Hello! I said today and I'm here as promised. Everyone's seat belts buckled? Are you hanging on? <g> Here we go! Just one part left after this one!
Table of Contents ***WARNING*** - Long part - 16 pages <g>
From Part 20:
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!”
***************
PART TWENTY-ONE
***************
Clark felt someone shaking him and it jolted him to his senses. Lois was in trouble. They were being attacked... and he had been shot.
“Please don’t leave me,” Lois murmured as she rocked his body in her arms. She hadn’t looked for blood or checked the wound – she didn’t want to see it. Clark’s unresponsiveness was all the answer that she needed. His powers had been coming back and he had been healing, but it hadn’t been enough. He hadn’t been strong enough.
“I won’t leave you, Lois,” came a soft whisper from his lips.
“Clark?” she whimpered, pulling away from him to look down into his open eyes. “You’re alive?” She wiped the tears from her face and stared at him in wonder. “Hold on. I’ll go call an ambulance.”
She started to lower him gently to the ground, but he wrapped his arms around her. “No, honey. I’m okay.”
Lois stared at him disbelievingly, then reached for his jacket with a shaky hand and pulled back the side that was sporting three bullet holes. The shirt beneath the jacket also had three holes in it, but there was no blood. Relief flooded through her. Feeling no compassion for the buttons on his shirt, she ripped it open.
Three bullets slid down his chest, leaving behind them three ugly, red welts. She put her fingers to the swollen, bruised skin and pressed against it. There was no blood.
“Ouch,” Clark complained. “I might not be shot, but that still hurts.”
Lois started to cry. “Don’t be such a baby, Clark,” she teased happily between sobs. She pulled him to her and held him fiercely. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”
“What about you? Are you okay?” he asked worriedly.
“Aside from probably missing a small chunk of my hair, I’m fine,” she assured him.
“Let me see.” He reached a hand into her hair and felt around until he hit a spot where she winced. He turned her head gently and examined her scalp.
“Is it bad?” she asked quietly. “Is there a bald spot? Will people be able to see it at the wedding?” Her mother had brought Lois her veil - the one Lois used to wear as a child – insisting that it would fulfill the ‘something old’ part of the tradition. Would it be enough to cover the missing hair? Or would it still be noticeable? Maybe it was bad enough that she would need to wear her hair up? Or get a haircut? She sighed... as long as she didn’t have to go to her wedding bald.
“No. It’s okay, honey.” Clark gave her a squeeze. “There’s a little chunk missing but it’s underneath your hair. No one will see it.”
“Good,” Lois said with a smile. Then the smile fell and she let out a shudder, holding him tighter. “I just kept thinking that you couldn’t leave me. Not now. Not when everything was finally going right and we were going to get married.” Her voice fell to a hushed whisper. “We haven’t even made love. We hadn’t had a chance to start our lives together.”
“I know,” Clark answered her softly.
She kissed him tenderly. “I’m not sure I want to wait, now, Clark. I want to hold you. I want you to touch me...” She hesitated for a moment and then continued quietly, “Take me home.”
Clark knew, without asking, whose home she was referring to. And he couldn’t think of anywhere else he’d rather be than at his apartment, holding her in his arms.
Lois watched as Clark sat up and turned to gather her in his arms before standing up with her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled against him, wanting never to let go. But Clark faltered suddenly, almost dropping her.
“Clark?” Lois scrambled out of his arms anxiously and watched as he doubled over, resting his hands against his knees. “Honey, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” he answered woozily. “I just feel really weak all of a sudden.”
“Is your wound hurting?” she asked, grabbing for his shirt.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so,” he wheezed.
She pulled his open shirt back and examined his side. It appeared to be okay. She then checked the area where he had been shot and it, too, seemed all right. Yet, she could tell Clark was in obvious pain.
“Do you think you can make it back to your apartment?” she asked, glancing around the street.
“No,” he admitted. “I’m sorry. I just feel so weak.” He went down on his knees and then sat down on the ground. “I don’t even have the strength to stand.”
Lois spotted what she had been searching the street for – a pay phone. “Stay right here. I’m gonna go call Dr. Klein,” she instructed as she headed off towards the phone.
“No, Lois. Don’t bother him at this time of night. Just call a cab and...”
“Dr. Klein told us to call him if there were any changes. You’re in pain, Clark. And your body was just put through a tremendous ordeal. He needs to look you over,” she said firmly, leaving no room for argument.
Not that Clark would have argued. He didn’t think he had the strength even for that.
**********
Dr. Klein pulled the stethoscope out of his ears and set it on the table next to him. “I’ve examined everything that I know how to, Superman. You seem to be fine. I think what you need right now is rest.”
“That’s it? That’s all you can tell us?” Lois exclaimed, a little heat in her voice.
Dr. Klein flinched. “Well, actually, I do have something else...”
“Well let’s have it!” she badgered him. When she had called Dr. Klein, he had told her to meet him at STAR Labs so he could examine Superman. She had called a cab to take them by Clark’s apartment where Clark could change into his Suit and then she could drive ‘Superman' to STAR Labs in her Jeep.
That had been a lot of work for a simple ‘I think he needs rest’.
Clark laid a hand reassuringly on Lois’s arm. She looked over at him and frowned slightly. How could he be so calm? Something was obviously wrong with him. He had all the strength of a newborn kitten. He had confided in her, just moments before the attack, that his powers had been trying to come back. His hearing had stretched out farther than it had in a long time - that was how he had heard the thugs coming. And during his fight with them, he had fought at speeds nearing unbelievable for a normal person. She had seen that with her own eyes.
And yet, here he sat, his powers completely gone again. He was as weak as she had seen him, except for when he had been lying in that hospital bed, unconscious.
“If you’ll remember,” Dr. Klein continued, a little perturbed by her outburst, “I told you that Superman’s body would be working overtime to expel the remaining particles of Kryptonite from his system.”
“Yes,” she admitted. He had told them that.
“Then you should understand that it’s probably taking a lot of his strength and energy to fight, and hopefully expel, the invading poison in his system.” Dr. Klein shook his head disapprovingly. “He shouldn’t be trying to use any of his powers right now because it obviously drains him too much. Any energy reserves that he had built up, he probably used on that little rescue. He should be resting as much as he possibly can.”
“I have been, Dr. Klein,” Clark assured him. “But surely you can’t expect me not to help when Lois was being attacked.”
Klein sighed. “No, of course not. I’m just saying that you need to be careful right now... Both of you -” he eyed Lois pointedly “- if you expect to get better and not worse, Superman.”
Lois bit her tongue. Dr. Klein thought this was her fault. He didn’t know that she and Clark had been on a date and had been innocently walking home when they were *both* attacked. All he knew was that Lois had gotten herself into trouble and she’d had to be rescued by Superman.
“Now, on that point,” Dr. Klein continued, “I think I’ve got something that might help.” He walked over to the vault, went inside, and then came back out a few seconds later with a vial of liquid and a syringe.
Not another needle, Clark lamented, wincing at the thought.
“This is an antidote of sorts,” Klein explained, tilting the bottle to indicate the liquid inside. “Or actually... maybe you would call it an anti-serum... Or perhaps a... vaccine?” he mumbled, staring at the vial. “You can’t really call it anti-venom...”
“Dr. Klein?” Lois said impatiently.
“Hmm?” he asked and then seemed to remember where he was. “Oh, yes. I, uh, tinkered with the sample of Kryptonite you had given me and created a hybrid form of it which has a much lower dosage of radiation. I used it to produce this serum, which I’m hoping will help Superman to combat the effects of Kryptonite on his system – even possibly help him build up a kind of tolerance to it.” A proud grin spread across his face but then quickly disappeared. “You understand, though, that this will be extremely experimental. I haven’t exactly had any other Kryptonians that I could do research on. So we will need to proceed with caution.”
If Clark could have hugged the man, he would have. However, such a display of affection would have probably seemed out of character for Superman - so he held back, extending his hand to the doctor instead. “That’s wonderful news, Dr. Klein. Congratulations.”
Klein shook his outstretched hand, seeming pleased at the commendation. “I don’t want to pressure you, but the sooner we begin treatment, I think the faster you’ll heal. I’m hoping that this serum will help your body expel any remaining Kryptonite in your system, and get you back to normal... err, *super*.”
Lois felt butterflies in her stomach. This was it! What they had been hoping for – Clark was finally going to have the chance to be Superman again. She looked over at him to find his eyes shining brightly. He was as excited as she was.
“Then let’s get started, Dr. Klein,” Clark said anxiously. Their wedding was the day after tomorrow and he wanted to have the strength to enjoy it.
**********
Lois sighed, slamming the phone down in the Daily Planet conference room. The day had been so perfect... up until now. She looked down at the fluffy white folds of pristine satin and gauzy tulle that were gathered up in her lap and felt herself wanting to cry. Even her dress was perfect. She had considered renting a dress – Clark had rented his tuxedo – but her mother wouldn’t have it.
Ellen Lane still had power over Lois’s father, despite being divorced from him, and when she had insisted that no daughter of hers was going to be given away in a dress that some other woman had worn before her... Well, Sam had immediately and graciously offered to buy Lois a new wedding dress.
This was the second time in so many weeks that Lois had found herself happy to be accepting her father’s help. Because of him, Clark was going to get better, maybe better than he had ever been if Dr. Klein’s vaccine worked like it was supposed to.
She sighed again. Yes, it was nice to think of a time when all their problems might be a thing of the past... but that wasn’t going to be today. Lois gathered up her dress, got out of the chair carefully, and walked over to the closed conference room door. She opened it a crack and peered out.
It was supposedly bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding, and she was not going to tempt the fates. They didn’t need anything else to go wrong.
She eyed the sea of people milling around the newsroom floor chatting and talking, oblivious to the huge problem that was going on behind closed doors – well, behind this door.
Perry looked up and caught her eye. She stuck one hand out through the crack of the door, motioning him to come over. He hurried over and when he got close enough, she opened the door wider to let him in.
“What is it, Lois?” He paused for a second, taking in her appearance and a huge grin spread across his face. “You look prettier than a... ah, hell, I can’t even make a comparison. Darlin’, you look amazing.”
Despite the current problem, Lois managed to blush in appreciation of the compliment. Although, truth be told, she felt slightly awkward at the amount of skin she was bearing. Her dress was sleeveless and the top was mostly lace – it wasn’t see through, but it still showed a lot more than her prim business suits. “Thanks, Perry. But it looks like I went to a lot of trouble for nothing,” she complained.
Perry frowned. “What in Elvis’s name has happened now?”
Lois grimaced. It wasn’t that a lot of things had gone wrong. In fact, with respect to the actual wedding, most things had gone right. But Perry knew at least some of what they had gone through to get here. It had to be time for them to catch a break, didn’t it? That had to be what he was thinking.
Sadly, that time wasn’t going to be today.
“I just got off the phone with the minister’s wife. Apparently he either ate something that didn’t agree with him or he’s caught a stomach bug or something...” She reached up and pulled her mother’s veil from her head, laying it down on the table and slumping into one of the chairs. “What are we going to do? There’s no way we’ll be able to find someone to marry us on this short notice!” She found herself on the verge of tearing up again.
Perry walked over and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Don’t cry, honey. You’ll mess up your pretty face.”
“Oh, Perry,” she sniffled. “Who cares about make-up if there’s not going to be a wedding?”
“There is going to be a wedding.”
His voice was so adamant, so sure, that it made her pause. “There is?” she whimpered. “How?”
Perry suddenly looked uncomfortable and he took his hand from her shoulder to run it through his thinning hair. “Well, uh, I normally wouldn’t reveal this, but... I can marry you.”
Lois’s eyebrows shot up. “What? Perry, be serious.”
“I am, Lois. I am an ordained minister of the First Church of Blue Suede Deliverance,” he said, somewhat sheepishly.
Lois was floored. Blue Suede Deliverance? She grinned. She didn’t care if he was ordained by the church of the Three Stooges! Everything was going to be okay! They were going to get married after all!
“Listen,” he continued. “I know it’s not what you had planned on and...”
Lois flung her arms around him. “No. It’s perfect!”
**********
“Are you ready, honey?” Sam asked his daughter.
Lois smiled up at him. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more ready for anything in my whole life.”
He smiled back at her and gave her an appraising eye. “You know, today, you really do look like a princess.”
“Thanks, Daddy.”
Music from the pianist that they had hired filtered into the conference room, announcing that it was time. Lois slipped her arm around her father’s and he opened the door.
A sea of faces turned to look at her as she emerged from the conference room doorway. They were all there - colleagues, friends, family... all smiling, all waiting anxiously for her to join her groom at the top of the ramp.
Lois glanced up at the landing, where the ramp led up to the elevators. Perry and Clark were waiting for her. Clark’s smile was so big that she could see it from where she was standing.
Sam led Lois down the aisle that had been created between the sections of seats. All the desks, office chairs and equipment had been moved to another floor to accommodate seats for the guests.
When they reached the bottom of the ramp, Sam released Lois’s arm and leaned in to give her a soft kiss on the cheek. “Congratulations, Princess,” he whispered. “I’m so glad I made it for this one.”
“Me too, Daddy,” she whispered back to him, feeling tears trying to start again. She made her way up, leaving her train to cover the surface of the ramp behind her as she went.
Clark watched his bride as she walked up the ramp towards him. He had never seen her look more beautiful. Not just beautiful, breathtaking, he realized as his breathing quickened. He took her hand as she reached the top. He hadn’t stopped smiling since she had stepped from the conference room, and he understood now why people said their mouths hurt from smiling so much at their weddings – it wasn’t because of the pictures, it was from just being so happy. “You look amazing.”
“Thanks. You’re not so bad yourself,” Lois said as she took in his handsome appearance in the black tux. Tuxedos always made men look good, but they made Clark look positively yummy every time he had worn one – and especially today. She wondered fleetingly how long a wedding ceremony and reception were supposed to last - and if there was anyway to speed them along – and then Perry was speaking.
“Shall we begin?” he asked them. They both nodded and he took a deep breath. “Friends, we are gathered here today to witness the joining of this man –“ he gestured to Clark “- and this woman –“ he gestured to Lois “- in holy matrimony. I know I speak for everyone here when I say what a joyous and happy occasion this is...”
Lois shifted on her feet, making sure not to lock her knees. The last thing she wanted was to pass out at her own wedding. How embarrassing would that be? And her head had already begun to swim, just with the knowledge that they were here! They had finally made it - through everything.
Clark’s heart was beating frantically. Perry was making a beautiful speech, but he couldn’t seem to concentrate on it – he was too excited. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself and focus. If he didn’t get a handle on himself, he wouldn’t have the mental capacity to make it through the vows without forgetting his own name.
Vows...
Vows were pledges... promises... Lois was promising to give herself to him, for the rest of their lives. To stay by him through everything.
She had already stood by him...
They had been through the ‘sickness’, hopefully now they would experience the health. And while they weren’t exactly poor, he looked forward to a time when he could give her more than he could right now.
And the having and the holding – he definitely looked forward to that.
Perry broke into both of their thoughts as he asked, “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?”
Everyone turned to watch Sam rise out of his chair. “Her mother and I do.” Lois was amazed to note that her mother and father were actually sitting next to one another.
Perry reached into his pocket and brought out the rings. “These rings are an outward symbol of the commitment that you have made to one another.” He handed Lois’s ring to Clark. “Clark, please repeat after me. I, Clark, take you, Lois, to be my lawfully wedded wife...”
Clark’s heart was racing as he took the ring from Perry and turned to look at Lois’s smiling face. “I, Clark, take you, Lois, to be my lawfully wedded wife...”
“To have and to hold, from this day forward,” Perry continued, “for better or worse, for richer or poorer...”
“To have and to hold,” Clark repeated, giving Lois’s hand a soft squeeze, “from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer...”
“As long as we both shall live.”
“As long as we both shall live,” Clark concluded, slipping the ring onto Lois’s finger.
“Lois...” Perry held out Clark’s ring to her. “Repeat after me. I, Lois, take you, Clark, to be my lawfully wedded husband...”
Lois’s hands trembled as she took the ring from Perry and looked up into Clark’s loving eyes. “I, Lois, take you, Clark, to be my lawfully wedded husband...”
She repeated the rest of the vows, never breaking eye contact with Clark as if she could silently reinforce what she was saying with her eyes. She could see their life together in his eyes. The happy times they would share, the sad times they would help each other through. It was all there, in the twinkling of his eyes.
Clark’s eyes slipped shut as Lois slid the ring onto his finger. A warm feeling of comfort washed over him as he realized that he finally knew where he belonged – beside Lois, for the rest of his life.
“Now, by the power vested in me by this state and the First Church of Blue Suede Deliverance,” Perry proclaimed. “I now pronounce you husband and wife.” He grinned widely. “You may, uh, kiss the bride.”
Lois’s head hadn’t stopped swimming and a thousand different things were flying through her mind, but before her stampeding thoughts could carry her off any place else, Clark was kissing her. It was a soft, tender kiss full of hope and promise... and passion.
But, due to the fact that there was a crowd of people watching expectantly, it was also short-lived. Then the two of them turned to greet the smiling faces looking up at them.
“All right! Now let’s get this shindig started!” Perry exclaimed happily from behind them. “There’s cake and punch in the conference room,” he bellowed to the room. “And something with a bit more kick in my office,” he continued in a quieter voice, winking at the new couple.
Lois and Clark laughed and then turned to make their way down the ramp to the newsroom floor. Clark ran a hand comfortingly across the white lacy back of Lois’s dress as they began to descend the ramp, sending flutters through her. She smiled contentedly as he slid his arm around her waist and gave her a tender squeeze. By the glance he was casting at the lace-covered bosom of the sleeveless bodice of her gown, he definitely approved of the dress she had chosen. Actually, he looked more like he couldn’t wait to get the dress off.
She knew she certainly couldn’t wait to get his tux off. That little bet they’d had going was one that she had almost lost – more than once. Lois smiled to herself – well they were married now and all bets were off. She gave Clark one last fleeting glance - wondering briefly how long they were expected to stay at their own reception - before finally managing to take her eyes off of him long enough to sweep them across the room, admiring the modest floral decorations and the warm faces of all their friends. “Could you have imagined getting married anyplace else?” she asked, thinking to herself that she couldn’t.
“No,” Clark replied, though he knew that wasn’t exactly true. He could have imagined getting married in a hundred different places... as long as Lois was the one he was marrying.
“CK!” Jimmy exclaimed happily, running up to greet him. “Congratulations!”
Jack came walking up beside Jimmy but turned to face Lois when several more people crowded around Clark, realizing that it might be a few minutes before he could get a word in edgewise with his friend. “Congratulations, Lois.”
“Thanks, Jack,” she said, stepping forward to give him a hug.
“You’ve got a real good guy there,” he said sincerely, embracing her.
“Yeah. He’s pretty *super*,” she said quietly, next to his ear. She broke from the hug, flashing him a wide grin.
Jack smiled back at her. “Yes, he is.”
An unspoken understanding passed between them, causing both of their smiles to widen.
**********
Clark held the passenger door open for Lois and she climbed inside of her Jeep – their Jeep – waving to all of the onlookers. After giving a final wave of his own, he walked around to the driver’s side and got in. Betraying his impatience at having stayed longer at the reception than either of them had wanted to, he fired up the engine and pulled away from the curb in one swift motion. The movement pushed Lois back in her seat and made her smile.
Lois kept waving until they had turned the corner and she could no longer see anyone. Her eyes were drawn to the sight of the Jeep in the side mirror. It was hardly recognizable with all of the shaving cream, ribbons, and streamers adorning it. Not to mention the words painted across the windows in pink icing – JUST MARRIED – HOTTEST TEAM IN TOWN. But at least the windshield was clear, so they could see to drive home.
She was ready to get home.
Having only been in her new lease agreement for less than two weeks, her landlady had graciously agreed to let her out of it with the news of her impending marriage. The movers would be coming back - the day after their honeymoon was over - to move her stuff into Clark’s apartment. She was considering selling a few items – like perhaps those fancy, uncomfortable loveseats. It would take a little work, but she was sure they could fit most of her stuff into his apartment. And what they couldn’t fit, she had rented a storage unit to keep it in for now.
Maybe later, when money wasn’t so tight, they could look at getting a bigger place. But right now she couldn’t think of any other place that would feel as much like home as his apartment.
That’s why she had suggested that they spend their honeymoon there. Besides saving money by not traveling anywhere - and the fact that she didn’t really want to waste time traveling - God only knew how many daydreams she’d had about his place while she had been living there. Or, more specifically, what she wanted to do to Clark at his place. She looked over at Clark and grinned. They might as well fulfill some of those daydreams on their honeymoon.
Their honeymoon. The thought sent a shiver down her spine. She still could hardly believe that her husband - she was beginning to love how that word sounded – was... well... inexperienced. Lois hadn’t ever been much of a teacher, but this was one pupil that she had no reservations about... and the subject matter wasn’t bad either.
That thought left a pleasant smile on her face that continued until Clark pulled up to the sidewalk in front of his... their... apartment.
Clark put the Jeep in park, jumped out and ran around to open the door for her. “Wait for me on the landing,” he told her, as she stepped out. “I’ll be right back.”
Lois nodded at him and watched him pull away, before making her way up the stairs to the front door. Her stomach gave an excited little lurch. They were finally here. They were married. There was no more holding back – no more waiting.
She wasn’t sure how long she had been standing there daydreaming, but when Clark came around the corner and caught her by surprise, he must have realized what she had been thinking about.
“No fair starting without me,” he teased softly.
“I can’t imagine what you mean,” she managed with a straight face. “I was figuring up how many ‘thank yous’ I would have to compose later.”
“Really...” he said wryly, cocking an eyebrow at her. “Thank yous, huh?”
“Mmm, hmm,” she murmured as she kissed his lips softly. “Thank you for that.” She slipped her tongue between his lips for a deeper pleasure. “Oh, and that,” she breathed.
Clark slid his arms around her and drew her against his body as he took his own turn exploring her.
“Oh, god, definitely that,” she whispered in a husky tone. She was surprised by how little she recognized her own voice at that moment.
Clark checked the door and found that Lois had already unlocked it. He pushed it open and scooped her up into his arms before carrying her over the threshold. “Welcome home, Mrs. Kent.”
He hadn’t planned on setting her down, but she wriggled out of his arms.
“We need to save your strength,” she explained, flashing him a wicked smile. “You’re going to need it.”
“Too late. I’m already feeling a little weak.”
Lois started to get concerned – Clark had gradually been feeling better since their episode the other evening, but his powers hadn’t returned yet. Then she noticed the teasing light in his eyes and she gave him a light smack on the arm. “I told you - Kryptonite’s got nothing on me, baby,” she assured him, taking the veil off her head and then sliding several strings of pearls over her head. She set the items down before reaching up to hastily undo the bow tie of Clark’s tuxedo. She pulled on it, but it didn’t come out smoothly like she had hoped. It seemed to be caught on something.
“Don’t get too over zealous,” he said, flashing her a grin. “It’s rented, remember?” He started to reach up to help her. “Here, I pinned it to the collar so it would stay in place.”
She waved his hands away. “Oh, no, Farmboy. I’ve undressed you twice now – having to repress any pleasure that came to mind. This time, I’m gonna enjoy every moment. You just keep those hands to yourself.”
“How ‘bout I keep them on you?” he asked, placing his hands on her hips and then sliding them enticingly up her body in search of how to relieve her of some of her clothing.
Her fingers made short work of the pins holding the bow tie and she had it off of him and was working on the buttons of his shirt when Clark let out a soft sigh.
“I admit defeat,” he said, his voice husky and thick. “Where is the zipper or the buttons... or do I have to just rip the dress off of you?” he asked with a mischievous grin. His fingertips found the top of her dress and he slipped them inside, running them across the silky smooth skin of her back.
Lois murmured a sound of approval at his touch. Actually ripping the dress off didn’t seem like such a bad idea, but it wasn’t necessary. He just didn’t realize what the bodice of the dress actually was – which was the whole point. “Mmm, the bow,” she whispered next to his ear. “Untie the bow in the back at my waist.”
Clark did as she asked and then his eyes widened as he watched the puffy lower half of the dress slip to the floor, leaving her adorned in a white lace bodice that doubled as lingerie. He blew out the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “Wow.”
There was a white satin and lace bridal garter wrapped around one of her deliciously long legs. Clark knelt down and slipped his fingers underneath it, pulling it down and off her leg. He placed a soft kiss where the garter had been and then worked his way up her body, leaving a trail of kisses behind. Lois tangled her hands in his hair and encouraged his exploration with soft mews of appreciation until he finally claimed her lips.
“Oh, Clark.” Lois shivered and a soft moan escaped from her. The warm tingling sensation that had begun to flow through her was demanding that she finish undressing him. She quickly finished unbuttoning his shirt and pulled it back away from his neck, taking a taste of the soft skin at the base of his throat.
“Lois,” he breathed into her hair. “God, I want you. I’ve wanted you for so long.” He lifted her into his arms again and carried her into the bedroom, laying her gently on the bed. He followed her down to the bed, kissing any skin that was exposed to him until his lips finally found hers. “I’ve waited for this moment...”
“*We’ve* waited for this moment,” she amended. “And I don’t want to wait any longer...”
**********
Lois lay on the bed, her chest still heaving from the exertion and her mind and body still reeling from the unfathomably intense sensations. Clark might have been the virgin, but she hadn’t ever felt anything like that before. She looked over at him lying next to her, his face attractively flushed, and suppressed a giggle. They hadn’t even managed to make it completely out of their wedding attire first. All this time, she had daydreamed about undressing Clark again, but they hadn’t made it that far...
She almost laughed out loud. Actually, they had made it much farther. “Wanna try it again? Maybe without clothing this time?” she asked playfully.
Clark smiled at her, still reveling in the aftermath of their lovemaking. He was amazed at how weak and yet how invigorated he felt all at the same time. He needed a moment to recover. She was right - Kryptonite had nothing on her.
“Just give me a minute,” he murmured, cupping his hand to her face tenderly and giving her a soft kiss. As the delightful sensations began to ebb from his body, he could feel something else taking their place. An ache was beginning to throb low in his back.
“Mmm, I’m just too much for you,” she teased.
Clark ignored the ache and focused on the challenge. “I’ll show you who’s too much,” he said, kissing her with fervor.
Lois sighed with pleasure and wondered fleetingly if his clothes were going to be salvageable after this, before losing herself to him and the moment.
*********
Clark stared in disbelief at what he saw. Blood.
The aching in his back hadn’t subsided, and after making love to Lois again, he had excused himself to use the bathroom, thinking it might help to get up and move around. His bladder had seemed to be aching along with his back.
But when he relieved his bladder, the last thing he had felt was relief. Instead it had hurt – a lot. And there was blood.
What was wrong with him?
Had he just overexerted himself? Or was it something else? It was true that he hadn’t ever made love before, but unless Kryptonians are that different from humans, he didn’t think there was supposed to be pain or bleeding involved – maybe for a virgin woman, but certainly not for a man.
He took a couple of deep, cleansing breaths, trying to calm himself and fight the growing pain in his back. On his next deep breath, that’s when it hit him.
An intense, mind-searing pain ripped through him, causing him to let out a loud groan as he reached out for the wall in front of him for support.
**********
Lois jerked her head up when she heard Clark’s pain-filled cry come from the bathroom. She jumped out of bed and rushed into the other room to check on him.
She paled when she saw him. Clark was clutching his side with one hand and grimacing in pain. His other hand was braced against the wall as if that was the only thing keeping him standing.
“Clark? What’s wrong?” she asked as she rushed to his side.
“I...” His face contorted in pain. “I don’t know,” he grit out between clenched teeth. “My back was aching a little before... but...” He let out a moan. “Then it started to hurt worse and... oh!” He sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh god, Lois, it hurts. It hurts!”
Lois felt panicky at the pain in his voice. “What hurts? Where does it hurt?”
Clark covered his mouth. “I’m gonna be sick!” he mumbled against his hand.
Lois grabbed the small trashcan next to his sink and held it under his chin. He grabbed hold of it and wretched into it, his body heaving violently.
When it passed, Clark slid slowly to the floor and leaned his head against the wall beside him, breathing heavily for a few seconds. “No... please, no...” he moaned, his body squirming. Then he threw up again into the trashcan.
Lois grabbed a washcloth and wet it with cool water. She knelt down beside him, patting his face with it. “What can I do? Are you just sick or is it something more serious?”
“I... don’t know...” he ground out. “There was... blood... in my urine.”
Blood in his urine? Lois felt her blood run cold. That was definitely serious.
Clark let out another cry and slumped over to the floor, clutching at his back and side. “Oh, it hurts!”
Lois felt tears come to her eyes and fear grip her heart as she watched her husband - the strongest man in the world - curled up in a fetal position, writhing and moaning in pain.
“Hold on, Clark,” she pleaded. “I’ll be right back. I’m gonna call Dr. Klein.” As she started to stand up, he reached out and grabbed her hand.
“Lois...”
“What?” she asked with a shaky voice.
“I... I love you,” he whispered. “I’m... I’m sorry,” he managed before a wave of pain hit him, eliciting another groan and cutting off his ability to speak.
He didn’t know what was wrong with him, but it was more serious than a little overexertion. He felt like he was dying. Something inside of him was aching so badly that he couldn’t feel anything else - couldn’t think about anything else – but the pain. Only dying could hurt this bad - it was worse than Kryptonite.
Kryptonite.
Maybe the antidote that Dr. Klein had given him hadn’t worked or maybe it had made things worse. That had to be it - the Kryptonite had finally overrun his system and it was going to kill him. It was probably his liver shutting down. Or maybe his kidneys had failed. He’d probably never know exactly what had happened.
“No! No, Clark. You’re going to be okay. Do you hear me? Dr. Klein will know what’s wrong.” Lois slid back down to her knees beside him and took his head in her hands, looking down into his pain-filled eyes. “Look at me.”
Clark tried to focus on her voice. It was so hard. All he wanted was for someone to make it stop – do anything to make it stop. But he finally managed to fight through the pain to find her face. He watched a tear slip from her watery eyes and she gave him a relieved smile.
“You remember the night of that storm?” she asked. “At your parent’s house? I told you not to leave me. You promised that you wouldn’t.” Her breath choked in her throat and she whispered, “Don’t leave me, Clark.” She leaned down and kissed his forehead tenderly before getting up to go for the phone.
Clark wanted to tell her not to leave, but she was already gone before he could find his voice. It was a scary thought to contemplate dying, and yet, he found a strange inner peace descend on him. For one brief moment, he’d had everything he had ever wanted. Lois was his wife. They had pledged their lives and their love to each other. They had kissed and held one another, and they had made love. That had been the most beautiful and amazing thing he had ever experienced.
For one fleeting instant, he had known exactly where he belonged.
<...For as long as we both shall live...>
No. It was too soon. Their life together had barely begun. It wasn’t enough.
But would it ever be enough? He would never want to leave her, or her to leave him... even when they were old and gray. But if he had to leave this world, at least he would die knowing that he had found happiness. Not everyone could say that.
A calm slowly overcame him - his brain’s reaction to the intensity of the pain taking over and blocking his cognizant reception of it. He was losing consciousness.
Fight, he told himself. Fight for Lois.
But he couldn’t. The room was fading in and out. He could hear Lois’s voice coming from far off and he wanted to call out to her, but he couldn’t. It was just too hard – it hurt too much. His eyes rolled back into the darkness and try as he might, he couldn’t open them again.
If he’d had just one wish, it would have been to see Lois one last time...
***********
To be concluded...
