Thanks to Kathy!
Last time
Lois 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.
*~*10*~*
Clark landed as quietly as he could. He didn't think there was any way that Lois was still awake.
He walked into his bedroom to find that the bed had definitely been used at some point, but it was empty. He could hear Lois' heartbeat nearby – in the living room – and he glanced through the wall to see that she was asleep curled up on the couch.
Not wanting to disturb her for the moment, he floated several inches off the ground and into the bathroom. He thought about taking a fast shower, but instead decided to let the warmth of the water flow over him.
He reached for his shampoo and frowned slightly. They weren't in the same place he normally left them.
Lois must have taken a shower while waiting for him, he decided.
She was making herself at home. He smiled at that thought. He knew it would take time to mesh their routines and to hammer out who got more closet space and things like that, but he enjoyed the thought of making it all work with *Lois*.
After what seemed like an eternity, he finally stepped out of the shower and toweled off, before pulling on a pair of boxers.
He padded into the kitchen, filling a cup with water as quietly as he could. He dunked the tea bag in it a time or two before heating the water with his eyes.
"You're home." The voice behind him was heavy with sleep.
He turned to lean against the counter, taking a long sip as he did. "I got here a few minutes ago."
Lois pushed herself into a sitting position, taking the blanket still wrapped tightly around her with her. "Was it bad?" she asked softly.
He shook his head. "Not really. It would have been a lot worse if I hadn't gone, but it wasn't too bad."
"That's good."
She yawned and stretched, the blanket falling away from her.
Lincoln High.
One of his high school T-shirts. He wasn't sure when he'd gotten that particular one – maybe at homecoming the year before because his ones that were actually from high school were smaller and more faded – and at Gramps' house.
She stood and he realized she was wearing his sleep shorts – though they barely peeked out from under the hem of the shirt as it fell to mid-thigh.
She walked towards him. "You really okay?" she asked softly, her hands coming to rest on his waist.
He set his tea down and pulled her closer to him. "Better now that I'm with you, Mrs. Lane."
She wrinkled her nose. "Mrs. Lane? Really?"
"Lois Lane. It just rolls off your tongue with the alliteration."
"So does Clark Kent," she pointed out, gleefully as it came to her.
"You want me to change my name?" he asked, his brow furrowed.
"Do you want me to change mine?" she asked back.
Clark shrugged. "I always figured my wife would, but I guess it's not mandatory or anything."
"What about Lois Kent-Lane?" She wrinkled her noise. "That just sounds... wrong."
He laughed. "It's up to you, sweetheart. I love Lois Kent. I'd love Lois Lane, but it's not the name I love. It's the woman."
"I'll think about it," she promised.
"It's not important."
She slid her hands around his waist until they linked in the back. "I have something for you," she told him, reaching up to kiss him lightly.
"You?" he whispered huskily.
She ducked her head slightly. "Well, something else."
She moved out of his arms and walked into his bedroom – their bedroom – and over to his dresser, picking something up off of it.
"My mom gave this to me earlier," she told him, turning and leaning against the dresser. "It was my great-grandfather's." She looked at it for a long moment. "Did you know my mom's maiden name is Clark? She said it seemed fitting and I have to agree – if it's okay with you, of course."
"What is it?" he asked, moving to stand in front of her.
"His wedding band. He and Nana were married over fifty years."
"Your mom doesn't mind?"
Lois shook her head, reaching her left hand towards him. He reached out and took it in his own. "With this ring, I thee wed," she said softly, sliding the ring onto his finger.
"We never took vows." He reached out with his newly adorned hand and brushed her hair away from her face, taking a step closer to her. "I, Clark, take you Lois, to have and to hold from this day forward. To love, honor and cherish in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer until death parts us." He punctuated the end with a gentle kiss.
Lois rested her hand on his chest and looked into his eyes, repeating the time honored words back to him.
Clark bent his head to meet hers, their lips touching in a gentle caress. He moved away slightly before coming back to her. He pulled her body tight against his, kissing her deeply. After a long moment of the most wonderful kiss of his life, he moved back, bending to scoop her into his arms.
She squealed slightly and wrapped her arms more tightly around his neck. "Clark! What're you doing?"
He kissed her again. "I'm carrying my bride to our bed." He floated them until she was lying on her back next to him. He propped himself up on one elbow, reaching out to brush her hair away from her face. "I'm sorry we're not back in the Honeymoon Suite," he told her softly.
She shook her head. "I'm not. We're together. That's the important thing."
"I'll take you someday, I promise."
She smiled up at him, reaching out to brush his hair off his forehead. "Someday I'll hold you to that." Her hand slipped around the back of his neck, tugging him towards her.
He gladly complied, kissing her again.
This time when the kisses intensified, neither of them did anything to stop it, instead melting into each other in a joining of bodies, souls and spirits.
Later, Clark readily curled his body around hers, on arm holding her tightly against him. He pressed a kiss against the back of her head. "That was..."
Lois sighed in his arms. "Incredible."
"The only thing I'd like more is to be able to do that with you for the rest of my life."
She rested her arm over the top of his, linking her fingers with his own. "You better believe we're going to do that for the rest of our lives."
He chuckled lightly as she yawned. "Sounds like a plan. But right now I think we both need to get some rest."
She nodded and in moments they had both drifted off.
*****
TBC
