her left hand out hastily and whispered, “It’s okay, Clark.” She kept her hand balled into a fist where all the thief could see was the thin, gold band on her hand. “See, it’s not much,” she ventured.
Quicker than Lois had thought possible, the thug took hold of her and jerked her out from behind Clark. Clark started after her but was immediately restrained by the other three hoodlums.
“Take it off,” the leader of the group instructed her.
Lois cringed at the thought of losing her engagement ring, but obligingly reached for the ring with her right hand.
“No. The clothes,” the thug clarified.
She stared at him wide-eyed in terror. He wanted her to undress? Clark was right. They weren’t just going to rob them - they planned to rape her as well. They probably planned to take turns.
“No.”
“Kill him,” her attacker instructed the men who were restraining Clark. In the span of a heartbeat, one of the thugs had a switchblade out and held next to Clark’s throat.
“No!” Lois screamed. “Please!” she pleaded, tugging on the sleeves of her jacket. “Okay. Okay, I’ll do it. Please, just don’t hurt him.” She had no intention of letting them rape her. She was sure Clark would see himself dead before he would let that happen, but she needed to buy them some time so she could think.
“No, Lois, don’t!” Clark begged her, fighting against the men holding him as she extricated her arms from her jacket and tossed it away. One of the thugs guarding him threw a hard kidney punch into his side and Clark’s knees buckled. Then one of the other thugs landed a blow to his face, snapping his head back.
“Stop!” Lois hollered. She glanced over at her purse on the ground, just a few feet from her. If she could just get to it... She made a move to go after it but was stopped by a hard jerk on a handful of her hair by the thug who had been advancing on her.
“Be a good little whore and this won’t hurt too much,” he breathed next to her ear.
“Take your hands off of her!” Clark yelled, bucking against the men holding him.
More fists began pounding against Clark and Lois realized that there wasn’t any time left to think – there wasn’t anything to do but fight. In one quick motion she turned, flinching as her hair pulled painfully tight in her attacker’s hands, and brought her knee up sharply into his groin. He let go of her hair, grabbing for his crotch and groaning in pain.
Lois dove for her purse, snatching it up from the ground and fishing out her container of mace. Her attacker had recovered and was coming for her but he was met with a stream of mace to the face. He howled with rage and agony all rolled into one.
The sound caught the attention of the other thugs. They looked over to see what was happening to their leader and the distraction was just enough to give Clark an edge. He attacked them swiftly, faster than he should have been able to move.
Lois stared, wide-eyed, as Clark punched, kicked, jabbed, and head-butted the three thugs into submission. Clark picked up his abandoned wallet from the street and left the men writhing on the ground as he ran towards Lois.
“Are you okay?” he asked anxiously.
“I’m fine,” she assured him. Movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention and horror swept over her when she realized that the thug she had sprayed with mace was pulling a gun from inside his jacket. “Clark! Look out!” she screamed.
Clark spun and used his body to shield Lois from the three bullets that the thug fired at them.
Lois felt like her heart was being ripped from her when Clark’s body jerked at each bullet as they hit his chest.
“No!” she screamed. Clark moaned and began to slide out of her arms.
“Now you’ve done it!” one of the other thugs grunted as he pulled himself up from the ground. “The police will be after us for sure now. I didn’t sign up for no murder rap.” He took off running down the street and was joined by his two wounded companions.
The thug who had shot the gun was staring in disbelief as Clark slumped to the ground. His face paled and he stumbled off down the street after the others.
Lois dropped down beside Clark. “No,” she whimpered. “Clark?” She shook him. “Clark!”
**********
To Be Continued...
