The Matchmaker Files - An Unusual Proposal
Rated PG-13
G -
Story - TOC* emphasis*
<thoughts>
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * time passed – scene change
/ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ * scene change – universe change
Previously
Snuggling together, Clark wrapped her up in his arms and they fell asleep again.
The next time she awoke she felt like she was sleeping on air. Looking around she realized that that was exactly what was happening. She still had Clark's arms around her, her right leg was looped over his and they were floating four feet above the bed. She thought to herself, <A girl could get used to this,> and smiling she fell back to sleep.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The next couple of days were spent moving Lois's things from her apartment. She had called and cancelled the move to Canada so they were using her Jeep. Some items were put into storage, some were moved to Clark's, now their apartment, and the rest was donated. Moving the fish tank was an elaborate production. The fish were captured and segregated into individual containers for the trip. Superman picked up the tank and flew it to Clark's apartment. He returned to Lois's apartment and Clark and Lois moved the remainder of her things.
Another chore was changing her driver's license. They made a stop at the INS office and gave Mr. Ramsbottom her new address. While there they applied for her green card. Lois expressed her intent to apply for citizenship at her earliest opportunity.
Seeing them together, Mr. Ramsbottom was reassured that this was no longer a fraudulent marriage. They did look happy together. He was still disappointed that they had pulled a fast one on him, but as they were leaving he wished them well.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A few days later, Clark mentioned, "You seem to be settling into married life. You look comfortable. I just want you to know that, whenever you are ready, just say the word and we'll go on a honeymoon. Anywhere in the world you want to go."
She squeaked out, "Really? Anywhere?"
Nodding he said, "Anywhere. We'll go by Superman express."
Smiling she said, "That can be a real money-saver."
"And always first-class. Sorry, there won't be any in-flight meals, but then the flights will always be short."
In a small voice, Lois asked, "Could we …"
"Could we, what?"
"Could we … go for a flight? Now?"
Smiling he replied, "I've just been waiting for you to ask. Where do you want to go?"
"Oh, I don't know. Anywhere." She thought for a second and then said, "How about Smallville. I want to apologize to your parents. It has been a few days and I really owe it to them."
"Lois, you don't have anything to apologize for. They helped me arrange for the marriage documents. They knew how we felt about each other even before we did."
"Then I want to thank them for their understanding. I want to tell them how happy I am … married to their son, having them as my in-laws, being part of your family.
"They are happy to have you as a part of this family. Yes, we got off to a rocky start, but that is all behind us now.' He stepped away from her and said, "Stand right there."
She looked at him quizzically.
Suddenly he started to spin turning into a blur changing from denim blue and black to bright primary colors. When he stopped spinning, Superman stood there in place of Clark Kent.
She breathed out an exclamation, "Oh, wow! That's how you do it?"
Like a kid showing off for his girlfriend he smiled and said, "Yeah, neat, isn't it?"
"I'll say."
Taking her hand he led her to the balcony then picking her up they took to the sky. Passers-by could hear a faint, "Wheeeeee," which diminished with distance as they climbed into the sky.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
When they landed at the Kent farm they were greeted at the door by Martha. As soon as she saw Lois she opened her arms in invitation and Lois moved into the offered hug. When she did, she started to cry. Martha said, "I hope that those are tears of joy and not sadness because I am happy to welcome my daughter-n-law into our home." Behind Lois's back, Martha twirled her finger.
Seeing this cue, Clark spun back out of the uniform.
Lois nodded her head and said, "I'm happy. I'm so happy. Thank you. Thank you, so much."
"Is he treating you okay?"
Nodding, Lois said, "Better than I deserve after what I did to him."
"Oh, Honey, if he had objected he wouldn't have gone along with it. Come on in, let's get comfortable."
They moved inside and sat on the sofa. Once they were all settled, Martha asked, "Well, how did it go with Mr. Ramsbottom?"
"Clark fixed that."
"Oh, how?"
Clark explained, "I had been planning to have Perry act as our witness, but at the last second, I changed my mind."
Martha was confused. Lois had said that it was taken care of and now Clark was saying that the documents were not witnessed. "Okay, how did you work it out?"
With a sly smile, he said, "I decided that there was someone else that could be our witness."
Lois started to laugh as she said, "He had Mr. Ramsbottom act as witness!"
Martha started to laugh. She asked, "How did you get him to do that?"
"Human nature. Most people, if you hand them something and ask them to sign it, especially if they have seen you sign the same thing will not bother to read it. I had Lois sign then I signed and asked him to sign. As I had hoped, he didn't read it first, he just signed."
"When Clark told him that since he was the witness he would be tried as an accessory if they prosecuted us, Mr. Ramsbottom was speechless."
Martha looked Lois in the eyes and asked, "Are you okay with this? Being married to Clark, that is?"
Lois looked at Clark, smiled and said, "Yeah, I'm okay with it. It is going to take some getting used to, but yeah. He has promised me a honeymoon, anywhere in the world."
Martha looked at Clark and said, "That's a promise only someone like him could make."
"I know, and I'm going to take him up on it.
Clark added, "We're going to date for a while, first."
"That sounds like a good idea. You don't want to just jump in. You need to check the water level first. Are you kids staying for dinner?"
Lois replied, "I'd love to and I'm sure Clark wouldn't object." Lois looked back at Clark and said, "Why don't you go see what your father is doing?"
Taking the hint, Clark said, "Why don't I go check on Dad?" He stood up and left the room.
Once he was out, Lois asked, "My mother was an alcoholic and was never very good around the house. Martha, I've always lived alone. I have always been busy and relied on take-out. My mother never taught me how to cook." She looked around to make sure Clark had really left before she continued, "The other day, when you brought in those cinnamon rolls, I don't know why, but it hit me, I don't want him to leave me for a woman that can cook. Could you teach me?"
"Lois, if he leaves you for someone else it will not be because you cannot cook. Frankly, knowing my son, he'll never leave you, no matter what, but if you're serious about learning to cook, I can give you the basics, but I'd suggest that you talk to Clark. He is an excellent cook. It can be a lot of fun cooking together. It can strengthen a relationship." She smiled and ended with, "Trust me, it can be fun." This time it was Martha's turn to look around before she finished, "You'd be surprised how many times sex starts in the kitchen." Martha thought for a second and then patted Lois's hand and said, "Wait right here."
Martha bounced up and went upstairs. When she came back downstairs, she returned to her place on the sofa. She looked around again and then reached into her apron pocket. When she pulled her hand out she reached over and placed an object in Lois's open palm. As she did, she said, "Here, we're getting kind of old to be doing things like this. I think it's your turn."
Looking down, Lois saw that the object was the garter that Martha had given her to wear on her wedding day. Martha folded Lois's hands over it and said, "Have some fun."
Lois blushed and said, "Martha, I can't take this."
"It would please me if you would. It's like a relay race. I'm passing the baton."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It had been over a month since they had been married and in that time Lois and Clark had taken every opportunity they had to date like any other normal couple. They were settled back into their roles as investigative journalists and were enjoying that time working together They had successfully participated in the capture of a hit man that Lois had witnessed killing one of his targets and prevented an ecological tragedy. In that incident, Superman had needed to save her when the gunman tried to shoot her. Lois and Clark had also defeated a woman that thought of herself as the greatest magician in the world who was intent on enslaving the world's people via subliminal messaging. In that incident, Superman had rescued Lois from a sealed chamber as it was being flooded with water.
The fact that it was her husband saving her life in these circumstances was not lost on Lois. Through this time they were living together and sleeping in the same bed and doing all of the ‘normal' things a married couple did, with one exception. Finally, one evening as they were cuddling on the couch, Lois came to the realization that she desired more, a deeper, more complete relationship with Clark, a true marriage with everything that went along with that. As they were watching a movie she was thinking about it rather than the movie. Finally, during a commercial break, Lois said, "Clark, did you really mean it?"
Taken by surprise by this question which obviously had nothing in the world to do with the movie that they were watching, he asked, "Did I really mean what?"
"Did you mean it when you said that we could go anywhere for a honeymoon?"
The fact that she was asking about this was getting his hopes up, he said, "Yeah, I was serious."
"Okay … look, here's the thing … I think I'm ready, but … after all the trouble my trip to the Congo caused, I don't want to go far. Let's just book a weekend in the honeymoon suite of the Lexor."
Smiling he asked, "Are you sure, because I don't want to push you into anything you are not ready for."
"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm ready to take that next step, with you. You've convinced me that you aren't like other guys, well, you aren't like any other guys, but I mean, I believe you … that you want this relationship."
In a sober tone, he replied, "Lois, a long time ago, I decided that once I found the right woman, first, I would tell her about myself." He gave a little chuckle before he continued, "We saw how that worked out. It wasn't exactly the way I wanted to do it, but it worked out. Second, once I found her and we were married it would be forever. There is no divorce, no do over. I wanted permanence."
Looking into his face, Lois said, "That has always been my greatest fear. My parents divorced, I've seen so many couples separate that I was always afraid it would happen to me and I didn't want that. I have always wanted permanence, but was afraid it would never happen, that something would always go wrong and the marriage would end. You've convinced me that you want the same thing and now it's time to start … forever."
Smiling, Clark replied, "Your wish is my command."
The next day, Clark made the reservation.
And now
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 21
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The following day, Lois sat down at her computer and composed a note to the Black sisters.
"TO: S.Black@DP.com ; C.Black@DP.com
FROM: L.Lane@DP.com
SUBJECT: Coquinos
Suzanne et Collette,
Très bonne nouvelle!
Coquinos et moi pourrions venir pour une visite. Je ne sais pas exactement quand, mais bientôt.
J'ai hâte de voir mes copines et je suis sûr que vous aimeriez voir Coquinos.
A bientôt.
Lois"{Suzanne and Collette,
Wonderful news!
Coquinos and I could be coming for a visit. I’m not exactly sure when, but soon.
I look forward to seeing my girlfriends and I am sure you would like to see Coquinos.
See you soon.
Lois}
Because of the time difference she didn't receive their responses until the following day.
"TO: L.Lane@DP.com
FROM: S.Black@DP.com
SUBJECT: RE: Coquinos
Lois,
C'est la merveilleuse nouvelle, la petite amie.
Nous avons hâte de vous revoir.
Suzanne"{That is wonderful news, girlfriend.
We look forward to seeing both of you again.
Suzanne”}
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It was late on Friday evening. Jimmy, Cat and Perry were in the bullpen near the desks that Lois and Clark usually inhabited. Clark was typing away at his keyboard trying to finish up a Superman rescue story before they left for the weekend. Lois had just shut down her workstation and was clearing the debris of the workday from the top of her desk.
Now that the time had arrived, Lois was becoming anxious and asked, "How much longer, Clark?"
"Just a couple …"
"Hurry up! I'm anxious to get started." Now that she had made up her mind that this was going to be a real marriage with all of the rights and responsibilities, she was truly anxious to get started and the fact that her husband happened to be Superman only made her that much more anxious. Ever since she had made up her mind and told Clark that she was ready and he had made the reservation she had been fantasizing about what it would be like, making love with him. She knew him well enough that she had no fear of being hurt by him, not even accidentally. With her extremely limited experience, sex had been uncomfortable at best, but this would be different. This would be with the man she loved, not a pimple faced boyfriend that once he had satisfied himself left her hanging. With a sigh, she reached down under her desk and picked up a cream colored lady's weekender bag that she'd had hidden there.
Without even looking away from his computer screen or interrupting his typing, he said, "Be right with you, Lois."
"It isn't like you to keep me waiting." Lois grabbed her coat and put it on, then she picked up her camel colored briefcase and threw the strap over her shoulder.
Cat was wearing a leopard skin top with a long black skirt that was slit up both sides toward the front to show off her legs as she walked. The top had sleeves, but the shoulders were bare with a low cut bodice. She was walking by and stopped to ask, "You guys going somewhere?"
Smiling, Lois replied, "Yes, we are. That is if Clark ever finishes his story." She started to get an irritated tone as she asked, "Clark?"
Still typing, he replied, "Almost done."
Cat pressed the issue, "Where are you going?"
Lois gave her a non-committal smile.
As soon as Lois did that, Cat realized that something must be up or Lois wouldn't be so closed mouthed. With barely restrained excitement, Cat said, "You've got a scoop! An undercover investigation?"
Her excitement was contagious, as was the subject matter. Jimmy offered, "It's the revolution in South America, isn't it?"
Cat, with a know-it-all look said, "Nuh-uh. The riots in Miami!"
Jimmy was so sure of himself and Lois that he challenged Cat, "Five bucks?"
Cat, also sure of herself, said, "You're on!"
They shook hands, sealing the bet.
Perry, knowing that all of this speculation could actually be on point started to worry. He said, "Hold on now, Lois. I'll have to get this cleared with the budget office. Did you book your trip through the travel office?"
Lois was exasperated by this point and blurted out, "We are
not going on a
story! We do have a [i]personal[/] life, you know!" Lois was getting irritated at all of this prying into their personal lives and it was in her tone of voice.
Perry, Jimmy and Cat just stood there aghast at this outburst. They were still used to the ‘old' Lois, the one driven by her quest for the next Kerth, a Meriwether and eventually a Pulitzer.
Finally, Clark chimed in, "She's right, folks. We do have a private life outside of this office. When we got married, I promised Lois a honeymoon anywhere she wanted to go. Because of all of the problems her travel outside of the states caused, she decided that she wanted to stay close to home, so I promised her a weekend at the Lexor."
Lois quipped, "Yeah, for a weekend of pure relaxation together with my
husband ... period. No pressure, no deadlines, no riots. Just Clark and me and we plan to make some memories." She just knew that they would be the best memories of her life to date.
Perry still couldn't believe it. He offered one last possibility, "Is it the prison break upstate?"
All of this speculation had pulled Clark away from his article and thinking of the old adage ‘a picture is worth a thousand words', he asked, "Do you want to see our reservation?" He pulled out a slip of paper and displayed it.
Cat grabbed it and read aloud, "It does say, wow, Honeymoon Suite!"
Lois reached over, closed her fingers on the slip of paper, removed it from Cat's unresisting fingers and stuffed it into her bag. "Satisfied now?"
Cat quipped, "I never thought I'd see the day that Lois Lane would be found in the Honeymoon Suite of any hotel, let alone the Lexor. I guess that the Ice Queen has finally thawed!"
Seeing that Clark had just finished shutting down his computer, Lois said, sarcastically, "It just took the right man, thank you very much. We're leaving now." She reached for Clark's arm and started dragging him toward the ramp.
Perry was still marveling at this profound change in Lois. He said, "Lois, you have to admit: the idea of Lois Lane spending an entire weekend
relaxing* is a little, well, far-fetched."
Jimmy and Cat nodded their agreement with Perry's statement.
Lois smiled and replied, "That might have been the case BC, but not now."
Perry was mystified by the reference and asked, "BC?"
Lois looked at her husband and said, "Yeah, BC, Before Clark. Come on, Honey, the Honeymoon Suite awaits." She handed him her suitcase and he took it in his free hand.
Perry just nodded his understanding.
As he was being dragged towards the elevator, Clark said over his shoulder, "Chief, I emailed that Superman story to you."
Always appreciative of Clark's diligence he shouted, "Thanks, son. You two go and have a good time."
Now that she was committed to this Lois was anxious to actually, finally consummate their wedding. They entered the elevator and, as Clark pushed the button, Lois said, "I'm sure we will," turned and smiled at Clark as the doors closed. As soon as they had closed and they were alone, Lois was in Clark’s arms and they were kissing.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
They took the elevator to the garage and when the doors opened, they finally broke the kiss. They exited the elevator and moved to Lois’s Jeep. Clark loaded Lois' bag into it while Lois opened the driver’s door and climbed in. She had taken her suitcase into the bullpen with the intention of changing before they left, however they had run late because of the Superman rescue and Lois had decided to just wear her lavender colored work suit so that they could make their exit.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Arriving at the Lexor, Clark removed their bags from the back while Lois turned over the keys to her precious baby to the parking valet.
When they approached the desk, Lois pulled their reservation slip from her bag and handed it to the desk clerk.
"Ah, yes, Mr. and Mrs. Kent. I have you in the Honeymoon Suite."
Hearing him say, ‘Mrs. Kent', Lois started to smile, wrapped her arm around Clark's and looked at him with adoring eyes. It was still so new, being Mrs. Kent, and she wasn't completely used to hearing herself being called that. It sent a thrill up her spine because it reaffirmed that she was in fact married to this man, this very special, this super man.
The desk clerk hit a bell and shouted, "Front!"
In response a bellboy almost magically appeared next to Clark.
The desk clerk said, tersely, "Honeymoon Suite."
Grabbing their bags, the bellboy said, "This way please," and turning on his heel, led them to the elevator.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Exiting the elevator, Lois and Clark followed the bellboy down the hall. He stopped in front of a door and opened it. He set their bags inside and stepped into the hallway. Pulling a camera from his pocket he stepped back and looked at them expectantly.
Clark just looked at him and finally Lois got the idea and said, "I think he's waiting for you to carry me over the threshold."
A smile crept onto his face as he said, "I think you're right," and leaning down he placed one arm under Lois' knees and the other around her back, the same way he carried her when they were flying. As he lifted, she leaned back into his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. She leaned in and started a kiss.
Being very aware of the presence of the bellboy, Clark pretended to stumble as he crossed the threshold while holding Lois to the accompaniment of the flash of the camera.
Clark placed Lois back on her feet and then reached back to massage his lower back as if he had strained it.
The bellboy had an amused smile as he accepted the tip from Lois and said, "The pictures will be at the desk for you to pick up tomorrow. Enjoy." He was snickering as he closed the door. <This beauty obviously chose a wimp to marry. Well, there's no accounting for taste.>
As soon as the door was closed, Lois slugged him playfully and said, "You and I both know you didn't hurt your back."
He stood up straight and then started rubbing his arm where she had slugged him. "The honeymoon must be over already. That was spouse abuse," and he started to grin.
Lois threw herself into his arms and said, "I would never abuse my ever loving husband. I might love him to death though." Even as she said it, Lois marveled at the changes that had been wrought in her since the incidents in Smallville. She had realized that she was, in fact, in love with Clark and had left him at the altar, so to speak, in an attempt to keep him from committing a potentially illegal act. She had decided to sacrifice her own happiness for his safety. At the time she thought that all she was giving up was her job and the ability to stay in the USA, but over the next two days she had come to the realization that she had given up, oh, so much more. She had given up on ... love. The world, her world changed that Tuesday when Clark showed up announced that they were married, prevented her from leaving and rescued her from a loveless existence. Since that day, they had dated and drawn closer, closer than she could have believed she could be to any one person. There was just something about Clark that drew her to him. He had a quiet and gentle spirit, probably something he had gotten from his parents and he doted on her. He granted her every wish, even before she voiced it in many cases. It was just little things, donuts and coffee, perfectly prepared every time. Dinners. Movies. Sleeping together, without being forced into something that she was not ready for. Always courteous and protective. He'd had saved her life several times in the last few weeks alone. He was her personal guardian angel.
Breaking her reverie, scooping her up, he flew them into the bedroom. As soon as they passed through the door he stopped and they both gaped at what they saw. In the center of the room was a heart shaped bed with a spread the color of Superman's cape and heart shaped pillows also in red with a white ruff around the periphery. Across the room was a lounge chair, wide enough for two, and a large screen TV. Over against the wall was a heart shaped sunken spa tub right next to a large picture window which was made of smoked glass so that no one could see in, but which gave a panoramic view of the city. The spa had been prepared and had bubbles floating on and steam rising from the surface.
Her surprise was expressed as a breathy, "Wow," as she took it all in. Clark allowed Lois to reclaim her feet. Lois had never in her life been naked with a man, that is, with the possible exception of the time in Smallville when she had been returning, naked from the shower and had run into an equally naked Clark going to take a shower, but over the course of their marriage so far, she had been making an effort to overcome her modesty, not with the world, only with him. Slowly she had been making efforts to at least partially undress in front of Clark. Making up her mind, Lois quickly removed her jacket and then reached up and started to unbutton her blouse. She threw the blouse on the bed, then unfastened her skirt and it followed the blouse. Standing there in bra and panties, she turned to Clark and started to babble, "I'm nervous. It's my first time, well, not my
first time, but it is my first time. The first, first time was with a boy, you know, the usual, in the back seat of his father's car after a date and I didn't enjoy it, but he apparently did, but it was over so quickly and he said ‘thanks' and took me home and I cried afterwards and he couldn't even look at me again afterwards and that was the only time and should I really count that? I didn't really want to do it then, but he was pressuring me and made me feel guilty for refusing so many times and this is different, so different. You are different. You haven't pressured me and we're married and … I want to do this."
He babbling ceased and she stood silent as she looked at him to see what his response would be.
comments go here TBC
