Thanks, as always, to Alisha, Beth, Nancy and Queenie
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This is me procrastinating and not cleaning :p . Have an extra 5yo coming over in a few and MIL coming over on Friday...
Last time:
"I had an idea last night," Lois muttered.
"What?" he asked.
"You heard me, Mr. Kryptonian."
"What was your idea?" Jonathan asked.
"I suggested that maybe making love to his wife would help," she said sarcastically. "But, no. He slept on the couch instead."
"Do we have to do this here?" Clark said. "If you want to fight, we can, but we don't have to do it in front of my parents."
"Why not? You won't talk to me anywhere else. You won't touch me. Two nights ago is the first time you've really kissed me in *months* and it was obvious you didn't even want to do that."
Clark glared at her. "You've been weird and withdrawn for weeks and I'm supposed to suddenly realize that I'm madly in love with you?"
"I thought I might be pregnant. That a guy who didn't even remember marrying me had gotten me pregnant. Of course I was weird and withdrawn. It was *so* reassuring to know that our one day together was so memorable he didn't even feel anything for me once he lost his memory." Her voice was getting louder again, just as his had. "But I can't *say* that. I can't say how much I hate this. How much I miss *my* Clark. How much I wish your memory of us was back. It's selfish and all that, but, right now, I don't care if you *ever* remember anyone else. *Ever*. I just want you to remember *me*. Remember *us*. And I know it's not your fault and you saved the whole damn world when you lost your memory, but that doesn't mean I like it." She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "I offered what I thought was a *valid* suggestion – making love to your wife, recreating what – at the time – should have been, and actually was, an incredibly beautiful moment in your life. You didn't want to even contemplate it because you don't remember me, you don't love me and I get that, but that doesn't mean I *like* it." She headed for the door. "If you want to *sleep* with me tonight, you're welcome to, otherwise find somewhere else to be. Maybe the hayloft will jog your memory."
The screen door slammed behind her as she left.
Clark sank into one of the chairs before looking at his parents. "What do I do?" he whispered. "What do I do?"
Chapter 15Lois didn't care that the screen door slammed behind her. She didn't care that the screen door to *their* house slammed behind her.
She changed her mind, grabbing the extra set of keys and heading back outside. She didn't care that she didn't have her purse with her and hopped in the truck anyway, driving towards town. If Clark really wanted to go somewhere, he could fly.
Tears streaked down her cheeks and continued to do so until after she pulled into her parents' driveway. It wasn't that she was running home to her parents because she and Clark had a fight; it was that she needed her dad's help.
She sat there with her head on the steering wheel until a tap on the window startled her. It was her dad.
She rolled down the window. "I need your help."
"What's wrong?"
She shrugged. "Clark and I had a big right in front of his parents and I don't want to talk about that, but I need your help anyway."
He watched her thoughtfully for a minute. "Okay. What's up?"
She told him about the Jeep and he agreed to follow her out there and look it over for her before she decided to buy it or not.
He agreed, but opened her door and pulled her into a long hug.
"Thanks," she whispered as he moved back.
"Married or not, you're still my little girl."
Ten minutes later, they were on their way. She hadn't even left the truck. She didn't want to face her mom or Lucy, but her mom had come, too, riding with her dad. That way, if she did get the Jeep that night, they'd have enough drivers to get it and everyone else home.
Abby's parents' farm wasn't too far from the Kents and it wasn't long before they pulled in. They spent the better part of an hour and a half chatting with Abby and her parents and test driving the Jeep. Sam helped haggle a good price and Lois drove off in Clark's truck with her dad driving the Jeep behind her.
They pulled into the yard at her new home. She exchanged one more hug with both of them before they left and she headed into the small house.
It was dark – Clark obviously wasn't there. She sighed and decided that she wanted to take a long bath. She had one of the big towels wrapped around her when she left the bathroom.
"Nice Jeep."
The voice startled her and she stopped where she was. "Thanks," she finally said.
"It's ours?"
She shrugged. "Technically, it's still Abby's parents. I have a week to have it looked at and decide if I want it. Daddy got a good price on it. I'm paying for half of it and they're paying for the other half and then taxes, title, tags, all that for my graduation present."
"That's nice."
Lois headed towards their room, dropping her clothes in the laundry sorter as she did. They had a space for a washer and dryer, but didn't have one. Martha had said they could use theirs when they needed to.
She put on a favorite pair of shorts pajamas and headed out to the kitchen to get a drink of water before heading to bed. She took the prenatal vitamin her dad had given her and turned towards Clark, leaning against the counter. "I meant what I said," she told him quietly. "You're my husband. I'm your wife. If you want to *sleep* with me tonight, you're welcome to stay. Otherwise, find somewhere else to be."
She pushed away from the counter and headed down the hallway, crawling under the covers, situating the body pillow just right and holding it and the little black and white bear to her.
A few minutes later, she heard footsteps coming down the hall. She closed her eyes and tried to make sure her breathing was even. He was doing his best to be quiet as he opened and closed a few different drawers. She could hear the rustle of clothes and expected him to leave when he was finished changing.
Instead she felt the covers move and the other mattress depress as Clark climbed into bed.
After a long minute, he spoke. "Good night, Lois."
She hesitated. "Good night," she finally whispered.
It would be so easy to roll over, to hold him close to her, to feel his body against hers as she drifted off to sleep.
But she didn't.
He was only there because she gave him an ultimatum of sorts, not because he wanted to be. He was only there because she'd embarrassed him in front of his parents and he didn't want to have to tell them he still wasn't sleeping – just sleeping – with his wife.
It was a long time before she finally fell asleep.
*****
Clark rested his forearms on the table as the door slammed behind Lois. "Please," he asked his parents. "What do I do?" he repeated again.
Martha snorted as she stood and moved to the fridge. "You could start by sleeping with your wife."
"Mom..." he started.
"I said *sleeping*, nothing else. I can understand how you don't feel ready for that, but I can certainly see Lois' point, too. And it's pretty obvious you two slept together at some point. You slept together on the beach at the lake that time and she told us that neither of you got *much* sleep the night before you took off – we didn't know you were married, of course, and we wondered why that might be – but that you got some so I'd imagine you two *slept* together then, too. I'm not even saying you have to be all cuddly with her, but sleeping in the same bed might be a start."
They looked up as they heard a car door slam and tires crunch out of the yard. Martha and Jonathan shared a look as Clark ran his hands through his hair.
"And what if my memory never comes back?" he asked quietly. "What if I never remember?"
"Then you make new memories," Jonathan told him. "Start dating her again, for real, and not just the moderately uncomfortable double date with Pete and Abby where you talk around a lot of issues but never actually get to know Lois. Fall in love with her all over again."
Clark thought about that for a moment. "She offered me a divorce," he told them, fiddling with his wedding band.
"What?!" The shocked exclamation came from both of them in unison.
"She said she'd understand if I wanted a divorce and said she wouldn't ask me for anything for the baby and that she'd never tell anyone about me."
Martha stood behind him and rested her hands on his shoulders. "How'd that make you feel?"
"Lost. I know she's been weird for a few weeks, and I understand why, but she's been a constant for me. If I have a question, I ask Lois – unless it's about these powers or whatever, then I ask you guys. Anything else, I ask Lois. I feel it when I hold her hand or the other night when I really kissed her – there's a connection and I felt closer than ever to remembering but..." He shook his head. "That doesn't mean I feel married to her, in love with her, whatever."
Martha leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him as Jonathan nodded. "That makes sense."
"I want to be *her* Clark, but I don't know how."
"Listen to your dad. He's a smart man. Go on real dates with her. Fly her places. We thought you'd done some of that the day before you left, but you didn't. Go walk part of the Great Wall and just hold her hand and talk to her. Go to a deserted beach in the South Pacific and make a quick trip to pick up Chinese for a picnic, then go swimming – in swimsuits, of course, unless you *want* to go skinny dipping. Go check out the pyramids. See the sites of Europe. Wherever she wants to go. Wherever you want to go."
Clark sighed and nodded. "That's as good as anything I've come up with."
"That doesn't mean that you stop trying to remember, of course. Go through the albums with her again. Watch the videos. Spend some time in the hayloft. You said you feel the connection with her, build on that. Learn how she likes to be kissed again and you can't do that if you're not kissing her. Go from there," she told him.
He nodded again, squeezing her hand lightly. "Do mind if I watch the baseball game with Dad tonight? At least until Lois gets back?"
Jonathan nodded. "It starts any minute."
It was over two hours before multiple cars pulled into the yard. Clark lowered his glasses and looked through the wall. "Looks like she got the Jeep," he said. "Or at least brought it home for a test drive or something."
More tires crunched in the driveway as he watched Sam and Ellen leave.
He sighed and stood. "I'm going to go talk to her."
"Good plan."
He left his parents' house, stopping long enough to give the Jeep a once-over.
By the time he made it inside, she was already in the bathroom.
He sat on the couch, flipping again through one of the many photo albums and scrapbooks left lying on the coffee table.
Nothing.
He heard the water draining from the tub and a minute later, Lois walked out of the bathroom wrapped only in a big towel.
"Nice Jeep," he said, stopping her in her tracks.
She was silent for a long minute. "Thanks."
"It's ours?" Was it *theirs*? Or hers? Did it matter? For some reason he couldn’t explain, it kind of did.
He saw her shrug. "Technically, it's still Abby's parents. I have a week to have it looked at and decide if I want it. Daddy got a good price on it. I'm paying for half of it and they're paying for the other half."
"That's nice."
She went to their – her? – bedroom and came out a minute later wearing pajamas that actually made Clark's breath catch in his throat. They weren't overtly sexy or anything like that, but the spaghetti straps held up a top that was low-cut enough without being too... inappropriate and that was short enough that it didn't quite reach the waistband of the short shorts. They weren't quite as short as he thought 'Daisy Dukes' were, but they showed off miles and miles of her legs. He was glad she wasn't really watching him as he stared.
She went into the kitchen and took some kind of pill. She leaned against the counter. "I meant what I said. You're my husband. I'm your wife. If you want to *sleep* with me tonight, you're welcome to stay. Otherwise, find somewhere else to be."
He nodded, but he didn't think she saw him. He heard the bed springs creak slightly as she settled into bed. They were right – Lois and his parents – sleeping with his wife was probably as good a place to start as any. He headed to their bedroom and tried to be quiet as he changed into a pair of sweat shorts. He slid into his side of the bed and pulled the covers over him.
After a moment he spoke. "Good night, Lois."
The silence was short, but deafening, in his ears. "Good night," she whispered.
He closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep.
When he woke, he had the strangest sensation of floating and being held down at the same time.
The floating sensation wasn't new – he'd caught himself doing that a few times since he lost his memory.
Being held down was.
He shifted slightly and the realization hit him.
Lois was on top of him.
Sort of.
Her head rested on his chest and one arm was thrown across his stomach. Her legs were wrapped around one of his, crossed at the ankles to keep the bottom leg from dangling to the mattress, he guessed. His arm was wrapped around her, holding her tightly to his side.
He wasn't sure what to make of that, so he carefully floated them back down the six or so inches to the mattress. He tried to land as gently as he could but the soft thump made Lois stir.
Her eyes fluttered partly open. "Sorry," she mumbled and worked to disentangle herself from his side.
"It's okay," he whispered back as she rolled over, having never really woken up.
The sense of loss shouldn't have surprised him but it did. He thought about rolling over and pulling her towards him, but he didn't. Instead he just stared through the ceiling at the stars until he finally fell asleep again.
*****
Lois didn't want to open her eyes, opting instead to smack the alarm blind.
She could sense she was alone. She had some vague, dream-like recollection of being in Clark's arms at some point during the night, but she wasn't even sure it was a real memory.
And floating.
She seemed to remember floating.
Was it possible they'd rolled together at some point during the night?
Maybe.
She listened carefully. She couldn't hear him, didn't feel his presence in the room. He had to have gotten up already.
She glanced at the clock and groaned. She'd have to hurry but at least she didn't have to worry about Clark giving her a ride.
She dressed quickly and headed to the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee into a travel mug.
"What're you doing tonight?" Clark asked from the living room.
She shrugged. "Not a clue."
"Will you go out with me?"
She almost thought he was holding his breath waiting for her answer. "Like a date?" she asked, slightly confused.
"Yeah, like a date."
"Sure."
There was a soft sigh. "Okay."
"Where're we going?" she asked, clicking the lid in place.
"Wherever you want."
She thought for a minute. "DiGiacinto's?" She'd told them about their first date there but they hadn't been there since he lost his memory. Maybe recreating it a bit...
He leaned against the living room side of the counter. "I was thinking more like Italy or the Great Wall or a picnic on an island somewhere, but DiGiacinto's works, too."
Her eyes grew wide. "Really?"
"Sure," he shrugged.
She sighed. "I'd love to go to the beach somewhere and have a picnic."
"Picnic it is then. Do you want to pack a basket or stop somewhere and pick something up?"
"Like what?"
"Chinese. Italian. Moroccan. Japanese. Whatever you want."
"Really?"
"Sure."
She stared at him for a long minute. "What's this all about?"
He sighed. "I talked to my parents last night – asked them what I was supposed to do, especially if I don't remember or don't for a long time. Dad suggested *real* dates getting to know you and falling in love with you all over again. Mom suggested a number of options, including a picnic on the beach and swimming. She suggested skinny dipping as an option but..." He didn't look at her as he said it.
"I'll bring a swimsuit," Lois said quietly. She headed around into the living room. "I've got to go. I'll be home about 5:30."
He stood as she walked through the living room, stopping her by the door. "Have a good day," he said quietly, leaning over to brush his lips lightly against her cheek.
Lois looked at him for a long moment. "You, too."
She was surprised that Clark wasn't home when she got there ten minutes earlier than expected. Sam had told her to leave early to get ready for her date with her husband. His truck was in the yard but he was nowhere to be seen.
She decided to take a quick shower, locking the door to their room behind her as she got dressed.
She put on the new swimsuit she'd bought the week after he lost his memory. It was the first chance she'd had to wear it and she hoped it would have the intended effect. Of course, she'd bought it before she knew she was pregnant and she wondered how long she'd be able to pull it off.
She held her stomach in as far as she could – something she'd already noticed was getting harder to do – and studied herself in the mirror.
She sighed.
It would have to do.
She was sure when she bought it that a memory-filled Clark would love it, but now she wasn't so sure this Clark would.
Her only other option was one of the swim team suits she still had – she'd never really seen the point of buying others when they were almost always with her parents anyway and her parents would certainly not have approved her wearing this new suit in public or with Boyfriend Clark.
Husband Clark, however, was a different story all together.
She still doubted she'd wear it on the boat with her parents this summer, but if she was somewhere with Clark...
She sighed and dug through the drawers of her dresser for a pair of short shorts and a shirt that suited her purpose.
She wasn't going to set out to seduce Clark, but she wasn't going to set out not to either. Maybe she could get him to rub sun screen on her back.
She heard a thump on the porch and headed to the living room.
The look on Clark's face when he saw her was all she could have asked for and more.
She smiled to herself. Maybe this would work after all.
*****
Clark had to forcibly keep his eyes from popping out of his head when Lois walked out of the hallway.
He doubted he was entirely successful.
She wasn't watching him as his eyes traveled up and down her body. The shorts were... short. The shirt was really more of a thing to wear over a swim suit or something and not really designed to hide anything underneath it. It hung off one bare shoulder and the maroon string bikini top was clearly visible underneath.
She looked over at him and smiled, slinging a beach bag over her shoulder. "Ready?"
He nodded, not trusting his voice not to squeak or something equally embarrassing. He'd changed into swim trunks and a tank top before he left to fly to the South Pacific and scout out the perfect location for their picnic date. Once he'd found a little deserted island near Vanauatu, he'd come back, hoping to find her ready.
She headed to the porch and he followed.
"Are we taking off from here or going somewhere else?"
"Um, here's fine," he said, finding his voice again as the screen door shut behind him. "I told my parents we wouldn't be home even though the cars are here."
She moved to stand directly in front of him. "Then let's fly, Flyboy."
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her to him. "Here we go."
There was something that felt amazingly right about flying with her in his arms and he flew slower than he thought was strictly necessary to enjoy it a little bit longer.
Finally, he set her down on the beach. She moved away from him and looked around. "Wow. Clark, this is amazing."
The clear blue water sparkled as she pulled the... shirt over her head. She unbuttoned and unzipped her shorts, shimmying out of them.
The sparkle in her eyes matched the water as she darted towards the ocean. "Last one in's a rotten Kryptonian," she called.
He laughed and pulled his shirt over his head, zipping in front of her stopping when he was knee deep in the surf. Lois slowed and crossed her arms in front of her.
"Cheater." She waded towards him, resting her hand on his chest. "You know what happens to cheaters?"
He shook his head. "No. What?"
"They have to give the other competitor a kiss." Her fingers trailed down towards his stomach.
"Really?" he whispered.
She nodded, slipping her arms around his waist. "Really."
He took a deep breath before lowering his face towards hers, their lips touching gently at first, then more intensely. He pulled her more tightly to him and her arms found their way around his neck, standing, he was sure, on her toes to lessen their height disparity.
><~><~><
"Get out." She stood with her hands on her hips and glared at him.
"Why?"
"Because I said so." Her brown eyes flashed at him.
He glared back. "No. You're *not* the queen of the sandbox."
"It's not a sandbox."><~><~><
He could see her younger self standing there as clear as day as he suddenly found his present self lying on top of her on the edge of the surf, kissing her as though his life depended on it.
><~><~><
He turned to Lois and landed a kiss right on her surprised lips. "I am going to marry you someday, though."><~><~><
He stopped the feverish kiss, resting his forehead on hers, both of them out of breath. "I remember," he whispered.
*****
TBC
