It was all Cat’s fault. She started it. The Monday after Thanksgiving—just four days before Lex Luthor’s dinner—she walked into the bullpen at the uncharacteristically early hour of nine a.m. and handed a roll of film to Jimmy. Thirty minutes later she walked into Perry’s office with a stack of photos. Fifteen minutes after that, Perry hollered for Lois to join them.
Perry and Cat were huddled over Perry’s desk, which was covered with grainy black and white photographs. Lois leaned in to see what had them so interested. “Isn't that...?” she started.
“Congressman Ian Harrington,” Cat confirmed. “Chairman of the House Defense Committee. Also the most notoriously sexy man in Washington.” Cat tapped one lacquered nail on a picture of Congressman Harrington holding a folder labeled ‘Top Secret.’ “But this is no weekend fling.”
“That’s why I want your input, Lois,” Perry said. “This is more your bailiwick than Cat’s.”
Lois pointed to another photo. Harrington and two other men were standing near a calendar, apparently arguing over their schedule. “Who are these guys?” she asked.
“We don't know,” Perry said. “I’ve got Jimmy running our Identafile program looking for a match. We do know those offices are leased to a company called Apocalypse Consulting.”
Lois’s brow creased in thought while she continued to leaf through the photos. Theoretically there might be an innocent explanation, but this definitely smelled like a clandestine deal in the making. After a minute, she ventured, “Chief, I was just thinking…”
“Let me take a wild guess,” Perry interrupted, “you want the Daily Planet to put you up in the Honeymoon Suite until we figure out exactly what's going on in Apocalypse Consulting.”
Lois looked up at Perry in surprise, then at Cat. “These photos were taken from the Honeymoon Suite? At which hotel?”
“The Lexor,” Cat answered. “I don’t really enjoy holidays with my family, so I was hiding out in one of my favorite get-aways.”
“Really?” Lois raised a skeptical brow. “You spent Thanksgiving weekend alone in the Honeymoon Suite?”
Cat just smiled and purred, “I never said I was alone.”
Lois rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” she shrugged. Then, turning to Perry, she said, “Actually, I hadn’t thought of going undercover, but that’s a great idea. I’ll need Jimmy to set up the surveillance equipment.” Lois headed for the door. She needed to get packing. Perry’s voice called her back.
“Now, hold on a minute. We're talking a major operation here.”
Lois turned to face her boss and crossed her arms over her chest in what Perry recognized as her ‘I’ll go to the mat on this one’ stance. “Hey, it was your idea,” she challenged. “Besides, Perry, this *is* major. A Washington VIP is selling highly classified information.”
Perry held up one hand for silence while he thought it over. Then he gave a curt nod and said, “Okay, you two have got three nights.”
Lois and Cat looked at each other, then at Perry. “You want Lois and me to go undercover in the Honeymoon Suite? Together?” Cat was incredulous.
Perry shook his head. “No, Cat, not you. I appreciate you bringing this to my attention, and of course you’ll get credit if we actually get a story out of this, but I meant Lois and Caleb.”
“Excuse me?” Lois’s eyebrows climbed into her hairline.
“Face it, Lois. If you’re going to spend several nights in the Honeymoon Suite masquerading as a blushing bride, you’re going to need a groom. You got anyone better in mind?”
A couple of weeks ago Lois would have jumped at the excuse to get Clark alone in a hotel room, but after his rebuff of her dance of the seven veils, she wasn’t sure how he’d take the suggestion. “I’m not even sure he’d agree to it,” she protested.
Perry just smiled. “Darlin’, that boy would walk on water if you wanted him to. Just ask nicely and you’ll see.”
***
Perry was right. Neither Caleb nor Clark could say no to Lois Lane when she really wanted something. Besides, after the way he’d bundled her off to his mom’s house last week, he felt that it was the least he could do. He’d really enjoyed working with her in the past, and she’d been quick to point out how helpful his special talents could be on a surveillance operation.
And that was how ‘Caleb Smith’ found himself carrying his ‘bride’ over the threshold of the Lexor’s honeymoon suite, a simple gold band on each of their left hands. Clark wondered briefly whether the moment felt as surreal for her as it did for him. He couldn’t ask her, though, because the bellboy was filming their grand entrance. Glancing at Lois for permission, he gave her a brief kiss before setting her down gently. The bellboy set his camera down and hurried into the bedroom with their luggage, leaving the two of them temporarily alone in the suite’s living room. Clark draped an arm around Lois’s shoulder and led her to the window to check out the view.
“Is this as weird for you as it is for me?” she whispered.
Clark gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and whispered back, “Possibly more.” Lifting her left hand in his, he placed a soft kiss on her knuckles. The gold ring shining in the lamplight caught both of their eyes. Before he could stop himself, Clark blurted out, “I like the look of that.”
Lois’s eyes snapped up to his, but before she could answer, the bellboy cleared his throat loudly behind them. They both turned to face him.
“Hanging garments in the closet. Toiletries in the bathroom.” His next words were directed to Lois. “You're in the drawers on the left.”
“You unpacked our stuff?!” Lois sounded truly horrified.
Pride obviously wounded, the young man replied with all the dignity he could muster, “This *is* a full service hotel.”
Deciding to rescue the young man before he got Lois truly riled up, Clark hustled him to the doorway, shoving a few bills in the boy’s hand as they went. “Thanks for your help,” he glanced at the boy’s name tag, “Phil. We’ll call if we need anything else.”
Phil was on the verge of protesting when he glanced at the money in his hand and did a double take. Clearly, his sense of righteousness indignation was mollified. “Any time, Mr. Smith. We’re here to make your stay as pleasant as possible.” Clark gave him one last friendly nod and closed the door behind him.
Turning back to Lois, Clark was surprised to see that she still looked upset. “Lois? What’s wrong?” He held out his arms in open invitation.
Instead of stepping into his embrace, Lois hurried into the bedroom. Clark followed in time to see her fling the closet doors open then rifle through the drawers in turn. He was reaching for her shoulder when she turned to face him. “Where are your suits?”
Clark frowned in consternation. “In the closet, like Phil said.” When Lois continued to stare at him, he realized his mistake. “Oh! Those suits. I’m wearing one under my clothes. I didn’t pack any extras. I wouldn’t want the staff to come across them by accident.”
Her worry relieved, Lois slumped onto the edge of the bed. “Of course not. I don’t know what came over me. You’ve certainly stayed in enough fancy hotels. You’d know what to do with your own suits.” She looked up from beneath dark, long lashes. “I feel pretty silly,” she confessed.
Clark came to sit beside her. “It’s no big deal, Lois. Like you said earlier, this whole situation is a little strange. It’s bound to leave us a little on edge.”
Once again, they were interrupted by the arrival of a third party. In this case, it was Jimmy and Cat knocking on the suite’s front door. Lois let them in quickly before anyone saw them.
Jimmy set a pair of duffle bags down with a soft thump. “Where do you want this set up?” he asked.
Lois looked out the living room window. The windows across the street all looked the same. “Which windows are we watching, Cat? Did you see them from here or from the bedroom?” There was no sarcasm in Lois’s voice. This was a huge story, and she owed Cat a favor for bringing it in.
Taking her cue from Lois, Cat was also all business and no gratuitous digs. “I was in the Jacuzzi when I first saw them, but let me see if I can spot the same windows from here.” She approached the window and looked out. “Yep. There it is. Sixth floor, fourth window in from the right corner.”
Lois joined her at the window. “Got it.” Turning to Jimmy, she added, “You can set the equipment up in here. That will give us more room to work.”
“And keep the bedroom free for other pursuits,” Jimmy grinned. He lost the grin when he noticed that neither Lois nor Caleb was returning it. “Anyway, I’ll just be a few minutes, and then I’ll show you how to work the recorder and the alarm system.”
“Alarm?” Caleb asked.
“Yeah. You can set the mic to warn you when it picks something up. That way you don’t have to stay up all night if nothing’s happening. You can get on with…getting a good night’s sleep,” he finished awkwardly.
Cat rescued the situation. “Come on, Lois and Caleb. I’ll show you the secrets of the wet bar while Jimmy works his techno magic.”
Fifteen minutes later, Clark gave a surreptitious glance through the walls to make sure the coast was clear before seeing Jimmy and Cat out. As he closed the door behind them, he took in the view of cameras and tape recorders arrayed in the living room. “Well, I guess that kills the room service idea,” he said.
Lois looked from Clark to the equipment and smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, I hadn’t thought of that. Do you think we should move it all into the bedroom?”
Clark shook his head. “I don’t think so. We’re going to have to stash it somewhere when the maids come, though. Unless…” he trailed off.
“Unless?” Lois prodded.
With a blush, Clark finished, “Unless we keep the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign out all week. I guess plenty of newlyweds must do that.”
Lois’s blush matched Clark’s. “That’s probably our best bet. If you don’t mind skipping the maid service, that is.”
“I don’t. I could tidy this whole suite up in thirty seconds anyway. And they can always leave us clean towels outside the door. We could even ask them to leave room service in the hall for us. If I answer the door in a bathrobe they won’t wonder why I’m not letting them in.”
For a moment Lois was distracted by the idea of making sure Clark’s bathrobe wasn’t just a ruse for the bellboy, but soon she snapped out of it. “Okay. That sounds like a plan. I am getting hungry. You’re the seasoned traveler; what’s good at the Lexor?”
Clark reached into the desk drawer for the menu. “Actually, I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been to Metropolis before this trip, and I stayed at the Jade, as you recall.” He flashed her a smile for the shared memory. Then, menu in hand, he sat down on the sofa and patted the cushion next to him in invitation. “Let’s see what they’ve got.”
***
Clark wiped his greasy fingers, tossed the linen napkin onto the room service cart, and leaned back against the sofa back with a contented sigh. “Well, I’ll say this much for Luthor—his restaurant makes the best cheeseburger this side of the Mississippi.”
Lois swallowed her last bite of salmon and shook her head. “I can’t believe you came to the Lexor Hotel and ordered a cheeseburger. You could have had prime rib or lamb chops.” Setting her empty plate down on the coffee table, she scooted over and snuggled up to Clark.
Taking the hint, Clark slipped his arm around Lois shoulder and pulled her close. “I can have those any time I want. Tonight I felt like having a cheeseburger. So sue me.” He pushed her hair out of the way and placed a few soft kisses on the side of her neck. Then, with a saucy grin, he said, “Did you see what the manager sent up for dessert? Compliments of the house for the newlyweds. She even signed the card herself.”
Lois grinned back. “I suppose I should feel at least a little guilty about accepting champagne and chocolate on false pretenses, but I don’t.”
Clark landed one more kiss. Then he reached to take the bottle from the ice bucket and popped the cork out with his thumb. With practiced ease, he poured the bubbling wine into two champagne flutes. He handed one to Lois and proposed a toast. “To Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”
“Hear, hear,” Lois agreed. There was a soft clink of glasses. When they had both sipped their champagne, Clark reached for a chocolate covered strawberry and held it to Lois’s lips. As she bit into it, their eyes locked. In unison, they each set their respective glasses down and reached for each other. The first kiss tasted of strawberry and sweet wine. The second carried a hint of chocolate. After that, they tasted only each other.
Pretty soon both of their hands were touching bare skin—Lois’s roaming over Clark’s shoulders and chest where his bathrobe parted easily, and Clark’s ducking under the hem of Lois’s blouse to trail fingers of warmth across her lower back and waist. Things were progressing very nicely, Lois thought, when Clark rather suddenly pulled back. “Lois, honey, we have to cool this down.”
Not much liking the sound of that, Lois continued her assault on Clark’s chest. She was glad that he hadn’t bothered to change out of the bathrobe before they ate. There wasn’t much to slow her down, and nothing underneath except a thin pair of boxers. Her hands snaked under the terry cloth and wrapped around to knead his back muscles. The result of this action was to press her very feminine curves tightly against his now almost bare chest.
With a herculean effort of will, he took her by the shoulders and gently pushed her away, just enough to allow him some semblance of clear thought. “Honey, please, if you don’t stop now, I won’t be able to stop at all.”
“Who says we have to stop at all?” She traced his face with her fingers, across his forehead, around his temple, along his jaw line. She ended with two fingers on his lips. Before he thought what he was doing, he drew the tips of those two errant fingers into his mouth. With just a hint of victory, she smiled. “See,” she purred, “that’s the idea. After all, it *is* our wedding night.”
Clark froze, his formerly muzzy expression suddenly clear as ice. “No, it’s not. That’s why we have to stop. Right now.” In an apparent attempt to flee temptation, he stood up and tightened the belt of his robe. Not even looking at Lois, he strode to the window and gazed out.
Sitting back into her corner of the sofa, Lois stared at him in disbelief. Surely he didn’t mean…but maybe he did. Carefully, she formed her question and sent it into the gulf between them. “Clark, are you serious about that? Are you waiting for marriage? Is that part of your religious beliefs?” The thought had never occurred to her, but if it was, she would do her best to support him. And she would try not to take it personally.
Running a hand through his hair, he turned back to face her. His face betrayed the effort of controlling his desires, mixed with a pleading for understanding and a fear of rejection. Lois reached toward him in invitation. Keeping a slight distance between them, he resumed his place next to her. He reached for her hand, which she gladly gave him, but he looked at his terrycloth-covered knees. “Sort of,” he said. When she didn’t press him, he went on, “That’s part of how I was raised, but I know a lot of people don’t believe that any more. Even a lot of people that grew up in the same church as I did don’t wait that long. But I had planned to.”
He ventured a quick glance up at her. He must have found the reassurance he needed, because he went on with a little more confidence, stroking his fingers over the back of her hand the whole time. “When I was in high school, I waited because it was what I’d been taught and because I had enough strange changes going on without adding sex to the mix. It wasn’t so much a conscious decision as just maintaining the status quo. But before I went away to college, I gave the matter a lot of thought. I had a pretty good idea that the opportunity would arise somewhere in my college career. So I tried to figure out ahead of time whether I would be open to crossing that line, and under what circumstances.
“The first thing I decided was that sex could never be casual for me, and not just because of what I am.”
“Who,” Lois corrected.
At Clark’s questioning look, she clarified, “You said ‘what I am.’ You’re a ‘who,’ not a ‘what.’”
He smiled and squeezed her hand in silent thanks for the vote of confidence. “Okay, not just because of *who* I am. Anyway, I thought about all the reasons for waiting that our youth group leaders had talked about, and I found that two of them really resonated with me. The first was that no form of birth control is perfect. If I made love with a woman and she got pregnant, I would want to be there for her and for our child, forever. I believe that’s every father’s responsibility, and it’s doubly vital for me. Any child of mine—if I can even have kids, which maybe I can’t—could end up with my powers, or some of them, or even special medical needs from having parents from two different planets. I would *have* to be in that child’s life, and I would want my child to grow up in a home with two parents who love her and love each other. I’ve known some great single parents—my friend Lana was raised by her dad after her mother died—but that’s not what I want my child to start out with.
“So that’s the ‘noble’ reason, if you want to think of it that way. My other reason is actually pretty selfish.” He took a breath and turned to face Lois, holding her hand in both of his. “I really do believe in the spiritual idea of the two becoming one. I didn’t want to become one with a woman only to have us torn apart afterwards.”
He raised his eyes to hers. The look on his face begged her to understand and not to feel rejected by his desire to wait. “Lois, I love you so much.” There was a catch in his voice, and he took a breath to clear it. “I can’t imagine my life without you in it. If you ever leave me, I don’t know what I’ll do. But if we’d made love, if we’d become truly one, and then you left, I don’t think I could go on breathing.” He let go of her hand and cradled her face in both in his hands. “When we make love, I want it to mean forever.”
His gaze was intense, full of love, longing, pleading. As his final words registered, it was Lois who caught her breath. “Do you mean that?” she breathed, barely daring to believe that his words implied what she hoped they did. “Do you really mean ‘when,’ not ‘if’?”
Clark didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely.” He drew her to him and their kiss felt like a vow.
In that moment, Lois wanted nothing more than to do exactly what Clark had talked about—to become one with him in every possible way. She knew what he meant about not being able to survive if they were ever parted. He was part of her now, and she didn’t want to wait another day to express that union with their bodies as well as their hearts.
And why should they? He’d as much as said that he planned on marrying her some day. She certainly planned on marrying him, the sooner the better. So when their lips finally parted, she asked the obvious question.
“What are we waiting for?”
“Huh?”
Lois gave a wry smile. “Not exactly the answer I was looking for, so I’ll say it again. I love you. You love me. We want to be together forever. So what are we waiting for?”
Understanding dawned and Clark’s face filled with wonder. “Are you serious?”
Lois slapped him playfully on that gorgeous bare chest. “Again with the wrong answer, Kent. Come on, third time’s the charm: will you marry me or not?”
When he recovered the power of speech, Clark pushed the coffee table away from the sofa and knelt on the carpet at her feet. Feeling a little foolish in his robe and boxers, he sheepishly explained, “I was going to wait until Christmas, and I don’t have a ring here tonight, but since you asked…” His face and tone became solemn and he poured every ounce of love he possessed into his next words. “Lois Lane, I have loved you from the moment I saw you. I have loved you as Clark, as Superman, and as Caleb. I will love you until the day I die. I want to share everything I have, everything I am, everything I will ever do or be with you. If you’re sure you want to put up with two celebrities and all of their baggage, I will gladly marry you.”
By the time he got to the end of his speech, Lois was running her hands through his hair. As soon as he stopped talking, she slid down next to him and kissed him soundly. The moment their lips parted, she stood up, pulling him up with her by one hand. “Come on,” she beckoned, pulling him toward the bedroom. When he failed to follow, she turned back to him and tugged a little harder. “Come get changed, Clark. You’re not going to get married in that bathrobe, are you?”
Instead of following, he pulled her closer to him. “You’re serious? You want to get married tonight? In the middle of an investigation?”
She stepped toward him until they were only inches apart. She raised both hands and wrapped them around the back of his neck, she raised her face toward his, but she didn’t kiss him. Instead, she murmured, “What I don’t want is to spend one more night apart from you. Have you seen the bed in there?” She nodded toward the bedroom. “And the Jacuzzi? It seems a shame to waste them.” She raised her mouth to his ear and nibbled softly on his earlobe before whispering, “I really don’t think you’d be comfortable on this sofa. Not when you can hear every move I make in the next room.” Pulling back to look him in the eyes again, she said, “If we leave now we can be married before midnight.” Running one finger from his collar bone to the point where his chest disappeared behind the robe, she offered, “It’s a big bed. We can share.”
Grasping the errant hand in his larger one, Clark rolled his eyes and grinned, “I was right.”
“What about?” Lois smiled.
“What I thought last week—that if you ever made a serious attempt to seduce me I wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Lois grinned. But then a frown creased her brow and she asked in all seriousness, “You are kidding, right? I mean, I’m not pushing you into this with the wrong kind of…persuasion, am I?”
“Are you asking whether I’ll still respect you in the morning?” Clark teased.
“No, I’m asking whether you’ll grow to resent me for seducing you into marrying me before you were ready.”
The teasing smile left Clark’s face in an instant. Dropping a tender kiss on her forehead, he stepped back and said, “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.” Then, faster than Lois’s eyes could follow, he disappeared, a couple of doors opening and closing in his wake. By the time Lois got her bearings, he was standing in front of her again. He was wearing the same suit he’d had on earlier that day, the one that was supposed to be ‘Mr. Smith’s’ wedding suit, just as she was still wearing ‘Mrs. Smith’s’ wedding outfit.
As soon as she registered his presence, Clark scooped Lois into his arms and carried her to the sofa. Settling himself in one corner and her on his lap, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a telltale black box. “I’m not down on one knee because this isn’t a proposal. You beat me to that and you have my answer.” His tone held no anger or defensiveness, only tenderness and reassurance. “But I want you to see this—to have this—so that you will always know that you didn’t talk me into anything. This has been sitting in my nightstand drawer for more than two weeks now. Like I said, I was going to wait until Christmas, but I’d rather give it to you now.”
With a lump in her throat, Lois took the box from his hand and opened it. She expected a diamond solitaire, but instead she found a ring with three stones—diamond in the middle and deep blue sapphires on either side. Her surprise must have shown on her face, because Clark hastened to explain, “I know it’s not the traditional ring, and if you’d rather have a solitaire I’ll gladly take you shopping for one. This one has been in my mom’s family for generations. My Great Grandma Clark was the last to wear it. I have her and Grandpa’s wedding bands, too.”
Lois had to swallow before she could speak. “Oh, Clark! It’s beautiful. I’ll be proud to wear it.” She pulled off the gold band that Perry had loaned her and held her left hand out to Clark who slipped on her new engagement ring.
Holding her hand up to the light, he repeated his earlier words with even more feeling. “I *definitely* like the look of that.”
Pulling her hand from his grasp, Lois used it to draw his face to hers for a passionate kiss. “I love you, Clark.”
“I love you, too. More than I can say.” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and leaned in to touch his forehead to hers. “And there’s no rush. If you want to wear that ring alone for a while, the other two will still be here when we’re ready for them.”
It took Lois just a moment to figure out what he meant. “You have your grandparents’ wedding bands with you?”
He gave a little shrug and a sheepish smile. “Well, you were talking about eloping. I figured it couldn’t hurt to be prepared.”
Lois grinned. “Oh, I’m still talking about eloping. Let me see the rings.” She held out her hand, palm up. Clark reached into his breast pocket and drew out a second velvet box. This one contained two matching rings, one small and narrow, the other larger and broader. A pattern of interlocking links encircled them both.
“Again, we can go shopping for something more traditional if you like.”
“Uh, uh. I like them.” She gave her engagement ring an experimental tug. “And this ring fits just right, so I’d say your grandma and I are the same size.”
“Grandpa’s fits me, too.” At Lois’s look, Clark admitted, “Yes, I tried it on last week.”
“So we’re all set then. We could really go get married right now.”
“Yes, we could, if you’re certain that’s what you want. I don’t want to rush you either.”
“Are you kidding? I’m not waiting another hour.”
“What about Congressman Harrington?” Clark asked.
“Do you see any signs of activity?”
Clark scanned the building across the street. “No. But they could come back at any time.”
“I know. But that’s what video recorders and automatic microphones are for. We’ll check the recordings when we get back.”
“So it’s a working honeymoon, eh?” Clark seemed more amused than annoyed.
“Only temporarily. We’ll get away for a real one next week.”
“And the week after. I’ll need two weeks minimum to show my new bride all the romantic places I know.”
“It’s a deal,” Lois agreed with a wide smile. But then her face fell and she exclaimed, “Oh, no! This won’t work.”
Clark’s frown matched hers as he asked “Why not? What’s the matter?”
“I forgot about Clark Kent!” she wailed.
“Come again?” Clark’s face was a mixture of confusion and worry.
“You’re famous, Clark.”
Clark’s face was a mask of confusion and anxiety. “I know my life as Clark Kent involves a lot of hoopla, but I thought you’d considered that before you proposed.”
“Well, I didn’t. I forgot. So sue me. I guess we’ll have to wait after all.”
Clark’s frown only grew deeper. He was obviously struggling to understand something that didn’t make sense to him. “Wait a minute. So you *aren’t* saying you don’t want to marry me.” It was more of a statement than a question.
“Of course I’m not! Who said anything about not marrying you?”
“I’m sorry, honey. That’s what had me so confused. It would be totally out of character, but for a minute there it sounded like that’s what you meant. That I was famous and you didn’t want to deal with all the hoopla.”
Lois rolled her eyes. “First off, ‘hoopla’ is your word, not mine. And second, I was talking about the wedding, not the marriage, you lunkhead. Do you really think a little publicity is going to keep me from marrying you? I just thought you wouldn’t want word to get out to the press just yet. If we fly off to Vegas tonight, it will be all over the papers in the morning.”
“Oh! I hadn’t thought of that, but you’re right.” He hugged her tight. “That makes a lot more sense now.”
Lois returned his hug. “I should think so.” Her tone said that he’d been silly but she forgave him. “I’m still disappointed, though. Eloping sounded like a really good idea. I hate that we have to wait.”
“Yeah, me too.” Lois was beginning to wonder whether an engagement would satisfy Clark’s reasons for waiting when he suddenly released her and grasped her face in both hands. Kissing her soundly, he announced with a wide grin, “I’m a genius.”
“Really?” she smiled back at him. “And what particular feat of brilliance leads you to that conclusion?”
“You’re going to kick yourself for not thinking of it first,” he warned playfully.
“I’ll take my chances. Do tell,” she prodded.
“I know someone who can marry us tonight. Someone in a very out of the way place who has a lot of discretion. He wouldn’t breathe a word to the press.”
Clark was right. Lois was kicking herself for not thinking of it first. Nevertheless, she grinned back at him as they both said in unison, “Ruben!”
Lois glanced at her watch. “Will we wake him?”
Clark’s gave a cocky grin. “Do you really think he’ll mind if we do?”
“Give me your hand.” Obediently, Clark held his right hand out to her. “No, the other one.” Lois reached for Clark’s left hand and quickly removed ‘Mr. Smith’s’ plain gold band. “Come on, then, let’s go get married.”
***
As it turned out, they didn’t wake anyone. Tegucigalpa is an hour behind Metropolis, so it was only about 10:00 p.m. when Clark, one hand holding Lois’s, knocked confidently on Ruben’s front door. Lois heard a muffled call that she couldn’t make out before the door opened to reveal the pastor, clad in shorts and a t-shirt and holding a mug of coffee in one hand. His welcoming smile turned to surprise, then quickly back to the smile again.
“Miguel! Susan! What a pleasant surprise. Won’t you come in?”
“I hope we aren’t keeping you up,” Lois offered as the couple stepped into the small but cheery house.
“Not at all. I was just catching up on some reading.”
“Is Carmen home?” Clark asked.
Before Lois could wonder who Carmen was, a plump middle-aged woman with a motherly air stepped into the room, wiping her hands on a towel. At the sight of Clark, she broke into a wide smile and came forward to hug him. “Miguel! Como estas?!”
Returning the woman’s hug with an equally affectionate one of his own, Clark said, “I’m fantastic, thanks, Carmen. It’s great to see you.” When the friends released each other, Clark put an arm around Lois’s shoulder. Ruben did the same to Carmen. “Lois, this is Carmen, Ruben’s wife. Carmen, Ruben, this is Lois Lane, my fiancée.” Clark beamed at the new word.
“Lois Lane. That explains a lot,” Ruben nodded. “I read your Superman interview. I was very impressed.”
“We were just about to have a snack,” Carmen put in. “Won’t you both come back to the kitchen and have some coffee and cake?”
Clark and Lois followed their hosts and took the proffered seats at their kitchen table, but Clark hastened to clarify, “Actually, we can’t stay long. I know it might seem a little rude, but we came by to ask Ruben a favor.”
“Oh. I’ll give you some privacy, then.” Carmen stood as if to take her leave, but Clark stopped her with a hand on her arm.
“That’s not necessary, Carmen. In fact, I’m glad you’re here. I think we may need a witness.”
“A witness?” Ruben looked concerned. “For what? You’re not here to sign some kind of contract?”
“Not exactly,” Clark smiled. Reaching for Lois’s hand, he looked at Ruben and said, “We want you to marry us. Tonight.”
At least ten seconds passed before Ruben moved a muscle. Finally, he gave his head a little shake and said, “I’m sorry. I’m just a little…”
“Shocked?” Clark supplied with a cocky grin.
“Pleasantly surprised,” his friend corrected.
“Then you’ll do it?”
“I didn’t say that…yet.” Ruben looked at Lois and Clark in turn, his expression serious. “Have you two talked this over? Are you both certain that marriage is what you want?” He looked at Clark directly. “You know, Miguel, that I don’t take this lightly. Are you in this for the long haul?”
“We’re in this for life,” Lois said.
“Yes, we are,” Clark confirmed. “And, as you know, Ruben, my name isn’t Miguel. It’s Clark. Clark Kent.”
If Lois had expected an awe-struck response to that revelation, she would have been sorely disappointed. Ruben just smiled and rolled his eyes and said, “Of course it is. Why not? I should have suspected. I thought that pastor in ‘Northern Passage’ seemed familiar.”
“Hey, a guy’s got to get his material somewhere,” Clark defended himself with a self-deprecating smile.
“Okay, then. If you’re both certain that you know what you’re getting into…”
“As much as any of us ever knows what we’re getting into when we marry,” Carmen put in with a teasing glance at her husband.
“…let’s get you two hitched,” Ruben finished.
***
“Well,” Clark asked as he flew north with his new bride in his arms, “was that about what you had in mind when you proposed that we elope?”
“Not one bit,” Lois answered. She laid a kiss on her husband’s neck. “I was picturing a Vegas chapel with an Elvis impersonator.”
“I bet you never planned to use the traditional vows either.”
“You’d lose that bet, Mr. Kent. I’ve always been a secret romantic at heart. I grew up dreaming about those vows and finding the perfect man to say them to some day. I just never really expected the dream to come true.”
“I meant every word, you know, even if we didn’t write them ourselves.”
“I know you did. And so did I. We belong to each other now, till death do us part.”
Clark would have stopped flying to gaze at her then if he hadn’t been in such a hurry to get back to the Honeymoon Suite. Instead, he contented himself with a quick kiss as they sped north. “I don’t think I’ll ever stop being amazed at that. I can hardly believe we’re really married.”
“Well, get us back to that honeymoon suite and I’ll prove it to you.”
