Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic Once Bitten (38/40)

"I won't say anything to anyone," Lois promised. "But you do realise that Diddi is going to be ecstatic if he ever discovers that you're the spaceman he's always dreamed about?"

Clark curled a lock of her hair around his fingers. "Not as ecstatic as I am at discovering you are the woman I've always dreamed about."

She smiled, and for a moment, her fear retreated.

Clark wanted to fling his arms around her in joyous celebration that she knew the whole truth and wanted him, anyway. But ... "I have to go, Lois," he said. "Please tell Diddi I will see him when I get back."

"You're not going to say 'goodbye' to him?"

"No. This isn't 'goodbye'. It's a short separation before we can begin the rest of our lives."

Lois lurched forward and planted a hot and hard kiss on his mouth. "Don't forget that I'll be waiting for you," she said, drawing away.

"Never." Then, Clark rose slowly from the ground. He hovered for a few moments, looking down at her and imprinting the memory of her on his heart, and then he shot into the black African sky.


Part 38

Clark dropped quietly through the darkness and landed on American soil with a gentle thud. He inhaled a great big breath of familiarity. The aromas of rural Kansas would always remind him of the carefree days of his childhood.

He moved easily through the tombstones until he reached the one shared by his earthly parents.

He crouched low and slid his hand along the time-smoothed edge. "Mom, Dad," he said, hushed and reverent. "I found her."

His announcement resounded through the cemetery.

He'd found her.

"I found her," he repeated as his forefinger traced the 'K' at the beginning of 'Kent'. "I wish you could have met her." A wave of grief from the distant past rose again to crash over his heart. "She's everything … everything I always hoped for. She's more than I dared to hope for." A small chuckle rippled out through his words. "You would have loved her, Mom. She adopted a small boy from a different culture. How about that, hey?"

He slowly straightened, feeling the wrench of a last farewell. "I don't think I'll ever come back," he said. "But I won't forget what you did for me. Thank you for shaping my dreams ... for showing me that I could dream, for accepting me … and for loving me. When I was with you, being different didn't matter."

Clark rose slowly from the ground and then shot east, heading for Metropolis, where he intended to use every one of his powers to earn the right to ask the woman he loved to be his wife.

~|^|~

The shrill of the phone snatched Lana Domo from her deep contemplation. She heaved her growing body from the sofa to answer it.

"Hello?" she said.

"Lana, it's Steve. I won't be able to make it home until late."

"Late?" she snapped. "How late?"

"Ten. Maybe eleven."

"Why?"

"Something came up. Mr Tempus needs me to stay."

Lana sighed. "This is the third time this week."

"I can't refuse, Lana, you know that. We owe everything to Mr Tempus. He found us the apartment. He loaned us the money for the wedding. And without him, we wouldn't have even been able to have a wedding until after the baby is born."

Lana knew all that, but she was bored and lonely, and she'd been waiting all day for her husband to come home. "Maybe ten o'clock?" she said.

"It'll probably be closer to eleven."

Which, she knew from experience, meant anything before midnight was going to be unlikely. "OK."

"I can't risk losing this job, Lana," Steve hissed. "With the baby coming and paying back the loan and everything ..."

Lana sighed again. It wasn't just the job or the need to repay the money. They'd both witnessed the consequences when others had dared to defy Mr Tempus. "I'll probably be asleep when you get in," she said. "I'm tired already."

"OK. See you tomorrow."

Lana hung up the phone and slumped back into the sofa.

Another long evening alone. Great. Just great.

~|^|~

Lois walked slowly back to her hut.

Kito had come to her about an hour ago, worried because Martha was unsettled and refusing to feed. After checking her and finding nothing obviously wrong, Lois had taken turns with Kito to walk the baby up and down the hut while Rolle had tried to shut out her daughter's screams and get some rest. Eventually, Martha had settled sufficiently for Rolle to attempt to feed her. The baby had latched on securely, fed well, and fallen asleep within fifteen minutes.

Lois had assured the distraught parents that this was normal for new babies and left them to try to grab a few hours sleep before the next feed time.

She entered her hut, feeling tired but disinclined to return to bed where the silent darkness would fuel her overactive imagination. Diddi hadn't stirred. He would probably sleep for at least another hour. She moved quietly away.

"Maman?"

Turning back to him, she said, "Yes, Diddi?"

He sat up and rubbed his eyes. "I couldn't find Kent," he said.

Lois settled next to her son's bed. "When couldn't you find him?"

"Tonight, when I comed to bed. I wanted to hug him because he looked sad when we were coming back to the village after the hippo tried to hurt Lioli." Diddi screwed up his nose. "But Lioli is going to be -" He clutched her arm. "Did Matymbou call you? Is Lioli sick? Is that why you got up?"

"No," Lois said. "Lioli's fine. Kito called me because Martha was crying. But she's asleep now."

"Oh, good," Diddi said. His flash of smile quickly faded. "I couldn't find Kent anywhere," he said. "I asked Romaric if he knew where he was and Romaric just telled me to go to bed."

"Kent had to go away, Diddi."

Diddi's dark eyes searched Lois's face. "Because we didn't make him happy?" he asked. "You said he would stay if we made him happy."

"No, no," Lois said quickly. "Kent left his old home in a hurry, and he didn't have any time to say 'goodbye' to his friends, so he needed to go back to see them."

"Did his wife decide she wanted to be with him again?"

"His wife?" Lois asked. "Did Kent tell you about his wife?"

"He said she went away because she wanted to be with someone else. Does she want to be with Kent again now?"

"No. I don't think so. He just needs to say 'goodbye'."

"He didn't say 'goodbye' to me," Diddi grumbled.

"He didn't want to make you sad," Lois said. "It was a celebration day, and you were having so much fun with Zephyrin and your other friends. Kent didn't want to spoil that."

"But Kent said he would always be my bestest friend."

As much as Lois wanted to take her son into her arms and assure both of them that Kent would return, the magnitude of her doubts made those words tantamount to deliberate deception. "I know Kent is going to try really hard to come back to us," she said.

"But he might not be able to?"

"It's a long way to his home. And some of the people there might need him to stay for a while."

"We need him to stay with us," Diddi said. "That big hippo would've killed Lioli if Kent hadn't been here."

"Yep," Lois agreed sadly.

"Does he like them other people more'n he likes us?" Diddi asked.

"No. But he knew them first. He wanted to make sure they are all right."

"But he's going to come back?" When Lois didn't reply immediately, Diddi said, "But he's going to try to come back."

"Yes," Lois said. "Yes, Kent is going to do everything he can to come back to us."

Diddi snuggled down the bed. "He'll come back," he declared.

"How can you be sure?"

"Because Kent is the strongest man in the world. He pushed the hippo over. If he wants to come back, nothing can stop him."

But Diddi didn't know about the green rock. And he couldn't begin to comprehend the depths of evil lurking in a man like Tempus. "You go back to sleep," Lois said, arranging the cover over Diddi's thin shoulder. "The sun's still a long way from sticking its nose up over the horizon."

Her words didn't elicit even a smile from her son. "I miss him," he said mournfully. "I want him to come back and live with us."

"Would you like me to tell you a secret about Kent?" Lois asked, wanting to buoy his spirits. "Something he told me before he left?"

Diddi's upper body shot from the pillow. "What?"

"Kent has two names. His other name is 'Clark'."

"Does that mean he's married to Clark?"

"No," Lois said. "It means his parents were called 'Kent' and they named him 'Clark'."

"Clark," Diddi repeated quietly. "Kent Clark."

"No," Lois said, chuckling. "Clark Kent."

"Clarkent." Diddi grinned suddenly. "My bestest buddy is called 'Clarkent'. That's a good name."

Lois gently pushed on her son's shoulder. "You should go back to sleep, Diddi. It's still dark."

But Diddi's eyes didn't close. "Romaric said he's going to make another ball tomorrow. The last one splattered when Nlandu kicked it really hard."

"If you're going to have energy to play with the other boys, you need to sleep now."

Diddi thought for a moment and then said, "I'm not going to play with the other boys."

"Oh?"

"No. I'm going climb the corkwood tree and look out for Clarkent. I'm going to be the first one to see him coming home. Like when Kito comed back from his mobembo. I saw him even before Rolle did."

Lois wasn't going to be drawn into an argument about the next day's activities. "You sleep now," she said firmly.

Diddi obediently lay back and closed his eyes.

Hoping to reinforce that sleep was appropriate, Lois slid between the covers of her bed. She closed her eyes and tried to fill her mind with thoughts of Martha.

She was such a beautiful baby. Even awake and loud in the middle of the night, she had still been beautiful. If only … one day … she and Kent …

Where was he?

Was he in danger? Had he managed to stay hidden from Tempus? Had he evaded the green rock?

Lois didn't move until she was sure Diddi was asleep. Then, unable to remain still any longer, she rose silently and left her hut.

As she walked through the village, her thoughts were half a world away. Had he arrived safely in Metropolis? Did Tempus have access to any alarms that would alert him to an alien presence?

What of Lana? Had her new relationship survived? Or was she facing motherhood alone? How would Kent respond if she begged him to stay and take his only shot at fatherhood?

There were so many possible barriers that could leap up and thwart Kent's efforts to return.

Tempus hadn't risen to his position of supremacy by being careless about detail. He would have kept some of the green rock. He had known that Clark Kent was not from earth. He had known that Clark's superhuman abilities made him a threat to Tempus's world of corruption and greed. He had known that the strange green rock gave him power over the strongest being on earth.

And one of the most pure-hearted.

And that was probably what had alarmed Tempus the most.

Without having consciously directed her feet, Lois found herself at the gate of the quarantine area.

She pushed it open and entered.

The memories hung thickly here. Memories of her and Kent. The day she had first brought him here, half leading, half dragging his broken body to what she hoped would be a sanctuary of peace and healing. The following days when, so very slowly, he had begun to allow her to see tiny snippets of his personality. The first time she'd seem a glimmer of his smile. The soccer game after Diddi had joined them.

And saying goodbye to him, just a few hours ago.

The first streaks of dawn hadn't yet begun to bleed into the night sky. Lois estimated about six hours had passed since Kent had left.

Six hours. If he could fly to America in just a few minutes, six hours was more than enough time.

But, realistically, she shouldn't expect to hear anything until later in the day. Or even tomorrow. A few days was reasonable.

Weeks, even. Months.

"Oh, Kent," Lois murmured. "I don't know how I'm going to live without you."

"You won't have to."

Lois spun around and peered into the darkness. She could see no one. The voice had been quiet, barely audible. Perhaps it had been nothing more than the product of her tired and overwrought imagination.

And a heart that longed for Clark Kent's presence with every beat.

"I'm home, Lois. Home forever."

"Kent?"

He moved out from the curtain of darkness, the moonlight illuminating the left portion of his face first and revealing half a hesitant smile.

"Kent?" Lois uttered, not yet willing to believe.

He extended his arms towards her, and she ran to him, clasping his neck and capturing his mouth.

He was far more than a shadowy illusion! His arms were strong around her. His chest was solid. His mouth was fervent. His touch, his presence … even the smell of cold air that emanated from him ... every sense confirmed the wonderful, amazing truth that the man she loved had come back to her.

But confirming his presence wasn't enough for a mind buzzing with questions. What had happened in Metropolis? Why was he back so soon? Had he - The questions exploded, tumbling out in a gasped, "What happened?"

Kent's smile came slow and sweet like the trickle of honey. "What happened?" he echoed with a teasing lift to his left eyebrow. "What happened is that I'm a single man."

"What?" Her exclamation came perilously close to a squeal. Lois swallowed, dropped a couple of octaves, and asked - almost sedately - "You're single?"

"Yep," he said triumphantly.

"How? What? When? I mean, how do you know? Did you see Lana? What did she say? What about Tempus? Did he -" Lois stopped as horror paralysed her tongue. She cleared her throat. "Is Lana OK? Tempus didn't kill her, did he?"

Kent shook his head. "No," he said. "Lana is perfectly fine. Well, as perfectly fine as she ever is. She's married to the father of her baby."

"She's married?" Lois echoed. "Already? So they've assumed you're dead?"

"I seem to have conveniently evaporated," Kent said with easy acceptance. "I overheard a conversation between Lana and her husband. He mentioned how they owed Tempus everything. How, without Tempus, they wouldn't even be married yet. After that, I got to wondering if Tempus's sphere of influence reached as far as official records, and as it was dark and everything was locked up, it was an easy matter to get in and check."

"You broke in to the Vital Records office?"

Kent shrugged nonchalantly, but his mouth was hinting at a mischievous grin. "I wouldn't say I broke in exactly. I used a bit of extra speed to slip through a door without activating the alarm."

"And found?"

"I found the record of the divorce of Clark and Lana Kent. Apparently, it happened two months ago."

"Two months?" Lois breathed. "But you were -"

"Exactly. I was in Metropolis and very married two months ago," Kent said. "But the records are right there, very official, declaring that the divorce was granted and the marriage has ended." He squeezed her shoulders. "Which means I am a very single man."

Single.

No wife.

No responsibilities.

No conscience tugging him back to Metropolis.

"You seem very happy to be a single man," Lois noted.

"I am. Delighted, in fact."

Lois smiled up at him as her fingers drifted along his jaw. "So, I assume, having gone to such efforts to confirm your single status, you'd be keen to keep it for a long time."

"Nope," he said, grinning big. "I'm hoping to ditch it as soon as possible."

Lois dragged her attention from the magnetism of his smile and forced herself to entertain a few sensible thoughts. "You have time now, Clark," she said. "Everything has happened so quickly. You have time to think about what you really want. Time to settle into the Bangala way of life. You don't have to feel rushed into anything."

His smile didn't dim. "As eager as I was to get back to you, I knew it was night here, so I flew home rather sedately. I've had time to think. For the first time ever, I know exactly how I want to spend my life. I know the people I want to spend it with. I know there is one lady I will always love more than life … and I want to be married to her for as long as possible."

His confidence razed her caution. "Then maybe you should find this lady and do some proposing," she suggested.

He took a breath. "Do you think she'd want an impromptu proposal or a planned date with all the …" He glanced towards the village. "… as many of the trappings as are available?"

"I can't really speak for her," Lois said. "But if she were anything like me, I think she might like the impromptu proposal best."

Kent dropped to his knees in the dirt, took both her hands in his, and said, "Lois Lane, I love you. Will you marry me?"