Clark and Lois The Lost Years Matchmaker Chronicles Vol 3 30/46
By Ken Janney
This version is rated PG-13
* denotes emphasis *
< denotes thoughts >
[ playback of a recording or TV Commentary] / telepathic communications /
(#) footnotes
As always comments are welcome. (ken.janney@kjanney.com)
Reminder:
Universal Locator Designation
Alpha 023 x Gamma 004 x Tau -120 - Canon Lois and Clark universe also called – Prime
Alpha 023 x Gamma 025 x Tau 036 – Canon Alt Clark universe also called – Alt 1
Previously –
“But, what if they weren’t? What if something, no, someone … took the woman and flew her to safety?”
“According to the shooter it was a mortal wound.”
“Ah, but perhaps only if medical care was not immediately available. Expand the search immediately. Check every hospital in a two hundred kilometer no, on second thought check every hospital in the country for a woman with a gunshot wound. When did the incident occur? Whatever, I want to know if a woman who had been shot was brought into a hospital the night of the incident, any hospital.” I need to know what I’m dealing with.”
“As you wish, Sir. I’ll initiate the inquiry immediately.” Nigel turned and left.
Luthor continued to sit at his desk turning the crushed gun around and around in his hands and muttering. “No normal man could have done this. It would take enormous strength to crush this steel. And to be able to fly?!?!?!? How could this possibly be? I just may be up against a worthy adversary. I’ll find you, whoever and wherever you are. I’ll find you and if you cross me, I’ll crush you!” Looking down at the gun again, he voiced his thoughts, “I’ll crush you the way you crushed this gun. Lex Luthor will crush you the same way I have crushed all of my adversaries, with cunning. Physical strength is as nothing compared to my brain. Lex Luthor will win.”
Lex depressed a key on his intercom “Mrs. Cox, attend me if you will.”
“Right away, Lex.”
As she opened the door Lex was replacing the crushed gun back in the box. “Have this sent to LexLabs. I want a complete analysis. I need to know just how much force needed to be applied to crush this gun this way. See to it. Oh and call the madam and have her send one of her girls over tonight.” When he saw her hurt expression, he continued “I have something else for you to be doing for me tonight, my sweet. I’ve checked and the only Metropolis based paper that has an office in Brazzaville is the Daily Planet. I want you to pack an overnight bag. I’ll have a jet waiting for you. I want you to go to Brazzaville, to the Daily Planet office and see if you can find out if any of their reporters were checking up on our arms shipment. I expect you can use your … abundant … talents … to secure all the information I need.”
And now:
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Chapter 30 – Lana and Pete
Two weeks later
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As soon as they had consummated the deal for 348 Hyperion Ave Clark had taken Lois out to buy a car. The car which she had had prior to her trip to the Congo had been a rather heavily used car which she had picked up cheap. In the time she had been away it had been broken into and stripped. Lois was somewhat disappointed, but not really. She hadn’t liked that car very much anyway. Clark still had some funds left from the trip so it was decided that they could afford to splurge on a new car. The only questions were what make and what model. They went to several dealerships. Considering that she would be the one driving the most Clark had told her that she could choose anything that she liked. They started off at some foreign car dealers. Most of the oriental offerings had great fuel economy but were kinda cramped for Clark and besides, she decided that she wanted to buy American, so she rejected them. They looked at a number of other vehicles until she found one that she really liked. They closed the deal and she proudly got behind the wheel of her sapphire blue metallic colored Jeep Grand Cherokee and they drove off the lot.
Clark and Lois had decided that they would take whatever time they needed to prepare their new home before they reported in to the Planet. Accordingly after they had gone to settlement on 348 Hyperion Ave and had taken possession they went to look at wallpaper, paint, fabric patterns, carpet and furniture. The Jeep had come in handy for hauling cans of paint, furniture, window blinds, etc. It had been a whirlwind two weeks, but with the judicious use of superspeed they were ready and move in, in record time.
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August 7, 1992
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Standing in the foyer arm in arm they surveyed the results “What do you think?” Clark asked her.
Almost gushing she replied “Our little love nest. I love it. Now that it’s finished and we are ready to move in, I have a request.”
“What would that be? Different wall paper? Different color paint? I thought we were happy with all those things.”
“I am! My request has nothing to do with that! It has to do with tradition.” She turned around so that she was facing him at a distance of about 12 inches and said. “I think it’s time for you to carry me over the threshold for real.”
He laughed at this but quickly calmed himself and leaned down to kiss her. He took her hand and led her outside. He leaned in for another kiss and while they were still kissing he picked her up and carried her back inside. He kicked the door shut with his foot and preceded up stairs with his burden, not stopping until they were in their bedroom. He laid her on the bed and said “Well, Mrs. Kent, I know it’s not a tradition but, shall we christen the new bedroom? I still remember that comment you made about the shower.”
Lois squealed in delight. “Last one in the shower’s a rotten egg.”
Almost before she completed her challenge she heard the water running in the shower. She quickly moved to the bathroom and looking in saw his silhouette in the shower stall. “No fair! No fair! You cheated!” She heard the water go off and two seconds later found herself nude and in the shower with him. “That’s more like it.” She continued in a more sultry tone. “Commere big boy!”
Reaching up she put her arms around his neck, her body melding to his as she started kissing him. After a couple of minutes of this he reached around her and turned the water on. Picking up a tube of body scrub gel he squeezed some into his hands and started running his hands all over her body, starting at the shoulders, moving down across her collar bones to her breasts where he lingered for a time then down across her flat stomach. He then stroked the length of both legs.
He was just about to move to her inner thighs. She stopped him at this point and said “My turn.” She squeezed a quantity of gel into her hands and started on him. Just as he had done with her she started at his shoulders moving her hands slowly across the broad expanse of his chest and teasing his nipples before moving down across his abs. Looking up at him from under her eyelashes she said “I just need to make sure you are squeaky clean.”
When she had finished and he didn’t feel like he could stand any more stimulation they both rinsed off and before even turning off the water he lifted her up carried nher into the bedroom where they had a time of intimacy.
“Wow, we managed to christen more than the shower! We’ve christened our new bed as well. I love it!” Lois almost chortled.
Clark, with awe in his voice and love in his eyes said, “Sometimes I still feel like I need to pinch myself. I can’t believe that this isn’t a dream. If it is, I don’t want to wake up.”
“If this is a dream, I’m glad I’m in it with you and I don’t want to wake up either.”
They napped for a bit and called for Italian takeout. They ate while they watched a movie and while the movie played they cuddled on the couch and then went to bed.
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August 10, 1992
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The next Monday Lois called Perry. “Daily Planet, Perry White.”
“Hi Perry, its Lois!”
“Lois, Darlin’ how are you? Are you back in town yet? When are you coming in?”
“Well, that’s what I was calling about Perry. We’ve been back in town for a couple of weeks, kinda getting re-acclimated. We’d like to come in today if that’s okay with you.”
“Now you know you don’t have to set up an appointment to come in here. You’re still my best reporter. Are you ready to get back to work? Did you get the rest you needed?”
Lois thought <There must be someone in the office there with him. He’s playing up the needing rest from the daily grind story.> “Is there someone there in the office with you?”
“Sure is! Your desk is right where you left it.”
“Okay, you can’t talk right now. We’ll be in to see you in a little while.”
“That’s fine. I’ll see you after while then.” He hung up the phone.
As she hung up her phone she said, “Perry couldn’t talk. We need to find out why when we get there.”
“Let’s grab some lunch then we’ll head in to the Planet.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Perry was out on the floor of the bull pen when a ding announced the arrival of the elevator. He turned his head to see just who was on board. His face lit up when he saw Lois as she came out through the doors with Clark in tow. She spotted him right off and bobbed her head in the direction of his office. He nodded and started moving in that direction. He got there just in time to open the door for them. “Have a seat. So Lois, just who do we have here?”
“Perry, I want to introduce Clark Kent.”
Perry stuck out his hand which Clark took and shook. “Pleased to meet ya, son. I hear you been takin’ good care o’ Lois here.”
Lois interrupted before Clark had a chance to answer, “He had a good reason to Perry.” She held up her left hand to show him her ring. “We’re married!”
The expression on Perry’s face was everything that Lois had hoped it would be. He went from surprise to shock to disbelief and finally to Joy. “Darlin’ I’m so happy I don’t know what to say!”
“How about congratulations.”
“Yeah, well yeah congratulations to both of you! How did it happen? Was the day to day really getting to you? I thought you were working on you know what.”
“We were but we started working together and got to know and like each other and the rest is history.”
“Well, you sure look happy, just like Elvis and Priscilla.”
“We are Perry. You’ll be pleased to know that Clark is a top notch reporter too. How soon can he be added to the payroll?”
“Well, about that, I can’t just hire him off the street, you know that. He has to apply for a position, I have to have an opening, he has to go through the interview process, I need his resume and I need to see his portfolio.”
“Perry, I, we, need you to cut all the red tape and hire him on my recommendation. Can you do that for me?”
“Lois, you know I have some leeway, but that’s a lot to ask.”
“Perry, Chief, you know I wouldn’t ask you to do anything you would regret later. Believe me; Clark brings a lot to the table. You won’t regret it.”
Turning to Clark Perry asked “I’ve heard Lois’ build up. What do you have to say for yourself?”
“Well, Mr. White, Lois and I worked on this investigation together from start to finish. When it’s written up you can judge for yourself.”
Turning back to Lois “But, you’re telling me that you want to hold off on the story.”
“That’s right, Chief. You’re going to have to trust us on this. This story might be big but it’s only the tip of the iceberg. When we finish we’ll be nailing the biggest crime boss Metropolis has ever seen.”
“Well, apparently you’ve been stirrin’ somebody’s pot. In the last week or so we have had several inquiries about where my reporters are. They been lookin’ specifically for anyone on assignment outside the country.”
Clark said, “I think I can guess the source. Was it by any chance, Lex Luthor?”
Perry looked like he had been hit between the eyes with a two by four. “I wasn’t completely sure, but, you’re probably right. Why would Lex Luthor be interested in Lois?”
“He’s not nearly as squeaky clean as everyone thinks he is” Clark looked at Lois and said “I think we left too many clues behind. I need to call Dr. M’benga and see if he has been quizzed.”
“Don’t forget Dr. Bashir. It might be a good idea to call Jacques and see if he had the hospital records locked, if it isn’t already too late.”
Perry was feeling left out so he chimed in, “Wait just a doggone minute. What are you two goin’ on about?”
Lois continued as if she hadn’t been interrupted. “If they are asking around here they must have checked the Brazzaville office!” She turned to Perry. “Perry, we need you to make a call. I need you to call Derek Price in the Brazzaville office and see if any strangers have been in the office nosing around.”
His level of frustration was building so his voice was somewhat elevated as he asked. “What’s goin’ on?”
“Okay Chief, here’s the situation, our cover may have been blown. We need to find out just how bad it is. Was that who was here in your office earlier? Was it someone asking about me and where I was?”
“Yeah, that’s it exactly. I gave them that vacation story that we came up with. I don’t know if they bought it or not.”
Lois looked at her watch added some hours and then said, “Let’s see, it’s the middle of the night in Brazzaville right now. If you could call first thing in the morning we’d appreciate it.
Since they had been back they had been keeping an eye on the news via LNN and they knew that the Prometheus shuttle was being prepared for launch. Clark, taking a chance on the history of this universe being a very close parallel to the other Lois and Clark’s universe brought the conversation back to the previous topic. “Mr. White, if the team of Lois Lane and Clark Kent can bring you a scoop on the Prometheus launch, will you hire me?”
“You bring me a front page story and the job is yours.”
“You’ve got it. The Prometheus shuttle is scheduled to lift off in three weeks. Leave space on the front page for a story and have the employment papers made out. You’ll have your scoop. Come on Lois, we have some work to do.”
“Okay, whatever you say. Perry, we’ll call the story in. We’ll both be here full time starting the next day. In the mean time if anyone asks about me here is the story we want you to tell them.” She and Clark went over the story that they had concocted. They had put a lot of work into it and it sounded very romantic and would be believable to all but the most skeptical. It was also vague enough that it would be hard to verify or refute.
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That afternoon
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“Lois, do you remember what I told you about the other Clark and how he made his debut?” She shook her head in the negative. “Well, his Lois wanted to get an exclusive on the launch of the Prometheus shuttle so she snuck onboard. When she did she found an explosive device attached to some systems. She cut some cables to cause a delay. Clark arrived just in time and swallowed the bomb. I’m betting that we are going to find something similar here.”
Lois started getting excited and asked eagerly, “Do you want me to stowaway?”
“No, I don’t think that will be necessary because I basically know what to look for and I can do it from a distance. We can stay nearby and I can scan for the bomb then when I find it I can call in an anonymous tip. I’m not ready for a debut yet.”
She was somewhat disappointed at his response. She really wanted to be at the center of the action but was satisfied that they could still do this thing. She said, “If this works it will really get Luthor’s goat. I can’t wait. Let’s do it.”
They napped for a bit and called for Chinese takeout. They were just about to settle in for a movie when the phone rang. Clark picked it up and answered, “Kent residence.”
He recognized Lana’s voice when she said “Clark?”
“Hi, Lana. We haven’t heard from you for a few weeks. Is everything okay?”
“Clark, I have Pete here. Is Lois around?”
“Sure, she’s right here. You want to talk to her?”
“No, do you have speaker phone on that?”
“Sure, you want me to put this on speaker?”
“Yeah, I’d like this to be a four way.”
Clark hit a button and said, “Can you hear me now?”
Pete replied, “Loud and clear bud. Okay, listen up you guys, we have some good news and some bad news.”
Lois chimed in with a little laugh “It can’t be all that bad if you two are together.”
Lana replied, “You’re right about that. Pete, you want to give them the good news?”
“Okay, here goes. Clark, do you remember that job I applied for?”
“Sure do Pete. Whatever happened to it?”
“Well, the holdup was for a security clearance. That finally came through. I got the job! I start in four weeks!”
“Pete, that’s tremendous news. Who is the job with?”
“That’s the bad news. I start work in four weeks at S. T. A. R. Labs there in Metropolis. I’m going to head up the Geology and Metallurgy lab.”
“How is that bad news? You will be moving east, we can see each other more often.”
Lois saw the other side of the issue and spoke up, “How are you taking this Lana?”
“Well, Pete and I decided that we didn’t like the idea of a long distance relationship.”
Pete said, “Why don’t you tell them your news?”
“Okay, Lois, Clark, Pete asked me to marry him!”
Clark said “That’s wonderful!”
Lois, cutting to the chase said “What was your answer?”
Lana, excitement and joy evident in her voice almost shouted “I said, yes!”
Lois said, “Lana, I’m so happy for you, congratulations!”
“Thank you Lois. You know I have you and Clark to thank for this. Clark, you were right.” She didn’t say that he was right that they would have been miserable together; she didn’t need to because they both understood. “Now I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Anything, Lana. Just ask.”
“I need a Matron of Honor.”
“Oh, Lana, I would be honored.”
Pete spoke up, “Clark, I need a Best Man.”
Clark replied, “You got it. I would be happy to stand with you. How soon are the nuptials to take place?
“Since I start the new job in four weeks we plan to have the ceremony in three weeks. We plan to have an abbreviated honeymoon because we have to find a place to live and move.”
Clark asked, “Pete, how about we do some scouting around for you and find you a place, somewhere near us?”
“What do you think, Lana? Do we trust them to find us a place to live?”
She was laughing as she replied “I think we could trust them with our lives. What does that say about them choosing an apartment for us?”
Lois said, “Clark, how about we let them use our spare room until they’re ready to move in. That would help cut their expenses and give them some time to decorate.” Clark nodded his agreement. “What do you guys think? Want to live with us for a while till your place is ready?”
Lana said, “Lois, thank you for that kind offer, but we wouldn’t want to put you guys out that way.”
“Lana, if it wasn’t okay I wouldn’t offer. It’s a done deal. You guys will stay with us until your place is ready. No arguments! Now that that’s settled we can come out next weekend to do the planning and pick out the gown and dress. We can have the final dress fittings the following weekend. How big is the reception going to be?” They started making the plans.
After the phone call Lois put her arms around Clark and said, “I’m happy for them. I just hope that they will be as happy together as we are.”
“I think they’ll do alright. Pete has loved her for years. He just didn’t want to cut in on his best friend. Yeah, I think they will be alright together.”
They watched a movie while the cuddled on the couch and then went to bed.
comments go here To be continued in Chapter 31 – The Prometheus Shuttle
