The Matchmaker Files - An Unusual Proposal
Rated PG-13
G -
Story - TOC* emphasis*
<thoughts>
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Previously
Finished with her statement, in the stunned silence that followed, she stepped away from Clark and started back down the aisle. As she passed Martha and Jonathan, with a very sad and forlorn tone, she said, "I'm sorry." And as she passed Mr. Ramsbottom she said, "Meet me at your car, you're giving me a ride to the airport."
As she hurried down the aisle, people came out of their shock and pandemonium broke out. Fortunately, the brief downpour had almost stopped so in the light drizzle that continued, Lois pulled up the hem of the gown, kicked off her pumps and picked them up then running barefoot and trying to avoid puddles as best she could, hurried back to the house. People mobbed Clark and his parents making it impossible for Clark to get away. Over the heads of the people around him he saw the smug look on the face of Mr. Ramsbottom as he stood, turned and followed Lois out of the barn.
In his still weakened state by the time he was able to make it to the house he was almost worn out. Weakly he climbed the stairs only to find Lois's wedding gown laid out on the bed and her luggage gone.
There was a note lying on top of the gown addressed to "Clark." Opening it he read,
"Coquinos,
I couldn't go through with it. Knowing just who you are, I could not force you to commit an illegal act.
Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me. I will not tell anybody.
By the time you read this, I will most likely be on my way back to Metropolis with Mr. Ramsbottom.
I hope that sometime you will find it in your heart to forgive me.
Lois"
At the bottom was written, "Je pense à toi." {Thinking of you.}
As he was reading the note his parents came into the room to see him standing at the side of the bed.
Martha asked, "Clark, are you all right?"
He was distracted by what he was reading as he answered, "Yes. No. I don't know. Why did that make a difference?" He crumbled up the note and cast it aside, "What does it matter who I am?" He paused for a second, gathering his thoughts, "She called it a business deal. I didn’t think of it as a business deal. Where does she get off saying that? That woman can be so irritating at times. When we were reporting partners, I thought we were becoming close. Then things changed, suddenly, and she started putting distance between us.”
Martha interrupted and asked, “Why do you think she did that?”
“She said that she was afraid of being in a failed marriage like her parents had.”
“Isn’t that a realistic fear?”
“I suppose, but not with me. Can’t she see that I will stay with her for the rest of our lives?”
“Sometimes fear blinds you to what is right in front of you.”
“When we were promoted to editors she did everything she could to be the top banana. Now, this. She called me Coquinos. That's what the twins called me, but I don't think it means the same, coming from her."
Martha asked, "Where is she?"
"On her way to Wichita with Ramsbottom."
Jonathan asked, "Clark, do you really love her."
"Yes, Dad. Yes, I do, heaven help me, I love her."
"Do you want her to be your wife?"
"With every fiber of my being."
"So, you're not going to let her go?"
"I'll follow her to Montreal if I have to."
With a sly smile, Jonathan said, "If anyone could do that, you could, but I don't think that'll be necessary."
Curious, Clark asked, "Why is that?"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The rain had started again as Lois rode with Ramsbottom to the airport. Stoically she stared out of the windshield as she asked, "Okay, what happens now?"
"Well, since you are leaving voluntarily, it all becomes very … civilized. I'll give you a couple of days to get packed up and then you return to Canada."
Turning away so that he couldn't see her face, Lois stared out the side window at the rain and the passing fields of grain. These were the same fields of grain that she had commented on when Clark had first driven them to Smallville. That thought only served to bring Clark to her mind and what she had just done to him. Thinking about how much the weather matched her mood, she kept her head turned so that Ramsbottom wouldn't see the tears that made their way down her cheeks and she gave vent to her grief, silently except for the occasional sob.
Ramsbottom was insufferably pleased with himself and completely ignored Lois as he went on and on about how he was the best there was in the INS and how he ‘Always got his man.'
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Lois gasped out, "Oh, no! She left him at the altar? How cruel was that!"
Clark asked, "Wouldn't it have been kinder for her to have left in the middle of the night the way Lois suggested?
Herb replied, "it might have been kinder, but the way she saw it, a public admission was her best way of protecting Clark."
Lois commented, "She obviously felt bad about it, but it is too late to undo what she has done. Frankly, it looks to me as though she really is in love with Clark. She wouldn’t have been crying if that weren’t the case."
Curious, Clark asked, "How did they get out of this situation? It looks like Clark has a plan. He can follow her to Montreal, or the ends of the Earth if necessary, but it looks like Jonathan has something up his sleeve. I wonder what that could be."
"Why don't I continue the story and maybe you'll understand how it was managed."
And now
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Chapter 19
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The flight from Wichita landed in Metropolis late Sunday. Fortunately, Lois had not had a seat near Mr. Ramsbottom, but as they de-planed Mr. Ramsbottom told Lois that she would have forty-eight hours to leave for Canada. She was so emotionally and physically exhausted by the time she arrived at her apartment that without even changing she just kicked off her shoes, curled up on the bed and fell asleep. It was not a restful night's sleep. She was plagued by dreams, dreams of green rocks and Clark writhing on the ground with Trask gloating over him or of Clark fighting Trask and Clark being shot or, worst of all of cradling Clark's limp form on her lap and having his blood all over her hands. Several times she woke herself by shouting the warning she had in Smallville. Each time she did, she would cry herself back to sleep. The times that she awoke from the dream with Clark in her lap, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was a figurative as well as a literal component to that particular dream. She convinced herself, that if it hadn't been for her he might not have been there and he mightn't have been shot. By the time she arose in the morning and dragged herself into the bathroom to splash some cold water in her face, she had convinced herself that she had been the author of the entire fiasco. After the water, as she was drying her face she looked accusingly at her reflection in the mirror and muttered, "All your fault. Your … fault," and started to cry.
On Monday, as is typical of weather patterns in the northern hemisphere, the rain that had been falling in Smallville had made its way to Metropolis and that only served to reinforce her somber mood by reminding her of running in the rain from the barn, from Clark and from her wedding. Lois was a wreck.
She puttered around her apartment getting things ready to pack, but her heart was not in it. So many things seemed to be impossible to move. So many pieces of her life that she would wind up leaving behind. The thought that, one of those things that she was leaving behind, perhaps forever was Clark, brought back the sobs of the previous day's trip to the Wichita airport.
Mr. Ramsbottom hadn't given her enough time to call in a professional mover. If she had only accepted the inevitable and had begun her packing when she had first been notified that she was being deported this wouldn't have been so insurmountable a task, but no, not Lois Lane, Lois Lane could see to it that she wasn't deported. She would make sure that it was her will and not that of the government that won out.
Then the plan she had to come up with just had to involve the world's superhero, of all people. The man that stood for law and order ... she stopped what she was doing, collapsed on her sofa and putting her face in her hands cried as she could no longer contain the deep sobs that wracked her slight frame. She cried until she didn't think she could cry any more. But, every time that she would think about Clark, the floodgates would open again.
Throwing herself down, prone on her sofa, the self-recrimination and self-loathing for what she had done were overwhelming and she gave full vent to her grief. She finally convinced herself that she would never see him again. He would undoubtedly have to remain in Smallville, recuperating from his wounds and she would be gone long before he made it back to Metropolis. He would never follow her to Montreal. Why would he even consider that after what she had done to him? Eventually, he would forget her, entirely.
Forcing herself to move, she packed up just the essentials, deciding that she would have to contact a mover and ask Jimmy to act as her agent after she had left. Having made that decision, she called a mover and scheduled the move of her household goods for later in the week and then called and made her flight reservation for the following day.
Tuesday, after spending another restless, dream filled, virtually sleepless night, Lois was in the editor's office, removing her personal items, boxing them up for shipment to Canada. No amount of makeup could hide the fact that her eyes were red rimmed and puffy from crying, but she tried and put on a brave front, daring anyone to mention it. That morning she had finally resigned herself to the situation and the work of packing up her things had given her something else to think about, at least for a time. Finally, looking around and seeing nothing else to pack, she picked up one of the boxes, stepped out into the pit and called for Jimmy.
She was near her old desk when he was finally standing in front of her, she handed him the box and said, "Please have this and the other boxes shipped to this address," as she tried to hand him a slip of paper with an address on it, but since his hands were occupied with holding the box, she finally in frustration placed it on top of the box he was holding
As she was speaking, the elevator chime sounded, unnoticed by either of them. Jimmy was looking over her shoulder and a look of surprise overtook his features. Lois was still giving directions when he interrupted, "Ms. Lane, Lois …" Once he had her attention, he nodded his head in the direction he wanted her to look, behind her and over her shoulder.
When she turned around she saw Clark, descending the ramp into the pit and her heart did a flip-flop in her chest. He was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and still wore the sling. He was breathing heavily as he gasped out, "Hey."
Surprised and elated at seeing him again, but trying to hide it, Lois asked, "Clark, why are you … panting?" Seeing that and knowing that Superman was never out of breath, she knew that his powers had not returned as yet.
As if stating the obvious, he said, "I've been running."
She was surprised that he had come all this way, still in his injured condition and actually, pleased that he had, but she steeled herself and her resolve. She couldn’t allow him to sacrifice everything that he stood for because of her, so sarcastically, she challenged, "All the way from Kansas?"
Shaking his head, he replied, "No, just the last few blocks from the airport. The cab got caught in a traffic jam, but I couldn't wait. I needed to talk to you."
In an attempt to control the emotional upheaval that his appearance had caused in her, shaking her head she turned away, so that he couldn't look her in the face and see her puffy eyes and know that she had been crying, she said, "Yeah, well, I don't have time to talk. I have to catch a 5:45 to Montreal." As she finished saying that she started to move closer to Jimmy.
Clark said her name, "Lois," in a normal tone of voice as ignoring him she continued to fire orders at Jimmy. "I need the boxes to go out today. I need you to make sure that everything is sealed …"
Raising his voice, Clark shouted, "
Lois! Stop talking!"
Startled at his tone of voice, Lois immediately stopped talking, but remained turned away from him.
In the background, an unidentifiable voice shouted, "That's it, Clark! Show her who is going to wear the pants in the family."
Their exchange had grabbed the attention of everyone in the newsroom and they were all staring as the scene unfolded.
Shocked, Lois had stopped talking to Jimmy and had glanced around the room. As she did, everyone dropped back into their seats. Without saying a word, Jimmy quietly backed away, to get out of the line of fire.
In a calmer tone, Clark said, "Please turn around, I need to say something."
Lois muttered, "Okay," as she turned toward him and crossed her arms not caring if he did see her eyes now.
"This will just take a second."
In a tone with some asperity tinting it, Lois said, "Fine. What?"
"Five days ago, I didn't know just where our relationship was going or if we even had a relationship. Then we had our little adventure in Smallville and things started to change. There was a major change when we kissed at the dance. There was another change when you told me about your tattoo. There was an even bigger change when you checked me out when we were both naked."
Color tinged her cheeks at the memory of that moment and faint wisps of hope we're starting to enter her world, the world that had so recently seemed so hopelessly lost.
There were some embarrassed snickers from the staff and the voice everyone recognized as Ralph Pinado, crowed, "Naked!"
The color in her cheeks belied her sincerity as she tried to deny what had happened, "I didn't see anything …"
Seeing her colorful cheeks, Clark knew the truth and confronted her with it, "Yeah, you did.” He paused for a second, as if deciding how to proceed, then said, “I didn't realize just how much closer we had gotten … until I was standing alone … in the barn … wifeless." He took a deep breath before he continued, "Now, you can imagine my disappointment when it dawned on me that the woman I love was about to be kicked out of the country.
What Clark said, wasn’t lost on her. She was hearing every single word and Lois started to shake and look scared when he said the 'L' word and as he continued.
Clark slowly stepped closer to her as he spoke, "So … Lois … marry me. Because I'd like to date you."
Cat Grant was looking on in disbelief and shock at what was happening. Denise from research had her hands clasped and a smile on her face. Eduardo was watching in rapt attention. Jimmy had set the box down on Lois’s old desk and stepped away, still watching the drama unfold. Steve from sports had a satisfied expression because he, of all the staff, had seen this coming. It had been his voice heard earlier. All eyes in the bullpen were on them.
The fear that Lois was feeling made her shake her head and look around before she pushed an errant strand of hair behind her ear and said, in a low tone, barely above a whisper, "Trust me. You really don't want to be with me."
There was sincerity in his tone as he said, "Yes, I do."
Lois shook her head again and swallowed hard before she said, in a subdued tone, "You see, the thing is, there's a reason why I've been alone all of this time. I'm comfortable that way and I think it would just be a lot easier if we forgot everything that happened and I just left. That way we can't be in a relationship and then have a failed marriage."
Clark heard her out and nodding agreed with her, "You're right." Stepping forward he halved the distance between them and said, "It would be easier."
They were face to face, staring into each other's eyes a bare foot apart and Lois started to tremble with emotion. She shook her head from side to side and then finally whispered, "I'm scared."
Clark whispered back, "Me too." Even though he was still wearing the sling, he stepped forward, closing the final distance between them and placing his hands at the sides of her face, he guided her into a kiss, the same way he had in the back of the van.
As the kiss progressed, Lois's first stopped trembling and then as the kiss continued, she started trembling again, but from a different cause, her arms circled his neck and she parted her lips.
Finally breaking the kiss, Lois caught her breath and whispered, "Aren't you supposed to get down on your knee or something?"
With his lips barely touching hers, he whispered back, "I'll take that as a yes."
She whispered back, "Oh. Okay," just before he pulled her back into another kiss.
Just then the elevator dinged and Perry stepped out, breaking the spell of the moment. Spotting Lois and Clark in the middle of the pit, he said, "Hey, hey, hey. This is a newsroom, not the tunnel of love. All right, the two of you, my office. Note the use of the possessive pronoun …
my office."
Properly chastised, Lois and Clark followed Perry to the editor's office. Because of where they stood, Perry could not see the sling. As he stood beside the desk, he said, "Look, I'm sure that you will be disappointed to hear that the suits upstairs decided that I could return to the editor's office permanently. That means that the two of you are back on the city desk, at least as long as Lois is with us. Are you going to be with us?"
Lois looked at Clark and said, "I'm not sure. We still have to deal with Mr. Ramsbottom. He's not going to appreciate hearing what we will be telling him."
Perry was curious, "What are you going to be telling him? I thought that the two of you were engaged."
Clark spoke up, "Yes, we were. Then we were going to be married."
Perry interrupted, "That's what being engaged usually means, that the couple is getting married."
Clark tried to explain, "We were shortening the engagement, somewhat. We were supposed to be married on Sunday."
"Whoa, let me check my calendar. I don't want to miss it."
Clark chuckled, "You already did, Chief. It was last Sunday. That is, it was until, Lois left me standing at the altar."
Perry looked at Lois accusingly, "Why did you do that?"
In a small voice, Lois replied, "There were some … problems."
Perry asked, "Are there still problems? From what I saw a minute ago, it doesn't look like it."
Clark replied, "No, Perry, no more problems."
"Okay, then straighten out the paperwork with Rams-whatever and get back to work."
Clark was staring into Lois's eyes as he said, "We do have an announcement for you, Perry."
He brightened up, "Oh, what is it?"
"We
are married."
Lois was startled, "What? I thought we just got
engaged, again."
As they stepped apart, Perry saw the sling that Clark had on and shouted, "What is that? Why are you wearing a sling?"
Clark lifted his arm, "Oh, this thing? I got shot. Didn’t Jimmy tell you?"
“Jimmy, I’ve been so tied up upstairs that I haven’t seen Jimmy. How did you get shot? I thought you were in Kansas for your parent's anniversary! Does this have anything to do with why you needed a photographer?"
"Yes, it does. It's a long story, Chief. A very long story."
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Lois interrupted Herb again, "What did he mean that they were married? He just asked her to marry him. That means that they are engaged."
Clark agreed, "It sure sounded like he meant it, but how could that be? She stopped the ceremony."
"As I said, there are some differences between the universes. The events that occurred in Smallville when you went to investigate that EPA cleanup were not the same. In your case, Perry sent you on the investigation. As I related to you, there was yet another universe where I stepped in to give Lois some of her future memories. They were sent on the investigation as you were, but the outcome was going to be different. In this case, they were not sent by Perry. They were not even there on an investigation it just fell into their laps. Originally, they were there because of Clark's parent's anniversary and to tell them about the pending nuptials. So, is it inconceivable that they could be married?"
Lois sputtered out, "But they didn't go through with the vows! They didn't get that far."
"What is Mr. Ramsbottom going to do?"
"Ah, Mr. Ramsbottom … he was going to be a problem."
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Addressing Lois, Perry said, "Lois, I need you to ..." He stopped in midsentence as he looked around and saw that Lois had packed up her stuff and said, "Oh, I see you already have. Thanks for clearing out. Now I can bring my Elvis pictures and other stuff back down here and hang them up." Sitting behind his desk, he looked back and forth between them and said, "When I first was offered the job upstairs, I thought that it would be a step up. Regular hours and all of that, but you know what?" He gave them a second to answer, but when none was forthcoming, he said, "I missed being down here. It was too quiet up there. Not enough action. They didn't really need me up there anyhow." Leaning back in his chair, he said, "Okay, you said you had a story to tell. Let's hear it."
Clark began, "Okay, Perry, remember when we were invaded by those rogue government agents?"
Perry nodded that he remembered.
Clark continued, "Well, they were in Smallville."
Perry slapped his desk and said, "What? Why were they there?"
"They were searching for a rock that they thought they could use to kill Superman."
"They didn't, did they? Find the rock, I mean?"
Lois looked at Clark with fear in her eyes as he replied, "They found something, but we don't know if it would kill Superman or not. Personally I don't think it's a good idea to test that particular theory."
Lois's look went from a look of fear to a knowing look, he had answered the question without giving The Secret away, but he hadn't lied to do it. Hearing that she realized how many times he had done something like that since he had joined the Planet. Belatedly, the puzzle pieces were falling into place.
Clark started telling Perry about the events in Smallville and as he did, Perry had a thoughtful look. Before he finished, Perry said, "Okay, you two. Get that written up and on my desk."
"Perry, we have something else we have to do first. We still have to deal with immigration."
"Oh, yeah, Mr. Rams-whatshisname, okay, take care of that then work on that story."
"We will, Perry, we will."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
When they arrived at the INS building, they asked to see Mr. Ramsbottom. They were shown to his office and after a short wait, he joined them.
"Ah, Lois and Clark. Lois, your flight is in a short while, isn't it?"
Lois nodded and then he continued, "What can I do for you?"
Clark reached into his sling and pulled out some papers. He said, "I have something here." As he unfolded the papers, he turned to Lois and said, "Lois, I need you to sign," he pointed to the lines and said, "here and here." Being helpful, Mr. Ramsbottom handed her a pen.
She thanked him for the pen and used it to sign the papers.
Clark then signed the same papers and then turning them to Mr. Ramsbottom and pointing to a line on one of the documents and said, "Mr. Ramsbottom, if you could sign right … there."
Mr. Ramsbottom signed and as Clark gathered up the papers, he said, "Thank you," as he returned the pen.
As Clark was returning the papers to the sling where he had carried them, Mr. Ramsbottom asked, "You’re welcome. What were those papers?"
Tapping his sling where the papers now resided, he said, "Those papers? Oh, those papers were our marriage license application and certificate of marriage. You just sighed as witness."
Mr. Ramsbottom and Lois blurted out in unison, "What?"
As Clark was reaching into his pocket, he stated, "Lois and I are now married."
Lois asked, "How?"
Lois was staring at him in incredulity as Clark pulled his hand from his pocket holding a small packet. After he pulled the small packet from his pocket he unfolded the tissue paper and then taking her left hand, Clark slipped his grandmother's ring on her finger as he explained, "There's an old law still on the books in Kansas. It dates back to the settlement of Kansas as a territory. You see, there were so few ministers and JPs that a law was written that says if a couple spends a night together, they are married. Well, you see, while we were in Smallville, we were in the same room, together, for several nights, so there's no question. Under the laws of Kansas we are … married."
Mr. Ramsbottom had started to become angry as Clark had made his explanation. He started to reach for his phone as he said, "Okay, then I guess you leave me no choice. Shall I call the police or do you want to try and convince me that you are serious."
Clark spoke up, "Mr. Ramsbottom, we are serious about this marriage. I … we want to make it work. Now, here's something for you to consider, you just signed both of the documents which confirmed our marriage. If you chose to prosecute us then you will also be prosecuted because you are now an … accessory."
The phone fell from his fingers to clatter to his desk as Mr. Ramsbottom blanched at his statement. "What did you say?"
"I said that by signing that document you became an accessory and if you chose to prosecute us, you will also be charged."
Mr. Ramsbottom was stunned by this outcome. Now he dropped into his chair, his legs too weak to sustain him and muttered, "Charged ... accessory. How did this happen to me?"
Clark said, "You know, you really should read something, before you sign it. Thank you, Mr. Ramsbottom; it's been a pleasure dealing with you."
In his stunned state he waved a hand and said, absently, "All right. Okay. You win. I'll file the necessary paperwork."
Lois said, "Thank you," as they exited.
Once outside the building and on the sidewalk just about the exact spot where Lois had knelt and made her unusual proposal, she started to giggle. "I can't believe that you did that. Are we really married?"
"Yes, we are. All legal and binding under the laws of Kansas."
"How did it happen?"
"After you left, my parents and I had a talk. They knew that I loved you and really wanted to marry you and that you really loved me too."
"How did they know?"
"The only reason you would have done what you did, was if you actually loved me. You didn't want to put me in the position of breaking the law, because you cared that much."
"That was why it took me a couple of days to get back. My parents and I had to go to the courthouse. They had to testify that we had spent the nights together, in the same room, in their house. The judge tried to give us a hard time. I almost had to call in the group that did the Chivaree to testify. He finally agreed and provided the proper paperwork. All I needed to do was have it signed. It wasn't until a short while ago that I thought to have Mr. Ramsbottom sign as witness, originally, I was going to ask Perry."
Lois looked at the ring on her hand and asked, "Where did this come from?"
Clark looked her in the eyes and said, "My mom gave it to me for you. She's been saving it for me. It was my Grandma Clark's wedding ring. It's been in the family … a long time. You were going to be wearing it on Sunday."
"I love it."
"It's yours now."
"You know, we never discussed where we'd live, I mean seriously. I mean, I have two bedrooms, but we only need one and you were right, your place is more homey than my place."
"Okay, we can move your stuff in immediately."
"But what about that other thing?"
Mystified, he asked, "What other thing?"
Looking around to make sure they wouldn't be overheard, she said, "Your part-time job?"
"Oh, that. We'll adjust. First, we need to get back to the Planet and get this story typed up. That'll make Perry happy. We also need to rescue your boxes before Jimmy packs them up and ships them."
"Were you serious?"
"I'm always serious. About what?"
"About wanting to date me."
He pulled her in with his good arm and said, "I've never been more serious about anything in my life. Lois … I was telling the truth to Mr. Ramsbottom when I said that I've been in love with you from the first moment. You have to give me a chance to make you love me. I know you do, sort of … not as much as I love you yet, anyhow. I do want to date you. How about we start with dinner … tonight?"
Coyly, Lois replied, "I think I'd like that."
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Lois asked, "Well, was that it? And they lived happily ever after?"
Herb shook his head and said, "Not exactly."
Clark asked, "What happened with Luthor?"
"Once they were back at the Planet they wrote up the story about Smallville. They avoided any reference to the rock."
"You mean the Kryptonite."
"Right, we know it as Kryptonite, but they had not named it at that time. Once that story was filed they started looking into Luthor. Lois remembered the illegal arms and they started to dig into it. They found Miranda when she used her pheromone spray on them. She was arrested for that and then Lois connected her to the arms deal. They made her a deal and she testified against Luthor. Luthor went to jail, but he didn't stay there long. There were some criminals in prison with him that he had used as fall guys. He had promised them a big payoff when their time was up. Seeing him in there with them they realized that their promised payday was not going to happen and they took it out on Luthor. He was dead within three months of being convicted."
I guess the next major incident occurred some time later. There was a call about a baby in a well … but that's a story for another time."
"Oh, Herb!"
"Tut, tut. I have delayed your departure on your vacation too long as it is."
"What happened to them?"
"They had a number of adventures, many of them similar to those which you have been through. Suffice it to say that after a rocky start, things worked out." Standing, Herb pulled a small device from his pocket and started pressing buttons. After a few seconds, he retrieved his hat and after placing it on his head, hit the final button. A portal opened in front of him and as he stepped through, said, "Caio."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Stepping down off the pad in the transfer room of TTEMPO, Herb looked around at the bustle of activity as agents came and went. As he started to move to his office, he mused to himself, "That was a rather abrupt departure, but it couldn't be helped. If I had delayed their vacation any longer there is no telling how badly I could have altered the timeline. They needed to get to Smallville so that they could prevent that terrorist group from carrying out their plan and then it was during that vacation that Jon was conceived. Who knows what problems delaying that could have caused? I must needs be more careful in the future." (See Borrowed Time - Matchmaker Chronicles Volume 2)
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