If you missed part 13b, you might want to go back and read it. It is an addition to this story that comes after part 13 and before part 14 (obviously).
PREVIOUSLY IN PART 14...
“Uhh... Lois...” he began, following her lead. “Are you sure you want to... I mean, we were waiting for marriage and I know we jumped the gun a bit, but we can still...”
Her light kiss on his lips cut him off.
“I don’t want to wait. For some reason, I’m not feeling skittish about making love to you anymore,” she said, giving him a wink. “How about you? Maybe you want to wait.” Her gaze slid down his body. “Or not,” she completed with a knowing grin.
He growled, sweeping her up in his arms in answer. Her giggle died when his lips again settled on hers as he gently lowered her to the bed. And, just like the first time, the entire world suddenly shrunk so that soon it consisted of only two people, trapped on a tropical island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, once again discovering the secrets known only to young lovers.
AND NOW...
* * * * * * * * *
Epilogue
* * * * * * * * *
Lois snuggled lazily in Clark’s arms. For some reason, he’d decided to take the long way back from the island, concluding that a trip over the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids of Egypt and the Great Wall of China was what was called for in this situation. Lois didn’t mind. She was enjoying being in his arm, after all. On the other hand, she was so completely satiated after two days of lovemaking that she couldn’t think about much other than the way Clark smelled and tasted and she found herself unable to keep from taking distracted little nips at his neck, which certainly seemed to have an interesting effect on his tour-guide routine.
She had to say that she still didn’t completely understand why Max had done what he’d done. She and Clark had talked about it several times over the past few days. Clark didn’t seem nearly as baffled. But then, he was biased. He seemed to believe that no man in his right... or wrong mind could resist her. She wasn’t nearly as convinced that it was that simple. She supposed if Max had been skimming money from the clinic, a clinic which was now failing financially as a result, he might have been planning to leave the States long before she ever came along. And then, maybe the challenge of convincing a strong woman, a self-proclaimed feminist with a reputation for bringing about the fall of powerful men, one who had even, in the past, been linked romantically to Superman, might have been too much of temptation to resist - some sort of private proof that he really was the foremost expert on controlling the human mind.
She supposed, however, that his motivation wasn’t important, anymore. He was dead. And she was right where she was supposed to be - in Clark Kent’s arms. She snuggled closer, allowing her mind to drift to more pleasant thoughts.
She was fairly certain she now understood the Persian poet, Omar Khayyam’s line: ‘A loaf of bread, a jug of wine and thou.’ Or at least she thought it went something like that. Still, although they had managed to scrounge some food from the storage shed that had been undamaged by the explosion, she had to admit that they’d subsisted the past couple days on mostly the ‘thou’ part of that equation - and not from a lack of available food.
She no longer had any guilt about her and Clark’s first time together, either - not since she’d realized something that she found very cool. Just like it had been Clark’s first time, it had felt like her first time, too. Since she hadn’t had her memories, she’d just been free to be herself. And as herself, with no horrible memories to haunt her, she had discovered something she’d never known. She could actually enjoy intimacy, crave it even - as she’d proven to herself more than once over the proceeding couple of days.
Her face creased into a smile as her mind drifted back to this morning when Clark had announced the return of his superpowers.
“Do we have to go back?” she’d asked, reaching out as he stood next to the bed to run her bare foot down his denim covered leg.
He’d smiled a smile that told her he was following her train of thought. “What happened to my workaholic fiancee?” he’d asked, placing his knee on the bed so that he could lean down to give her a kiss. “Aren’t you champing at the bit to get back to the Planet so you can snag the next big scoop or something?”
“Oh, don’t worry. I plan on snagging something this morning,” she said saucily, reaching up and toppling him so that he landed next to her.
She smiled as she thought about what had happened after that. She wasn’t entirely sure how it had come about, but at some point, she’d been lying on the bed, playing with his feet.
“God, I love your feet,” she said, coloring slightly when she realized she’d voiced that thought aloud.
“Is this some kind of fetish I should know about?” Clark asked with a grin, propping his head up on his hand so that he could look at her.
She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “No. It’s just... well, since we’ve been here... I don’t know what it was, but every time I’d see your bare feet... It had a tendency to get me all hot and bothered, I guess. Stupid, isn’t it?”
“It wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that I wear size eleven shoes would it?”
Air going down Lois’ throat hit the laughter coming up and it took her a moment to stop the resulting coughing fit. She gave his feet a swat as punishment for that remark.
“So let’s see if I’ve got this straight,” Clark continued, obviously fascinated by this topic. “Even before you had your memories back, my feet got you all hot and bothered?”
She shrugged sheepishly.
“Huh,” he said. “So what does this do to you?” he asked, wiggling his toes.
She rolled her eyes at his silliness. “Oh, baby, baby,” she finally said in a monotone voice when he continued to wiggle his toes. “Take me now.”
He laughed that full belly laugh that she loved so much before removing his feet from her grip so that he could change positions. “Your wish... is my command.” And with that, he kissed her. It was a long time before she thought again about feet.
Still, the time had soon come for them to leave the island. He’d flown back to Metropolis to get a fresh Superman suit for himself and some suitable clothing for her as well as some other things, including their identification, while she’d gathered together their surviving possessions, relieved when she found her diaries still safely tucked between the mattress and the box spring of the bed. One final trip to take back their things and he’d returned for her.
She looked out over the ocean, seeing the fast approach of the west coast of the United States. When they reached it, Clark slowed down, once again beginning his tour-guide routine by telling her all about the Golden Gate Bridge. And then they were off again.
But it was when they were flying over Las Vegas that Lois suddenly had an idea. When she mentioned it to Clark, his eyebrows went up and he asked if she was sure.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” she said, giving him a lingering kiss.
“Okay,” he responded with a grin before dropping them down into a secluded area behind The Marriott Hotel. “Why don’t you get us checked in? I’ll take a quick trip back to Metropolis for a laptop and you can start writing up the story of our latest adventure for Perry. I’ll join you as soon as I can. But there are a couple things I need to do first.”
Her eyebrows rose in question.
“Trust me, Lois. I’ve got an idea. I’m going to stop by J.C. Wooloughan. It is an authentic Irish pub right here at The Marriott. I was in a position once, when I was touring the world, to do a favor for the man who runs it and he said that if there was anything he could ever do in return, just to let him know. I think he might be able to help us out. And I’d like to do a quick patrol of Metropolis since it has been a few days since Superman made an appearance there,” he said, leaning forward to give her a kiss on the tip of her nose. He was just about to take off when suddenly he stopped. “Oh, but before I go. There’s one thing you should probably know. When I went back to Metropolis to get us some clothes, I looked up something on my laptop.”
“What?”
“Well, I figured we needed to find out whose cabin we were staying at. I thought maybe if Superman offered to rebuild it for them...” He shrugged.
“So who owns... owned it?” Lois asked.
* * * * * * * * *
Egan Fitzgerald, who liked to be called Mac, was a big barrel of a man in his late fifties with a touch of grey in his fiery red beard. Clark couldn’t quite remember why he went by the name Mac. Had something to do with the Gaelic origin of his name, if Clark recalled correctly. Still, Mac was the type of man who would be terrifying to meet in a dark alley, late at night.
But Mac was the picture one might find in the dictionary beside the phrase, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover.’ He had none of the temper normally associated with the red beard. In fact, upon getting to know him, one was left with an impression of a large, cuddly teddy bear.
“Why, bless my heart, if it isn’t Clark Kent!” the man roared upon seeing Clark walk into the J.C. Wooloughan. A moment later, Clark found himself lost in a bear-hug that would have threatened to crack the ribs of an ordinary man. “So what brings you to this neck of the woods?” Mac asked after the necessary formalities had been completed and Mac and Clark were settled at an empty table.
As Clark spoke, explaining the situation, Mac’s smile continued to grow.
“Well, now, lad. I think I just may be able to help you with that. Leave everything to me.”
* * * * * * * * *
A knock on the hotel room door surprised Lois. She hadn’t expected Clark to return this early. After all, she’d barely started work on their story.
She was even more surprised when she opened the door to find a chubby woman in her mid-fifties standing outside. The lines on the woman’s face spoke of much laughter over the course of a very full life.
“Can I help you?” Lois asked.
“My name’s Breena Fitzgerald,” the woman said. “I’m Mac’s wife.”
When Lois just continued to stare at her blankly, she continued.
“Clark Kent’s friend.”
“Right. Sorry. What can I do for you?”
“Well, when Mac told me what was going on, I thought I’d offer you my services. I suspect you’re already aware of the beauty parlor downstairs, but I thought you might need some help in case you were interested in doing a spot of shopping.”
* * * * * * * * *
Five hours later, Bill Henderson stepped through the door of the darkened bar, stopping momentarily when he heard the sonic boom that announced Superman’s departure. When Superman had arrived at the precinct and announced that Lois Lane would like to meet with him, he hadn’t expected to be flown to the other side of the country. He had also sort of expected the hero to wait for him.
Maybe the superhero had heard a call for help. Hopefully he’d return later. Whatever. Since Henderson was here now, he might as well follow up on this apparent lead.
A large, slightly intimidating man approached him almost immediately. “Are you here for the Lane/Kent wedding?” the man asked.
“Uhh...” Wedding? Yet the names were right. “I guess so.”
“Right this way,” the man said, standing up straighter as he led him to a private alcove.
Henderson’s eyebrows rose when he spotted Lois, sitting alone, nursing a glass of wine. What she was wearing didn’t appear to be a wedding dress. It was much too casual for that. Still, it was white. And although not exactly an expert on fashion, he could appreciate that she looked beautiful. Her hair was swept up and she was practically glowing.
“Thanks for coming, Bill,” Lois said, her eyes sparkling as she gestured him to a seat. “I asked Superman to bring you first since I suspected you’d want to talk to me alone before everyone else arrived.”
“So, Lane, what is this?”
“I’m getting married this evening and... well, I guess you could consider this your invitation to the wedding.”
Henderson’s eyebrows rose. “And do you want to talk to me about the kidnapping?”
“Kidnapping?” she asked innocently.
“Why do I get the feeling that if I try to press kidnapping charges against Kent, you’re not going to be exactly cooperative?”
“You want to press kidnapping charges against my future husband?” Lois asked. “Who is he supposed to have kidnapped? Do you mean me? You thought I was kidnapped?” She attempted to inject some disbelief into her voice.
“Very smart, Lane. So far you haven’t committed the offence of lying to the police by saying you weren’t kidnapped. Instead, you’ve answered every question with a question of your own. Kind of reminds me of a recent talk I had with Superman.”
“Are you saying I’m like Superman?”
Henderson broke out laughing, surprising Lois. She wasn’t entirely certain she’d ever heard the Inspector laugh before.
“Okay, message received,” he said. “It appears you’re free...” He glanced around, looking for Kent. “You are free, aren’t you? I mean, he isn’t around here somewhere forcing you to say these things to me. Say the word and I can get the Vegas Police here before he can stop me. We can get you somewhere safe.”
Lois rolled her eyes. “Bill, do you really think Clark is a threat to me? That he would force me to marry him against my will? Or that I would do it? Or that we would invite you here to watch if that was what he was planning?”
“No, I guess not. So do I take this wedding to mean that you’ve got your memory back?”
“A hundred percent. I even remember how grumpy you used to be when we first met.”
“Used to be? Maybe I’m losing my touch.” Henderson looked at her thoughtfully for a long moment. Finally, he spoke. “Okay, so then what do we do about all of this?”
“Clark did nothing wrong, Bill. Maxwell Deter was the one who was a danger to me, not Clark.”
“So if I were to conclude that this was all a big misunderstanding and no kidnapping took place, that the mess left in your room at the clinic was all your doing, nothing to do with a struggle between you and Kent, and that you left Metropolis of your own free will... I take it you would find that acceptable.”
“Absolutely.”
“And if I were to further conclude that if you were subpoenaed to give evidence in this case you would say be pretty much what I outlined above, would that also be correct?”
“Yes.”
Henderson clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, deep in thought. Finally, he let out a breath. “Okay. I’ll see what I can do to close the investigation.”
“Why?”
He chuckled. “You trying to talk me out of this?”
“Absolutely not! I’m just curious.”
“Because you didn’t lie to me. Besides, I think that, in this case, justice would not be served by pursuing this.”
“Thanks, Bill,” Lois responded with a smile. “I’d hate to spend my honeymoon posting bail for my husband. I’m just sorry we wasted the city’s resources by having you investigate this.”
The corner of Henderson’s lips quirked slightly. “Well, don’t tell anyone, but I’ve been really busy the past couple of weeks and... well, I’m afraid I didn’t put as much time into this investigation as I probably should have.”
Lois’ eyebrows rose and then a smile spread across her face. “My lips are sealed. By the way, I think the story that’s going to appear in the Daily Planet tomorrow morning that might help with that whole ‘closing the investigation’ thing.”
“Thanks for the tip. I take it there’s nothing in there that will contradict anything you’ve told me today?”
“Nothing at all.” She smiled as she thought about how carefully they’d worded that part of the story - even going so far as to ask Perry to run it past the lawyers before sending it to printing. Besides, she hadn’t exactly told him anything - as he was well aware.
“Then I guess I’ll have to buy a copy. Usually, I read the Metropolis Star.”
“You don’t!” Lois exclaimed, horrified, causing Henderson to laugh again.
“You’re too easy, Lane,” he said, looking up as an older woman approached and asked if he’d like a drink. “Well, since my ride to Metropolis has vanished and I have no official jurisdiction in Nevada, I guess that means I’m off duty. Besides, it seems I’ve just closed a major investigation and now I’ve got a wedding to attend. So...” He thought for a moment before ordering.
* * * * * * * * *
As usual, the newsroom fell silent when Superman made an appearance, but today Clark hardly noticed. His sole focus was on keeping the sloppy grin off his face. After all, why would Superman have a sloppy grin on his face?
He walked over to Jimmy’s desk, touching the young man on the arm.
“I’m busy,” Jimmy muttered, not looking up from his task as he stared intently at the monitor in front of him.
“Jimmy,” Clark said using his best superhero voice.
Jimmy glanced up, annoyed - until he saw who was addressing him. He jolted up out of his chair. “Sorry, Superman, I was just...” He gestured helplessly at his monitor.
“No need to apologize, Jimmy. If you’re busy...”
“No, Superman. It’s no problem. I was just sort of...” His voice trailed off helplessly, as he glanced again at his screen.
Taking pity on the young man, Superman clasped him on the shoulder. “Why don’t you finish up what you’re working on and I’ll come back for you in a little bit. I need to talk to Perry, anyway.”
“Uhh...” Jimmy glanced at his monitor, obviously conflicted. “Good. Good. That would be good.”
Superman gave what he hoped was a brisk nod before striding towards Perry’s office.
“Superman, what can I do for you?” Perry asked when Clark entered his office.
“Have you received Lois and Clark’s story yet?” Clark asked, knowing full well that he himself had sent it to Perry about an hour earlier.
“Just got it back from legal. I sent it to printing just before you walked in here. Quite a story. Is that why you’re here?”
Superman shook his head. “Not exactly. But... Well, I’m hoping your offer to do whatever you could to help Lois and Clark still stands.”
“Of course it does,” Perry responded. “What can I do to help?”
Superman smiled. “I need you and Jimmy to come with me. Can you find someone else to put the paper to bed for you?”
“Can you give us about half an hour? Jimmy and I are just finishing up a sidebar to Lois and Clark’s story.”
Superman smiled. “No problem. I have a few more people to visit. And I suspect they’ll want some time, too.”
* * * * * * * * *
“What the Sam Hill is going on here?” Perry demanded when Superman dropped them off at the front doors of a bar in Las Vegas and then disappeared in a rush of wind.
“Who cares?” Jimmy responded, opening the bar door and ushering his boss inside. “This beats work any day.”
“Hmph.” Perry looked around the Irish styled pub, spotting the giant of a man approaching almost immediately. “Well, whatever is going on here, I think we’re about to find out.”
“Two for the Lane/Kent wedding?” the man asked.
Jimmy and Perry shared a look of incredulity before nodding.
The man smiled. “This way, please.”
* * * * * * * * *
Lois looked up in relief when she saw Martha and Jonathan entering the small alcove where everyone was gathering. Perry and Jimmy had joined her and Henderson, soon to be followed by Lois’ folks and sister.
When Perry and Jimmy had arrived, they had informed her that her suspicions about the origin of Deter’s fortunes were well founded. Apparently, the two of them had put together a story to that effect that would make a great side-bar for her and Clark’s story.
On the other hand, her mother was currently driving her nuts.
‘What were you thinking? You can’t arrange a wedding in an afternoon.’
‘I didn’t even have anything appropriate to wear and only half an hour to get ready - I look like someone’s poor aunt from... oh, one of those pitiful third world countries.’
‘Where is Clark, anyway? Least he could do is be here to help you greet your guests.’
‘How can Clark expect you to get married without a proper wedding dress? Well, at least let me do something to fix your hair.’
She was starting to think that instead of her spending her honeymoon trying to bail Clark out on kidnapping charges, he was going to spend their honeymoon bailing her out on murder charges.
“Are you a sight for sore eyes,” Lois said, coming over to greet her future in-laws.
“Oh, honey, when Cl... Superman told us what was going on, I can’t tell you how thrilled we were,” Martha said, giving Lois a hug.
When released, Lois smiled, but it was a somewhat strained affair.
“What’s wrong, honey?” Martha asked in response.
“Nothing. Just... well, Mother is sort of driving me nuts,” Lois whispered.
Martha laughed. “That’s the fun of weddings. Years from now you’ll look back on it and laugh.”
“Only if I avoid those murder charges,” Lois responded.
Martha patted Lois’ arm. “How about I see what I can do?” she whispered to the younger woman.
“Please,” Lois begged, knowing that she would live in a state of perpetual gratitude to this woman.
As Martha moved passed Lois, Lois could hear her words. “Ellen, what a lovely dress. Makes me feel like a farmer’s wife.”
Lois couldn’t help but smile. When she turned back around, she was sort of surprised to realize that Jonathan hadn’t followed his wife.
“I just wanted to thank you, Lois,” he said softly. “You’ve made my boy so happy.”
Tears sprang to Lois’ eyes. “He’s the one who makes me happy, Jonathan.”
“Make sure he keeps doing so,” Jonathan responded. “Anyway, welcome to the family.” With that he gave Lois a bear-hug which spoke volumes to the sincerity of his words.
* * * * * * * * *
Star threw open the window the instant Superman arrived at her apartment.
“You’re late,” Star said as Superman touched down inside.
“Uhh...”
“I’ve been ready for the past half hour,” Star continued.
Superman’s eyebrows rose as he noticed that Star did seem to be dressed for a formal affair.
“Well... are we going?”
“Where?” Superman asked.
“Lois and Clark’s wedding, of course,” Star responded as if shocked that Superman didn’t know where they were going.
* * * * * * * * *
Lois’ eyes lit up and all the chatter around her faded into the background when she saw Clark enter the alcove. He looked gorgeous in his sharp, black suit. Even his tie was subdued - for him, anyway. Mostly black, there was a trace of red running through it, as if begging to be let out to be bright and bold, but being held back to make its wearer look dignified.
She was on her feet and walking in his direction before anyone else had even noticed his arrival. Not bothering to stop at a respectable distance, she walked up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down for the long, slow kiss she so desperately needed.
The laughter of the crowd and cat calls from Jimmy, Star and her sister notified her that Clark’s arrival had finally been noticed. Reluctantly, she pulled back.
“Did he come?” she asked softly, certain to keep her voice low enough that the crowd behind her wouldn’t be able to overhear.
“Both he and his wife. They seemed thrilled when Superman said we’d like them here.”
“His wife, too?”
Clark nodded. “I figured he wouldn’t be able to fire us on our wedding day if his wife was standing next to him.”
Lois smiled. “You are a crafty one, Clark Kent.”
“And here they come now,” Clark said, pulling back from Lois as Franklin and Beth Stern stepped up next to them. “We’re so glad you could make it,” Clark said, offering Franklin his hand.
“We wouldn’t miss it,” Franklin responded. “Glad to see things are finally back to normal for you two.”
“And it’s not every woman who can say she had her guests flown to her wedding by Superman Express,” Beth added. “That was quite a thrill.”
Lois slipped her arm around Clark’s waist. “Well, I guess he figured we’d been through enough and he knew how important this was to us.”
“Yes, I heard about your story,” Franklin said. “Haven’t had a chance to read it yet. But Perry called me when it came in, let me know the gist of it. I’ve already put the boys on notice that a second print run might be necessary. Good work, you two.”
“Well...” Clark said. “...glad you appreciate it. Because...” He glanced helplessly at Lois.
“I’m not sure if Perry mentioned this part, but... the cabin we were at... Well, Maxwell Deter sort of blew up the cabin in an effort to kill Clark...” Lois said, taking over for an obviously tongue-tied Clark.
“He said something about that. Why?”
“Well,” Clark said, taking over the story once again, “turns out it was your cabin.”
When Franklin and Beth stared at him in shock, Lois rushed to continue.
“Second print run. Great story. You’ve going to make oodles of money.”
“And Superman, when he realized what had happened, offered to rebuild it for you.”
“And it would be very bad form to fire two people on their wedding day,” Lois completed.
“This is the cabin on a small island in the Atlantic,” Franklin asked for clarification. “My cabin. You got my cabin blown up.”
Lois and Clark nodded guiltily as Franklin continued to stare at them, a frown creasing his forehead. Lois swallowed hard.
“The cabin where Beth and I spent our honeymoon,” Franklin continued. “That’s the cabin you destroyed?”
Lois and Clark shared a helpless look. This was not going well at all.
Beth suddenly laughed, causing Lois and Clark to practically jump at the unexpected sound. “Oh, Franklin, don’t torture them so. Lois, Clark, we haven’t used that cabin in years. Franklin never seems to have time to go there anymore. And the kids have never been particularly interested in it - I suppose because it’s so small. We were thinking of selling it, actually. And I’m sure the insurance will cover any damage.”
Now it was Lois and Clark’s turn to stare in shock, their gaze darting between the two people standing in front of them as Franklin’s features transformed into a smile.
“Who knew you had a sense of humor?” Lois asked in wonder provoking a laugh from the owner of the Daily Planet.
“So are we ready to get this show on the road?” Mac asked, joining them in the small alcove.
“Only if you and your wife will join us,” Lois said to which the older man smiled.
* * * * * * * * *
The wedding was a small, dignified affair in a garden gazebo on the grounds of The Marriott. Lois and Clark shared their own, heart felt vows. The minister’s address was short and sweet. The only thing that the guests found a little unusual was that when Clark had come out to take his place on the gazebo, he had been shoeless. And then, when Lois had noticed, during her walk towards him, she’d instantly stopped and, with a cheeky grin at her soon-to-be husband, removed her shoes, as well. Still, since neither had been willing to talk about it afterwards, the guests were left slightly baffled.
In spite of that small mystery, Lois and Clark were soon being introduced to the small crowd of friends and family as husband and wife while Ellen and Martha dabbed happily at their eyes to keep their make-up from running.
Then everyone retired back to the bar where Mac and his wife ensured that there was plenty of good food and spirits. The small group danced to the music of a live band and laughed and ate wedding cake, which had miraculously appeared, complements of The Marriott, much to the surprise of both Lois and Clark.
Jimmy, to his own embarrassment, caught the wedding bouquet which he quickly passed over to Lucy. And Ellen Lane gushed on to anyone who would listen about what a wonderful wedding it had been.
All too soon the night began to wind down. The looks and touches by Lois and Clark grew longer and more heated.
“Well,” Martha finally said, “I think it’s time for Jonathan and I to say goodnight. Morning comes early on a farm.”
“That’s great,” Franklin said, “but how are we supposed to get back? Our ride seems to have vanished.”
“While you all figure that out,” Lois said, rising quickly. “If you don’t mind, we have a suite here at The Marriott for the night. And given how much it cost, I have no intention of letting it go to waste.”
The crowd of revelers laughed as Lois took Clark’s hand, escorting him out of there as if in a rush to get him alone so that she could finally ravish him.
“So what do we do now?” Sam Lane asked when Lois and Clark disappeared around the corner, oblivious to the fact that his daughter was currently kissing her new husband goodbye, with a promise that she’d be waiting for him when he returned.
* * * * * * * * *
Lois had just finished getting ready when she heard a knock at the door to the suite. Clark must have forgotten his key. For a moment, she was tempted to answer the door wearing only the small, black teddy she’d bought that afternoon, at the same time as she’d bought the white dress she’d worn to her wedding. However, at the last moment, her nerves got the best of her.
Although the past few days had made the words ‘clothing optional’ more than just a phrase to Lois, there was something about knowing that this was their wedding night, and that they were about to engage in the age-old, time-honored tradition of consummating their marriage, that made Lois shy all over again.
Grabbing one of the fluffy, terry-cloth robes provided by the hotel, she wrapped it around herself before opening the door...
...and stared in shock at the short, dark haired man wearing an old-fashioned suit and bowler hat standing on the other side.
“Oh, good. I see I’m not too late,” H.G. Wells said, looking around the room as he stepped into the room past a very stunned young woman. “I take it Clark has not returned yet from flying your guests home.”
“Uhh...”
“I’m right here,” Clark said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. “And you are?”
“I’m...”
“H.G.Wells,” Lois said before briefly explaining to Clark who the man was, given that Clark had not accompanied her a couple of months ago to the alternate universe. “So what brings you here?” she finally asked.
“Well, it seems we have a bit of a problem.” He handed them a copy of the next day’s afternoon edition of the Daily Planet.
Over a picture of Lois, the headline blazed out at them:
MYSTERY ILLNESS CLAIMS LOIS LANE
CLARK KENT MOURNS HIS BRIDE
“What?”
“How?”
“It seems a curse was cast by an evil villain in the middle ages that would cause Lois to die in every subsequent lifetime every time you two...” He stumbled for a moment over the word. “...consummate your marriage. I’m here to help you reverse it.”
“But...” Lois glanced over at Clark in confusion. “...there must be some mistake. I mean, we’ve... That is to say we’re not...”
“I think what Lois is trying to say is we didn’t exactly wait for...”
“Oh! Oh!” Wells said embarrassedly as he finally seemed to clue into what he was being told. “Well, that... I mean...” He seemed at a loss for words at the moment. “Well, I guess all I really can say is that it must be that since you weren’t... when you were previously... I mean, of course, that since you weren’t actually consummating your marriage, the curse didn’t come into effect.”
“So how do you know that it will come into effect now?”
He pointed at the headline again. “So you must come with me. We must set this matter to rights before you can... consummate your marriage.”
Lois looked over at the handsome man she’d been about to seduce and did what any self-respecting woman would do in that situation.
“Aaaaaaaaa!” she screamed in frustration.
* * * * * * * * *
THE END
* * * * * * * * *
AUTHOR’S NOTES:
I relied heavily on a number of website, sometimes even using the actual words used in these websites, to help me with natural and home remedies and crystals for treating amnesia because half the time I really didn’t have a clue what they were talking about. I don’t, however, know if any of these remedies actually work. The following websites were particularly helpful:
http://www.medindia.net/AlternativeMedicine/Amnesia.asp http://health.howstuffworks.com/ginkgo-herbal-remedies.htm http://www.learningmeditation.com http://www.health.howstuffworks.com/home-remedies-for-memory-problems1.htm http://www.charmsoflight.com/diamond-healing-properties.html The directions for the antibiotic ointment were quoted directly from a tube of Polysporin I had in my medicine cabinet.
ML
