"We could order Chinese takeout," Clark suggested. "And have it here."
Lois lifted from his chest. "Good idea," she responded eagerly. But her enthusiasm faded quickly. "You can bet Esmeralda will be watching. She'll probably count the containers as the delivery bloke brings them up the driveway."
Clark smiled despite her poor attempt at a joke.
Lois pushed away her melancholy. She was on her honeymoon. Her husband was standing there half-naked, showing off the most magnificent upper body imaginable. They could be together for the rest of the evening ... an evening which she was sure would finish as it had started ... in her bed. She grinned up at Clark. "Forget Esmeralda," she said. "Let her think what she wants to think. I intend to have Chinese for first course and Kryptonian for dessert."
Clark grinned. "Really?" he asked. "You're going to devour me?"
"You bet, big guy," she replied. "Are you worried?"
"No," he said with a suggestive grin that turned a good portion of her muscles to the consistency of treacle. "Any chance you'd like Kryptonian for entrée as well as dessert?"
Part 51
Lex Luthor took a long drag on his cigar.
The wedding of Superman and Ultra Woman had been weird.
Superman collapsing. Ultra Woman hovering over him like a helicopter parent. Mayson's erratic behaviour. Her long disappearance after her ‘wardrobe malfunction’. The way she'd shot from her chair and begun crazily taking photographs.
Luthor blew out a cone of smoke.
Weird indeed.
But he would get to the bottom of it. And he fully expected that when he did discover what was really going on, there would be an advantage to be gained.
Luthor smirked in anticipation.
||_||
Clark's alarm sounded just before five the next morning. He awoke enough to silence it and then yielded to the temptation to slither back down the bed and cuddle his wife for a few minutes longer.
It had been their first real night together. The few hours of their 'honeymoon' hardly constituted a night together, but the previous evening, they had eaten Chinese takeout - sandwiched between two wonderful interludes in the bedroom - and then fallen asleep together, with Lois snuggled into his arms.
Clark's last thought before surrendering to sleep had been to marvel at the wonder of sharing Lois's bed.
Fervently wishing he wasn't due at the Daily Planet in less than five minutes, he eased away from his wife and flew into her bathroom.
Less than a minute later, showered, shaved, and dressed in his work attire, Clark gazed lovingly at his still-sleeping wife. He knew he would never become indifferent to her beauty - no matter how long he stared at her, she would always have the power to stir a myriad of beautiful emotions through his heart.
He stooped forward and dropped a kiss on the warm blush of her cheek. "I love you, honey," he said quietly.
A minute later, he walked into the Daily Planet newsroom.
||_||
Lois spent Monday with the Operation Payback volunteers. The Extraordinary General meeting was exactly one week away, and it hung like a spectre around everything they did. Inevitably, the tension was rising.
There was some latent disappointment regarding the result of Saturday night's final - but it was kept firmly in the background by the certain knowledge that they still had a much bigger battle to fight.
The success of the rally had generated a lot of hope and cautious optimism. It was estimated that 8000 people had attended - that number being almost two thirds of the club's tally of 12 848 members. Many of those who had come were not currently members. Many had pledged membership for 1997 - should the merger be averted.
By mid afternoon, Lois was finding it more and more difficult to concentrate as her mind leapt ahead to the evening. Someone had turned on the radio, and she had been glad initially for the diversion ... but was then swept with searing disappointment when the four o'clock news bulletin headlined with the story of blazing bushfires in California that were threatening both lives and property.
Lois stood from the table and collected another handful of questionnaires to add to the steadily growing database. There was no reason to hurry home now - she was sure Superman would go and help. Ten minutes later, her mobile beeped with a message from Clark confirming what she'd already surmised.
It was after seven o'clock when Lois wearily plodded home, trying to remind herself that this was going to be a part of being married to Superman. She would miss him terribly ... but many people would be alive tomorrow because of his help.
Lois spent a quiet evening. She watched the replay of the Sydney game and then went to bed, hoping that sometime during the night, her husband would be able to join her.
||_||
The next morning, Lois awoke, and immediately a cloud of concern settled around her heart. She extended her arm to the other side of the bed and recoiled at its chill.
Clark should be back at the Daily Planet by now. If the fires were still out of control, he would have to think of an excuse for his absence. Either way, he would be tired and drained ... and probably longing for his wife.
Lois listened to the radio news as she showered and dressed. The fires were no longer threatening life ... but there had been a tragic cost - eleven confirmed deaths and another nineteen people missing. She logged onto her computer - having already decided not to go to Operation Payback today. She'd been asked to write the piece for the leaflet they intended to offer to the members as they entered the meeting. She could do that at home ... and be available for Clark should he be able to leave Metropolis.
For the next hour, Lois wrote her final plea for her club. She was allowed a mere two hundred and fifty words. How could she even begin to squeeze the enormity of her conviction into just a few paragraphs? As she worked - pruning and editing so every single word contributed - she flicked through the morning news bulletins on the television and watched with horror as the scenes of charred destruction filled the screen.
Her heart ached for Clark. She knew he would be devastated.
A letter popped into her email box.
'I have to edit the stories coming in from the forest fires in California. It's going to be a long night, and I'm not sure when I'll be finished. I wish I could be with you.
Love, Clark.'
Lois quickly replied.
'I'll be here for you.
Love, Lois.'
She had never envied Clark his superpowers. Now, she wished she had the ability to fly across the ocean, land at the door of the Daily Planet building, walk to his desk, and simply hold him.
Of course, even if she could, that would bring forth a legion of questions that couldn't be answered.
Lois sighed as her heart reached across the miles, hoping that somehow her love would be strong enough to span the yawning distance between them.
||_||
It was after midnight when Clark finished putting the paper to bed. He hadn't slept for over thirty hours, and in that time, he'd worked two shifts at the Planet, hauled mega gallons of water to dump on the fires, rescued hundreds of people, recovered fourteen dead bodies, and witnessed the devastating grief of those whose loved ones and homes had been devoured by the merciless flames.
Through it all, there had been one constant - his yearning to be with his wife.
It was mid-afternoon for Lois. Would she be at Operation Payback? He could call her ... email her ... text her ... but none of those would satisfy his need for her presence. Spurred on by thoughts of her, Clark climbed the stairs to the roof of the Daily Planet building with more energy than he had felt in hours. Even if she wasn't home, he could lie in her bed and find comfort in the surroundings that were steeped in her essence.
Seconds later, he shot into her unit, and Lois looked up from her computer with a smile of welcome. Clark stood glued to the floor, hardly able to believe that he was finally with her. She hurried across the room and took him into her arms. For timeless minutes, she held him. She didn't speak ... didn't ask questions ... didn't move other than the soft stroking of her thumb on his neck. It was as if she understood that right now, his need for her was far more basic than words or touch. He just needed her.
Soon, life began to flow through his fatigued body, bringing restoration to his bruised heart and peace to his haunted memories. Clark loosened his hold a few notches and said, "Thank you for being here."
Lois smiled into his eyes. "I've been here all day ... I knew you'd come as soon as you could."
She didn't add that she had also known how much he would need her. She'd known, she'd understood, she'd made his needs her priority.
Like a parched man who'd found water, he squeezed her against his body again and let her love soak into him.
"Are you OK to fly?" she asked.
He'd assumed they would stay in her unit. "Where do you want to go?"
"I don't want Esmeralda to interrupt us, so I thought you could take me to Smallville. Your parents will be asleep. We could go to your room and have some privacy."
Privacy? Clark felt helplessly torn. He couldn't imagine ever not wanting to make love with Lois, but it felt like every muscle in his body still toiled under the burden of utter exhaustion.
Lois rubbed her hand across his shoulder and smiled at him. "Can you fly us?" she persisted.
"If that's what you want," he said, trying to cover his lack of enthusiasm.
"Let's go then." If she'd heard the hesitation in his voice, she made no comment.
He gestured to her computer. "Don't you have things to do?"
She nodded. "I need to be with my husband."
"Lois ..."
"Just take me to your bedroom," she said, her voice kind but unyielding.
He didn't have the strength to argue. "OK." He lifted her into his arms and flew them to Smallville.
||_||
Clark opened his bedroom door and followed Lois into the dark room. He reached for the light switch and felt her hand on his arm.
"The lamp," she said. "Its light will be softer."
Clark crossed the room, turned on the lamp, and slumped onto his bed. The muted light set an atmosphere conducive to romance, but even that couldn't drive the dragging tiredness from his body. He'd been married four days, his bride was with him, and - to his shame - all his body craved was sleep.
She crouched beside him, one hand on his knee. "Clark," she said with a soft smile. "I can see you're not sure about this, but you don't have to do anything. You've done your part - you saved all of those people. Let me be the strong one for a while." She reached for his tie, loosened it, released the knot, and slid it from his neck.
"Lois -"
Her finger on his mouth hushed him. "I'm your wife," she said. "Let me love you." She removed his glasses and placed them next to the lamp. Next, she turned her attention to his shirt and undid the row of buttons. She tugged the white material from the waistband of his trousers and slid it from his shoulders.
He should stop her ... warn her ...
Lois dropped to her knees and removed his shoes and socks. With a lithe movement, she rose to her feet and offered him her hand. He took it and stood beside her.
She peeled back the bedcovers. "Lie down, Clark."
He lay on the bed and shuffled to the side, trying to ensure there would be enough room for her in the narrow single bed.
Lois grasped his upper arm and rolled him onto his stomach. "Get comfortable," she said.
Clark wriggled, but the tension across his back and shoulders made comfort an unlikely goal. Lois was no longer in his line of sight, so he allowed his heavy eyelids to slide shut. He felt the edge of the bed dip and Lois's thigh nestle along his side.
Her hands - warm and soft - landed on his shoulders, and her thumbs rubbed along the clinched bundle of muscle at the base of his neck.
She pushed, and pressed, and kneaded as her skilled hands sought and found every place where tiredness and stress draped with heavy achiness. After a few minutes, she left his neck and worked slowly and methodically across the width of his shoulders.
A low moan sounded, and Clark realised it had come from deep inside him. Her hands felt so good. He'd known love was a feeling, but never before had it felt like this.
She continued down his back, her fingers tracing his ribs with exactly the right level of pressure. Her thumbs burrowed deeper, releasing the balls of rigidity dotted along his spine.
The built-up heaviness drained from his body and into her hands. Her touch sweetened his weariness, and Clark drifted into a deep, restful sleep.
||_||
Lois continued massaging Clark's back and shoulders long after she was sure he was asleep. Finally, she lifted from him and brought the chair closer so she could sit and watch him in the dim light of the lamp.
Asleep - and without his glasses - he looked younger and - illogically - more vulnerable.
He gave so much, cared so much, tried so hard to be the best he could be, and always put others before himself.
Lois felt so privileged to be the one who could give back to him.
An hour or so later, he surfaced enough to roll onto his side but immediately returned to deep slumber. Lois turned off the lamp and lay beside him, her arm across his side and her fingers gently caressing his skin.
Her mind flittered through a range of topics as she dozed. Seb and Chris - no one could ever replace Chris's own mother, but if things worked out, having Barb as a mother-in-law would be wonderful for her. Hawthorn and the looming vote meeting - sometimes Lois was sure the merger would go ahead; sometimes she was sure it wouldn't. In her very darkest moments, she feared the proposal would be defeated, and Hawthorn would falter and die ... and she would have contributed to the complete extinction of her club.
She wasn't sure how she would face Ron, Barb, and Seb if that happened.
And then, there was Clark.
Everything in her life came back to him.
Somehow, they had to work out how to be together. He needed to be in Metropolis. If Hawthorn didn't merge, she needed to be in Melbourne.
But whatever happened, they would find ways to be together. They would.
Because they both knew that nothing was as important as being together.
Lois sighed with overflowing happiness. She had Clark. Her heart was full.
||_||
As the first rays of the new day began to peep through the curtain, a tantalising aroma of bacon and eggs wafted into the bedroom where Lois lay next to her sleeping husband.
As she'd expected, the smell of breakfast worked its way into Clark's nostrils, and he stirred. His arm tightened around her, and he kissed her hair. "Good morning, gorgeous," he said.
"How are you feeling now, big guy?" she asked.
He sighed with deep contentment. "I'm in love," he said. "I feel like you completely immersed me in your love. I'm sure I can still feel your hands on my body."
Lois smiled and ran her hand up his chest. "You were a true hero, Clark. Without you, hundreds more people would be dead or badly injured."
"I didn't save everyone," he said dejectedly.
"Nobody expects you to save everyone." She twisted her head enough to kiss his chest. "I heard a report that said all the missing people were located."
"Yeah," he said with a sigh. "Five were stranded in a car - they had tried to outrun the fire. I found them and picked up the entire car. An elderly couple were sheltering in their basement - I brought them out. Three others were already dead by the time I got to them. Some thought to be missing weren't actually in the area, and the rest were rescued by the fire departments."
"We can mourn the ones who died," Lois said gently. "But to concentrate on them to the exclusion of those who are still alive would be a mistake."
"I know," he said wretchedly. "But I can't help wishing I'd been faster ... earlier ..."
"Aw, Clark." She reached the top of his chest and stroked along the line of his jaw.
"I need you, Lois," he said, his voice raw. "I love you more than life ... but I need you so much I can't even begin to find the words to express how vital you are to everything I do."
"I'm here for you ... I always will be."
He sighed deeply, and it ended with a small chuckle. "Breakfast smells good. I'm sure Mom won't mind a couple of extra guests."
"Are you hungry?"
"Starving," he said. His hand slipped under her t-shirt and glided across her back. "But there's something else I'd like first."
"I can't imagine what," Lois said innocently, although her hand had left his face and begun to slide down his chest.
"Let me show you," Clark said, and his mouth found hers.
||_||
Seb Wilton parked his mother's car and walked up the driveway towards Lois's unit. He felt fantastic - his day with Chris had surpassed all his hopes. She was lovely in every way - great fun, natural, feminine - and she loved Hawthorn. His mind slipped back half an hour to when he had stood at the door of her unit.
"Thanks for a great day, Seb," Chris had said.
He'd wanted to kiss her so bad ... but he didn't want to scare her away.
Then, she'd leant forward and placed a cute kiss on his cheek. "See you for lunch tomorrow."
Seb had nodded ... and walked away feeling like the king of the universe.
His pleasant memories were shattered when the door next to Lois's burst open. Her neighbour - what was her name? Eleanor? Esther? - hurried out.
Seb fixed his eyes on Lois's door and hoped the woman would ignore him on her way to deal with whatever it was that had caused her obvious agitation.
"Seb!" she called.
His heart - still buoyed with memories of Chris - sank a little. "Hi," he said, hoping he'd managed to conceal that he didn't remember her name ... and his aversion to talking with her.
"Seb, I'm glad you're here," the woman said breathlessly. "You know that nice American? Clark? The one who worked with Lois at the paper? Ever since he left, Lois has had a man in her unit nearly every night. I hear them talking and laughing and the other night, I'm sure they were doing a lot more than talking. I heard -"
"Whoa!" Seb said, his mind spinning, but not so much that it overpowered the need to quieten this woman. "What does this have to do with me?"
She gave him a glare that said it should be obvious. "Clark seems like such a nice guy, and he's coming again this weekend, and I think it's disgraceful that Lois is leading him on when she's clearly having it off with someone else."
Seb sighed, making no effort to hide his distaste for this conversation. "What Lois does is up to her," he said firmly. "What happens between Lois and Clark is their business."
"But don't you think it's just *wrong* to lead a guy on like that?" she said heatedly. "He's coming all the way back here this weekend, and if he finds out what's been going on, he's going to be gutted. If he doesn't find out, it's going to be worse."
"Leave it," Seb said frostily. "Just leave it alone. It's none of our business." He marched away before she could respond.
At Lois's door, Seb rapped sharply.
There was no reply.
He rapped again - even louder this time.
Still no movement.
Seb turned. The woman hadn't moved. She stared at him with cold, condemning eyes.
He strode past her. "Well, she's not in there with anyone right now," he said without stopping.
When he reached his mum's car, he climbed in. A quick glance back up the driveway told him the neighbour had returned inside. "Lois," he muttered as he started the engine, "I hope you know what you're doing."
||_||
The next day, Lois headed towards her home in the spring sunshine. It had been a glorious day - sunny, mild, and imbued with the invigorating feeling of new life after the lull of winter.
She'd chosen to walk home in preference to taking the tram - partly to savour the weather and partly because there was no reason to hurry. Clark wouldn't be in yet. A London newspaper had published a letter from a young cancer patient asking Superman if he would attend the opening of the new wing in a children's hospital, and although Clark realised that agreeing would probably evoke a flood of such requests, they had both felt that it was something he should do.
So, Lois walked up Punt Road deep in thought. She wondered how Chris's date with Seb had gone yesterday. She hadn't heard from either of them. When she got in, she might call Seb.
She thought about the vote meeting - now just five days away. As the meeting approached, the rival sides had become more forceful in proclaiming their message. For a club in financial difficulties, the board seemed to have accessed large amounts to fund their campaign. Lois sighed. That money could have been utilised far more profitably - in building a united future.
Lois reached her driveway and walked straight to her door, deliberately keeping her head forward and not even glancing towards Esmeralda's unit. She couldn't help feeling relief when she arrived without interruption.
Once inside, Lois picked up her phone and dialled Seb's shop.
Harry, Seb's shop assistant, answered. "Hi, Harry, " she said. "It's Lois Lane. I met you last weekend when I came to the shop. Is Seb there, please?"
"G'day, Lois," Harry said. "Seb's in Melbourne. He left yesterday morning."
"He's *still* here? I thought he went home last night."
"No. He rang earlier today to see if everything was OK, and he said he wasn't sure when he'd be back."
"OK. Thanks, Harry." Lois slowly returned the phone. Seb was still here. Was it because of Chris? Or because of the vote meeting? Had the board, in stepping up its campaign, managed to convince him to get involved? Or was there a problem with Ron or Barb?
She dismissed that last idea. If something had happened to Ron or Barb, they would have called her.
Lois smiled. Hopefully, it was because of Chris. Hopefully, it was because they'd had such a great time yesterday, Seb had been unable to drag himself back to Sydney.
Lois was still smiling when she heard the swish that heralded the arrival of her husband. She flung herself into his arms and kissed him delightedly. He picked her up and began walking to the bedroom.
Lois pulled back from the kiss and looked into Clark's already-glazed-over eyes. "I have an idea," she said.
He grinned wolfishly. It was a grin she wouldn't have believed was within Clark Kent's repertoire a week ago ... but their marriage had awakened more than one latent talent- including the ability to grin with such sensual anticipation that it inflamed every facet of her femininity. "Does it involve you taking off your clothes?" he asked in deep voice that aroused her further.
"Yes," she replied. "But not yet."
His face crinkled to a comical mix of disappointment and curiosity. Then he smiled his usual dazzling smile. "What would you like to do, my love?"
"I think we need to be more creative," she said. "I think that we had the argument because we'd both become a little stir-crazy from spending too much time in here."
He nodded. "And there's always the possibility that Esmeralda will coming banging on our door at the most inconvenient moment possible."
"I really enjoyed going to Smallville yesterday," Lois said. "It was great having breakfast with your parents. It was nice to walk around the farm. And -"
"And making love in a single bed was a lot of fun," Clark added, his tone solemn, but his eyes sparkling. "Do you want to go back to Smallville? We haven't tried out the loft above the barn yet."
Lois chuckled. "We could do that another day," she said. "But today, I think we should go to Metropolis."
"You want to get into the suits?" Clark asked. "That'll make 'em happy. Superman has been asked about a million times how he's finding married life and when Ultra Woman will be seen again."
Lois looked at her watch. It was just after seven. "OK, it's currently five in the morning in Metropolis. We could go to your apartment, find something to do to while away a couple of hours, and then maybe go out for breakfast - try a new cafe."
"Breakfast?" Clark said with a smile. "By then, it'll be nearly bedtime for you."
She poked his chest. "Honestly, Kent," she said. "You have developed a seriously one-track mind since becoming a married man."
He didn't deny her allegation ... merely kissed her, although his vigour had subsided a little. "Let's go, honey," he said. "Metropolis awaits us."
||_||
Glossary
Gutted - devastated.
