"You don't trust me, Lois," he said desperately. "You thought I would go out with Mayson."
She shook her head, and a tear tumbled down her cheek. "No," she said. "No. I knew you wouldn't go out with Mayson. But I was insanely jealous."
*Jealous*? Clark stared at her mutely, sure that anything he said would betray his exasperation.
"It was the thought of you and her being able to do something as simple as going out and having coffee together - out in public, not having to hide away, not being confined. I envied her that so much, and the words came out, driven more by frustration than anything else."
"This was all about a cup of coffee?" he asked incredulously.
"Not ... really."
Clark leapt from the couch and placed Lois on her feet. "Go and put on your suit," he directed.
"My s...suit?"
He nodded. "Go and put on your suit. I'm taking you out for coffee."
Part 41
Lois's bedroom door shut, and Clark stared at it for a long moment, his mind in turmoil.
Lois was talking to him.
She was willing to fly with him.
She said she wanted to be with him.
Despite his darkest fears, it wasn't *over*. She'd granted him another chance.
But he needed answers. And he needed them quickly.
Twenty minutes later, the door opened, and Lois emerged, carrying a small bag. The sight of her stole his breath as surely as if she'd reached down his throat and compressed his lungs.
"How are we going to do this?" she asked.
The practicality of the question untied his tongue. "I thought we'd fly to the farm," he said. "I keep a couple of my suits there. I'll change, and then Superman and Ultra Woman can continue to Metropolis."
"Do you want to visit with your parents?"
"No. Not today." What time they had was, as always, limited. Lois needed to sleep. They needed to talk.
"OK."
"What's the bag for?" Clark asked.
Lois set it on the floor. "Some of the things we need to talk about can't be discussed if there is any chance that someone is listening."
He nodded.
"So, after our coffee, perhaps you could take me somewhere ... somewhere we can speak openly without fear of being overheard. And ..." She looked down at the suit. "... this isn't really conducive to relaxation."
"Do you want to take the bag with us?"
"No," she said. "I thought if I leave it here, you could get it for me without having to search through my clothes."
He nodded. "I can have it to you in less than a minute."
"Thanks."
"There's something else I should tell you."
"Oh?"
He could hear the hesitation in her voice. Sometimes, she must feel like the shocks just kept on coming. "Your fans want to see you."
"My fans?" she gulped.
Clark nodded. "I held a press conference - to thank the people for their wedding wishes and to ask that they don't disrupt rescues - and the first question was whether Ultra Woman would make an appearance before the wedding."
That took a moment to sink in.
"So ..." Clark shrugged.
"Do you think people will crowd around us?" He couldn't tell if she were concerned or merely curious.
"I don't know," he said. "But we always planned to do this ... Let's see how it goes."
"OK," she agreed slowly.
Feeling like he had in the early days when he hadn't known if his touch was welcome, he reached for her and ran his fingers lightly through her hair. "Whatever happens, I won't let anyone hurt you," he said, painfully conscious that he was the one most likely to hurt her.
Lois leant her head into his touch and smiled. "I know that," she said. She lifted her coat from the hook, and Clark reached to take it from her. His hand brushed across hers, and he noticed her engagement ring.
"You're wearing it."
"Of course I'm wearing it."
Clark stared at the ring on her finger for a long moment - reflecting what it signified and recalling the unrelenting waves of dismay that had besieged him as he had waited for Lois's return. He looked up and sought her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Lois."
She stretched up and draped her arms around his neck. He dropped her coat and enclosed her in the circle of his arms. He eased her closer and was instantly aware that - as any sort of practical barrier - the spandex failed dismally.
He tensed, torn between two equally dangerous choices. If he backed away, he risked Lois misinterpreting his actions. If he didn't ...
Maybe she comprehended his dilemma because she slipped from his embrace and gave him a tentative smile. "We can do this," she said.
"Lois," he breathed. "I was so scared ..."
She put her hand on his cheek. "Don't be," she said. "We'll work it out."
"We *have* to."
"We will." She smiled, and it was like sunshine on a gloomy day. "Let's start with coffee."
Clark retrieved her coat and held it as she slid into it.
Then, he took her into his arms, and they flew to Smallville.
||_||
Superman and Ultra Woman landed on the corner of a busy Metropolis street. Clark heard a cacophony of their names and took a moment to acknowledge those who had called out. He grasped Lois's hand and gave her a stilted Superman-smile. "OK?"
"Yes," she said. "Have you planned where to go?"
Clark reigned in the impulse to smile at the sudden American accent coming from his favourite Aussie. "This way," he said.
As they walked into the nearby cafe, Clark did his best to look as if it were a totally normal occurrence for an alien to take his fiancée out for coffee. He'd picked a cafe Clark Kent had never frequented, and - fortuitously - the waiter was an older man who gave no indication that he found anything noteworthy in their presence. He led them to a table in a quiet corner at the back of the cafe.
Clark perused the menu as if it were riveting. "Are you OK?" he asked Lois.
Lois leant forward and said quietly, "I think everyone is looking at us."
"They are," he confirmed. "But you get used to it."
"Should I look at them? Smile? Wave? I don't know what to do."
"Just try to forget about everything else," Clark advised. "This is our time. This is about us. Try to imagine it's just you and me, having coffee. Try not to let it feel any different from all the other times we've eaten together in public."
Lois smiled. "That's a tall order," she said. "These suits are not designed for blending."
He met her eyes, hoping they would convey his amusement. "When we walk out - if you want to - we can have a few words with people. But for now, just try to relax and enjoy being with ... the man who is completely in love with you."
Her answering smile warmed his heart and dislodged the worst of his doubts from where they had taken up residence in the forefront of his mind. "I guess you've had to get used to being watched at every turn?" Lois said.
Clark nodded. "At first, it made me incredibly uncomfortable. Every instinct was to look for somewhere to hide."
"When people asked about seeing me ... was it like they think I'm a freak show? Or like they were interested in a nice way?"
"A very nice way," he said firmly. "They love you."
"I'm not sure why," she mused. "You're Superman."
"You're the one who gives me the strength to be Superman," he said.
Lois smiled and slipped her hand across the table to clasp his. Seeing the waiter begin his approach, Clark said, "The usual?"
She nodded.
Remembering his experiences with Australian coffee, Clark ordered a weak cappuccino for Lois and a latte for himself. "Do you want something with chocolate?" he asked Lois. "They have brownies."
"OK, thanks."
The waiter wrote down their order and slipped away.
"*Weak* coffee for me?" she said with a smile. "I'm the one who should be asleep."
"Are you OK?" he said. "I know it's late, but I figured you probably weren't going to get much sleep until some things had been resolved."
"I'm fine for now," she said.
Clark squeezed her hand and scoured his mind for a suitable conversation opener. Every idea was incompatible with the possibility they could be overheard. "How was your day?" he asked, realising the lameness of his question.
"Good."
"Good work-wise? Or otherwise?"
"Otherwise - we got the result we needed."
"That's good. So, one more week?"
"Yeah."
"Are you confident beyond that?"
She shrugged. "I'm hopeful."
"Are you looking forward to next week? Are you worried? Nervous?"
"I haven't thought about it too much. I was just trying to concentrate on enjoying this week."
"Good idea," Clark said.
Two women in their early twenties sidled up to Clark without so much as a glance at Lois. "Superman," one of them gushed. "We were wondering if -"
"Excuse me," the waiter said, appearing behind them. "In my restaurant, guests stay at the tables I assign to them."
The two women turned on him, both clearly about to unleash a tirade. He straightened his shoulders and faced them without flinching.
Whatever the women had intended to say was lost, and after a few seconds, they turned and flounced away. The waiter glided forward and placed the coffees and brownie on the table.
"Thanks," Lois said.
He gave no indication he had even heard her as his eyes skimmed over the table and he assured himself everything was as it should be. He nodded solemnly to both of them ... and then turned towards Lois.
She giggled as the waiter hustled away.
"What did he do?" Clark asked.
"He winked at me," Lois said, still chuckling.
Clark smiled. "See, even crotchety old waiters are powerless against the charms of Ultra Woman."
"What about Superman?" Lois asked. "Is he powerless?"
"Since the moment I first saw you," Clark declared.
"You're very sweet," she said.
Clark sugared his coffee and slowly stirred, dredging his mind for a possible subject of conversation.
"What time should we arrive for the wedding?" Lois asked.
The wedding! That was one thing they could legitimately discuss. "Just before ten," he said. "Obviously, we'll arrive together."
"Shall we walk up the aisle together? Or do you want to wait at the front and watch me walk towards you?"
"Whichever we choose, I won't be letting you out of my sight," he said. "Not for one moment."
Her eyes lingered in his. "Are you worried?"
Clark paused, striving for the balance between unnecessary anxiety and caution. "Not worried exactly," he said. "But if someone was planning a crime, it makes good sense to distract Superman - and how better to distract him than to jeopardise Ultra Woman's safety?"
"I hadn't thought of that," Lois admitted.
"It was the first thing I thought about," Clark said. "I only agreed to the wedding because I can watch you and track your heartbeat. If anyone does anything unexpected, I'll be by your side before anyone else even thinks about twitching a muscle."
She smiled. "That's why I wasn't worried," she said. "I trust you."
Her eyes signalled deeper meaning to her words. That she trusted him - and not just to keep her safe physically. "Thank you," Clark murmured, loud enough for only her to hear.
Her smile laid a calming cover over his remaining qualms. They would find a way through this - they would.
"Would you prefer that we walk up the aisle together?" Clark asked.
Lois thought for a moment. "No," she said. "I'd like you to be there already. I'd like to meet you there."
"Sounds perfect," Clark said.
"Are you expecting crowds of people at the entrance to the Lexor Ballroom Center?"
"The police are," Clark said. "I talked with them about it yesterday."
"Is this going to be a problem for them?"
"It shouldn't be. It's the Summer Festival that weekend, so they'll have extra numbers on duty to deal with the crowds. Our wedding will be just one more event."
"How will we get to the Lexor Hotel? Fly?"
"Linda wants a horse-drawn carriage," Clark said.
Lois giggled. "I can just see us doing that," she said. "The photos would haunt us for the rest of our lives."
Clark covered his mouth to hide his smile. "The Ballroom Centre and the Hotel are only about three hundred yards apart," he said. "But I think it would be best if we were to fly - and avoid the crowds."
"Straight to the Honeymoon Suite," she said with a grin that was pure Lois Lane ... the grin that was powerful enough to achieve anything - including razing every remaining barrier between them. "Don't worry, big guy," she said. "I won't say anything more about the honeymoon now. Imagine the outcry if Superman was seen blushing like a poppy in public."
Joy and relief flooded through Clark. They still didn't have answers ... but he had Lois back - really back. He smiled as expansively as he'd ever permitted Superman to smile.
They ate the brownies, drank the coffee, paid the check, and then Clark took Lois's hand, and they walked slowly through the tables, stopping to exchange a few words with the other patrons who had so obligingly allowed them to eat undisturbed.
"Congratulations on your wedding."
"We hope you'll be very happy."
"We think you make a beautiful couple."
"We can see how much you're in love."
"We're so excited for you."
Clark nodded as Lois smiled to the well-wishers. "Thank you," she said. "Thank you so much."
Outside the cafe, they were approached by a small group of people - not from the media, just ordinary Metropolitans whose everyday activities had happened to cross paths with a superhero and his girl.
"Can we see the ring?" a young woman asked.
Lois lifted her left hand and smiled at the 'oohs' that it elicited.
"How did he propose?"
Lois tightened her grip on Clark's hand and said, "He told me that he would love me for the rest of our lives and said that my happiness was of the utmost importance to him."
An older woman looked directly at Clark. "Aww, Superman," she said. "Who'd have thought you could be so sweetly romantic?"
Clark felt the rising of colour on his cheeks and wanted to lift Lois into his arms and fly away. He didn't because she was already involved in a conversation with a young child.
"What does flying feel like?" he asked.
Lois crouched to his level. "Flying feels wonderful," she said.
"Has Superman ever dropped you?"
She laughed. "No," she said. "He's never dropped me."
"What would you do if he *did* drop you?" the little boy asked.
"I would wait for him to catch me again."
The boy smiled. "Do you think he would?"
"I'm sure of it."
She stood, and Clark edged closer to her. The crowd around them had grown to more than twenty people and it made him nervous. He slipped his arm under Lois's cape and put his hand on her waist. He scanned the vicinity, relieved to find nothing to substantiate his concerns.
As Lois continued to chat casually with those who had gathered, Clark allowed the conversation to glide through his consciousness as he concentrated on being alert to any possible danger.
A woman with a camera stepped forward and asked if they would mind posing for a photograph. Clark looked briefly into the lens, and, at the sound of the shutter, he returned immediately to his surveillance. He heard the sound of an approaching car, travelling at speeds that aroused his suspicion. He tuned in his hearing.
"Outside Cafe Met. Superman and Ultra Woman. Hurry - we need photos."
Clark tightened his hold on Lois and leant close to her ear. "Media," he whispered.
Lois thanked the people for their good wishes and assured them she was very excited about the wedding. Clark lifted her into his arms and slowly rose above the streets of Metropolis, as a car screeched to a halt and a horde of media spewed from it.
Lois chuckled. "That would have to be the most effective escape route of all time," she said.
Now she was safe - he could relax. "Yeah."
She took his face in her hands and kissed him.
"What was that for?" he asked, his grin breaking free from the Superman guise.
"Because I love you," she said.
Her eyes were sparkling, and all traces of her despondency had melted away. "You seemed to enjoy talking with them," Clark noted softly.
"I didn't realise how much I was missing being able to talk openly about the wedding," she said. "It was nice to be able to show off the ring; I can't believe people were so interested."
"You were the one who said that giving the public a glimpse into my life would help them see me as more than a suit."
"Yes, but I didn't expect them to embrace *us* with such approval."
"Obviously, they can see exactly what I saw at the airport," Clark said. "You and I are meant to be together."
She smiled. "And that is more important than anything else."
"Where would you like me to take you, honey?" he asked, expecting her to ask to go home. She must be exhausted.
"Can I choose anywhere?"
"You can," he said, his hopes lifting. "The world is yours to explore."
"I'd like to go to your tree house," she said.
"You don't want to go back to Melbourne?"
"No," she said. "Melbourne is cold and dark. I want to go to your tree house, and I want us to stay there for as long as it takes."
"It's the middle of the night for you," he reminded her gently.
"And I won't sleep until we get this sorted out," she asserted.
"To the tree house it is," he said. "Then I'll go to Melbourne to get your clothes."
"And then," she said. "We'll talk."
||_||
Clark, no longer in the Superman suit, landed at the foot of the ladder with Lois's bag in his hand. He shot up into the tree house.
"Can I get you something while you get changed?" he asked.
She took the bag. "Is anyone likely to look in here? Your parents?"
"No, they've both gone into town. I doubt they'll be back before chore time."
She unzipped the bag. "Thanks for getting this."
"What else would you like?"
She grinned suddenly. "I can have *anything*?" she asked.
Clark nodded, hoping he hadn't just agreed to something he'd regret. "What would you like?"
"It's so warm in here," she said. "I would like chocolate fudge ice-cream. I feel like I haven't had ice-cream in months."
He smiled. *That* request was ridiculously easy. "How long do you need to get changed?"
"Fifteen minutes."
"OK. I'll knock before coming in."
Lois nodded and reached under her cape for the zipper.
Clark shot out of his tree house and headed in search of ice-cream.
||_||
An hour later, the ice cream had been eaten, and Clark was sitting on the oversized floor cushion with Lois leaning snugly against him.
The closeness was great, but if they didn't start talking, they risked still being at the impasse when he would have to take her back to Melbourne. He decided to plunge right in. "Lois," he said. "I admit that it would be perfect for me if you moved to Metropolis. I could keep my job at the Planet, I could continue being Superman - in fact, I could be Superman better than ever before because I'd have your support." He slid his fingers over her knuckles and across the back of her hand. "But you must know I would never force you to move."
"What are your honest feelings about the Hawthorn-Melbourne merger?"
"I can see how much merging will hurt you, but I can't pretend to have the same feeling for Hawthorn as you do."
"I didn't mean that."
"Then what did you mean?"
"You've never said it, but you must have thought that if the merger goes ahead, there is a much greater chance of me leaving Melbourne."
"Yes, I thought it," he said with a sigh. "But that doesn't mean I want it."
Lois arose from his shoulder and faced him. "It feels like we're at cross purposes - I'm fighting with every last ounce of energy to keep Hawthorn from merging, yet, on some level, you must want it."
"I don't want it," Clark said quickly. "I know it will devastate you."
"But don't you think that in time - a few years, maybe - I will have accepted it and moved on? Particularly if we're happily married."
"If the merger happens, that is what I'm hoping for you," he said. "But - again - that doesn't mean I'm hoping the merger goes ahead."
"Why not?"
"Because it will hurt you."
"You're right, you know," she said.
Clark wasn't sure what he was right about, so he just looked at her and waited.
"Sometimes, I'm sure we'll vote against the merger ... and then ... I don't know ... I feel like I'm balancing on a knife-edge. I don't know what is going to happen ... but ..." Tears filled her eyes. "... whatever happens, even if we merge, I'll have you ... and having you means that in five years time, Hawthorn will probably be something I look back on with really fond memories - a part of my life, my childhood. But ..."
Clark waited, giving her the time.
She shivered.
"But?" he prompted gently.
"I'm not sure I can watch us die," she whispered hoarsely.
Her tears threatened again, and he pulled the clean handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed the moisture under her eyes. He waited for her to continue. When she didn't, he said, "I have a suggestion."
"OK."
"I know the uncertainty is harrowing for you ... and unsettling for both of us ... but we can't make any decisions until we know the outcome of the vote."
She nodded.
"But the vote is *after* our planned wedding, so ..."
"Do you want to postpone the wedding?" Lois asked.
"I will if that is what you want."
"I didn't ask that," she said. "I asked if you wanted to postpone the wedding."
"No," he said. "I don't."
"Why?"
"Because my commitment to you isn't reliant on where we live or what happens at the vote or anything else."
"So even if we always lived in different countries, you would still want to be married to me?"
Clark nodded. "I want to be married to you more than anything else in the world. I know you think it sounds hollow, but I really would give up anything for you."
"How do you feel about me not wanting to give up my life to be with you?"
"I don't blame you," he said quickly. "I have never expected you to give up everything to be with me."
"Is that why you get so worried about us?" Lois asked. "Is that why, at the first sign of a complication, your first inclination is that I'm pulling away?"
He thought about that. "No," he said finally. "No, I think it's because I wanted to love someone completely, and I wanted her to love me, and yet, deep, deep down, I didn't think it was possible."
"So, now it's happened, you worry about losing it?"
"It's not anything you've done," Clark hurriedly assured her. "You've been unbelievably understanding and supportive. It's just - being with me ... comes with differences."
A tiny smiled peeped out from her unshed tears. "Like us being able to cross the room to get the tissues without me ever moving from your lap?"
He nodded. "And so many other things too."
"Most of them good."
"Some of them bad."
Her hand caressed his face. "OK," she said decisively. "Let's go right back to the start and set these things in concrete. Firstly ... about the wedding. Yes? Or no? We get one vote each. Majority rules. What's your vote?"
Clark smiled. "What happens if it's a tie?" he asked.
Lois swatted his chest. "Don't complicate things," she said. "Yes? Or no?"
"Yes."
She smiled. "Yes."
"Is that two votes for 'yes'?"
"It is," she said. "So, the wedding is on."
He opened his mouth, but her forefinger closed over it.
"I know what you're going to say," Lois said. "Yes, I am sure ... so don't even ask."
He amended his question. "Why do you want to marry me?"
She took a moment before replying. "Well, there's the obvious," she said. "Because I love you. Because I need you. Because ever since I met you, being away from you feels like my heart is disintegrating, and there is a huge hole in my life. Because I know you need me. But had your question been why I want to marry you now, the answer would be a little different."
"Oh?"
"The reason I want to marry you now ... actually, there are two. But both could potentially embarrass you."
He had to know ... even with the threat of discomfiture. "I think I can stand the embarrassment," he said.
"Firstly - I want you."
Clark swallowed. "Want ... as in ..."
"Sexually. I want you. And I know that, ideally, you'd like us to be married first. So ... either we get married now as Superman and Ultra Women ... or we try to survive months of celibacy."
He cleared his throat. "What's the other reason?"
Lois smiled and waggled her eyebrows at his evasion. "I think marriage is the only way for you to truly believe that this is forever," she said. "I think you're wired to worry and the more you care about something, the more you'll worry."
"That's my lack," he said quickly. "Not yours."
"Regardless - we need to be married. And soon."
"So, it's settled?"
She nodded. "It's settled. Now, what else do we need to decide?"
"I know it isn't ideal - with me dropping in either early in the morning or in the evening - but I hadn't realised you found it so difficult," he said.
"It's like we're at cross-purposes with time, too," she said. "Either it's early morning for me and you've just finished your day, or it's evening for me and you're just starting yours. It always feels like we're out of kilter. It affects something as simple as eating together. You bring me breakfast in the morning, yet I'm conscious that it must feel strange for you to be eating breakfast when your body clock says it's evening."
"I don't mind eating -"
"I know you don't mind," Lois said. "But I feel like we can't do something as simple as eating without being out of step."
"Perhaps we'll get used to it," Clark said hopefully. "Perhaps it will become normal for us."
"There's something else."
"What?"
"Sleeping together."
Clark cleared his throat, hoping that would give her time to continue without him needing to comment.
"Not making love, but sleeping together," Lois said. "When I'm your wife, I want to sleep with you - if not every night, certainly most nights. But if I sleep between eleven and six, that's between nine in the morning and four in the afternoon for you - that's your work time. If you keep disappearing to sleep with your wife, very soon, you won't have a job."
"It'll be between seven and two when daylight saving switches from the northern hemisphere to the southern."
"That's no better."
Suddenly a thought hit Clark. It wasn't ideal, but it would show that he was willing to make some of the compromises. "I have an idea."
"Go on."
"How about I ask Perry if I could work in the evenings? What if I were to start mid-afternoon? I would have to get up early, but if I left Melbourne by five, I could get to work about three. That would give me enough daytime to chase up stories. Then I'll stay at work until late - write up my stories, put the paper to bed, edit stories for the next edition - and leave about one in the morning. I could patrol as Superman for a few hours and be home by about six to spend the evening - and ... uhm ... the night ... with you."
Lois smiled.
He waited for her to respond, but she didn't. Nothing beyond the smile, anyway.
"Do you think that would work?" he asked anxiously.
"No."
His hopes dashed. "It won't?"
"Not if you keep referring to Melbourne as 'home'."
He grinned and sighed with relief. "My *home* will always be wherever you are."
"Will Perry agree to this?"
"I'll point out that it would give him the chance to be home in the evenings - he could spend more time with Alice. I know he stays late most nights - she'd be delighted to have him home earlier."
"And you being made the assistant editor was all about easing the strain on Perry."
"This would make his home life more normal than it's been in years. I don't know why someone hasn't thought of it before."
"What will you say if he asks why you want to do this?"
"I'll be honest," Clark replied. "I'll say that working non-standard hours makes it easier for me to sync my life with yours."
Lois grinned. "We would have as much time together as most married couples."
"Would you be willing to give it a try?" Clark asked.
Her eyebrows leapt and her grin shone. "You mean the sleeping together bit?"
Clark pointed at her, trying to look serious. "*You* are a tease," he said sternly.
"No, I'm just reminding you of things you seem to have forgotten."
"Believe me, they were never forgotten."
"Do you enjoy kissing me?"
"Enjoy!" he cried. "Lois, I enjoy it too much - that's the problem." He studied her face. "Honey," he said. "Surely you *must* know how desirable you are to me."
She shrugged. "It's not great for a woman's ego when the mere sight of a bicep has her in a state of disarray and the owner of the bicep seems coolly unaffected."
"Coolly unaffected!" Clark shook his head. "If only you knew."
"If only I knew what?"
"I've already tried swimming under the ice in the Arctic circle," Clark said forlornly.
She regarded him with widened eyes. "You *swim* in the Arctic?" she said.
"Yeah," he said. "Cold showers don't work."
She almost managed to control her grin as she swept her hand down his face. "Aww, Clark," she said. "I'm sorry."
He managed a grim smile. "It's not your fault you're so incredibly sexy."
"Two weeks," she said. "And then no more swimming in the Arctic. I promise."
