Thanks again to Kathy!!!
Last time
Unresolved sexual tension.
Wasn't that what they called it when the leads on a television show kept avoiding a relationship with each other for one reason or another?
Whatever it was, surely it would be time to leave soon and... resolve it. Right?
He took a deep, calming breath and tried to get his mind off what was surely coming when they flew home.
He couldn't have imagined this outcome from a day that started so horribly at the continued clean-up of the crash in western New Troy. He was so glad Star had come to see them that morning and pushed them this direction.
And before long he'd get to fly off with his *wife* to see exactly what life married to Lois *Lane* would be like.
*~*9*~*
Flying in Clark's arms the day before or even on the way to Smallville had been incredible, but flying with him on the way back to Metropolis, knowing that he was her husband and that before long she'd very likely have very personal knowledge of the body under the Suit – something many women around the world would only ever be able to dream of – was beyond amazing.
"What?" Clark asked, amusement tingeing his voice.
"What what?" she asked back.
"Why're you looking at me like that?" He stopped suddenly, standing upright in midair.
She was still cradled in his arms and she reached out with one hand to caress the side of his face. "Just thinking that you're my husband," she whispered, leaning over to kiss him.
It was supposed to be a light, gentle kiss, but much like the kiss earlier in the storm shelter, it quickly turned into something more.
A long minute later, she pulled back as there was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Oops." Clark looked chagrinned. "Guess I lost altitude there." He kissed her again, swiftly this time. "Let's get home before we do anymore of that."
"Your apartment?" she asked softly. "Not that I don't like your grandpa but I don't really want to have to explain this again tonight or in the morning."
He grinned at her. "You mean *our* apartment?"
She smiled back. "I like the sound of that."
Lois snuggled back in his arms as he flew towards Metropolis, landing minutes later in an alley near his building.
"Why here?" Lois asked as he set her on her feet.
"You'll see." He took her hand and they walked up the stairs to his door.
Clark opened both of them before turning and sweeping her back into his arms. "I want to carry my bride over the threshold for real," he told her.
The husky tone in his voice sent shivers down her spine and, when combined with the tender look on his face, brought tears to her eyes.
She was still in his arms when he reached the bottom of the step and turned, blowing the doors shut.
"Alone at last," she murmured as he set her on her feet.
"I like the sound of that."
She closed her eyes as his face neared hers. First a slight brush of his lips against hers and then...
He was gone.
Her eyes opened and she saw him standing near the stereo, fiddling with the controls.
'And in other news, the crash of two light rail trains near Washington, D. C. has left emergency crews scrambling to find enough lights to work safely into the night. Dozens are injured but there is no official word on the death toll. Officials fear that toll will climb overnight with temperatures in the area hovering around the freezing mark. Up next, your local sports.'
Clark flipped the switch turning the system off. He stood there for a long moment before lifting his head to look at her.
He was torn. She could see it in his eyes.
"Go," she whispered. "They need you."
"But I need you. It's our wedding night and I don't want..."
A single tear streaked down her cheek. "I know. But you have to go."
"Are you sure?" he whispered back.
She nodded. "I'll be waiting when you get back."
He crossed the room in a split second, kissing her hard for a long moment before letting her go. "I love you," he said quietly.
And then he was gone, a guest of wind and the door to the balcony slamming shut behind him the only evidence that he'd been there.
Lois sighed and flopped onto the couch.
Not exactly how she'd envisioned spending her evening.
The phone rang but she didn't answer, instead letting the machine pick up.
'Hi, you've reached Clark Lane. You know what to do.'
'Lois, honey, are you there?'
Lois reached over and grabbed the phone. The machine clicked off as she did so. "Hi, Mom."
"How are you, sweetie?" Her voice was soft.
"It's on the news already?" Lois asked with a sigh, reaching for the remote.
"He just showed up in D.C."
"I'm never turning the radio on again," she muttered sourly. "I think he was going to ask me to dance, but the radio was on when he flipped the stereo system on and the announcement was on the bottom of the hour news."
"I'm so sorry. Not what you two needed on what is essentially your wedding night."
"He didn't want to go. He *wanted* to stay here with me but he could do so much there. I told him to go. I didn't want him to always associate being with me for the first time with missing the train wreck and hearing tomorrow what the death toll overnight was and that always be in the back of his mind when he thinks about tonight. I mean, technically, we've been married since last week but..."
She found the American News Channel and hit mute, watching as Clark flew around the wreckage.
"I know you have, sweetheart, and that makes a lot of sense," Martha told her. "But there's always going to be *something*. If you're not careful..."
"We already talked about that, Mom. He deserves a life as much as the next guy and he'll have one if we have to fly off to a deserted island from time to time where there's no chance of him hearing anything."
Martha chuckled. "Sounds like a good plan. Is there anything I can do? Anything Daddy can do?" she asked more seriously.
Lois sighed. "No. But thanks for calling."
"We love you, sweetie."
"I love both of you, too. So much."
"Call if you want to talk some more."
"I will." They hung up and Lois turned up the sound.
"Superman is working like a man on a mission, Trina," the blonde correspondent said into the microphone. "I've seen him work a few times before but never like this."
"Why do you think that is?" the brunette on the other side of the split screen asked.
"Well, it's not that he never works hard – I certainly don't mean to suggest anything like that – but there seems to be an extra urgency to him tonight. Perhaps it's simply the urgency of the situation – with night having fallen and temperatures plunging, but whatever the reason, Superman is certainly saving many lives this night."
Lois clicked the television off. That was something. She was certain he couldn't wait to get back to be with her.
She looked down and frowned. Old blue jeans and a button down flannel shirt.
Was this what he'd envisioned when he pictured his wedding night? What would he have imagined his bride wearing the first time they made love?
Not this, she was sure.
She doubted he'd really care what she was wearing but that wasn't the point.
She looked at the clock. She had enough time to go to the mall if she wanted to, but she really had no desire to leave the house.
She finally decided to take a long shower and see if she could figure out what to wear – besides her birthday suit – for what was essentially her wedding night.
After drying off, she decided to go with something comfortable. A few minutes of news watching told her that Clark was still busy with the accident. She had no idea when Clark would be home or what kind of shape he'd be in – if he was in the space he had been after returning from the accident the night before... Well, she wasn't sure she wanted those memories tainting their first night together, but she also knew Clark might want to just forget for a while and focus on her – on them. She'd take her cues from him.
Lois climbed into his bed, hugging one of the pillows to her and pulled the covers tightly around her.
Definitely not how she'd figured she'd spend the night – at least not once they'd decided to make it official – but at least she had something to look forward to when she awoke.
She spent the first official night of their marriage falling asleep alone.
She really hoped it wasn't a sign of what would come in the future.
She put the thoughts out of her mind and eventually fell into a restless sleep.
*****
TBC
