Well, it happened...much to everyone's disgust.

Argh! The whiplash! Poor Lois! Poor Clark! Poor Lanes as I'm sure Tempos will attack before the wedding. And knowing Luthor, why should he protect them before then... or afterwards? Then again, if his ego is so huge, it wouldn't look good if he let the family of his beloved to die because of the expense. I *could* see him sacrificing the life of the head of the stables though. Especially since the man has been known to spend evening hours alone with Lois in the privacy of his bedchamber.

Oh, what a kiss! *Dreamy* Oh, Clark is not going to be happy to hear of Lois's grand news despite knowing it was a foregone conclusion prior to becoming a slave. Still... Let's hope he hasn't heard of the Japanese grand art of harakiri. (Sorry, after he cut himself with the knife, it came to my mind.)

Then, again, I also am reminded of Buttercup's proposed sacrifice on her so-called wedding day to Prince Humperdink. No, no. I'm hoping no Romeo-Juliet solution to the Clark-Lois dilemma. At least they have 3 months to come up with a solution that will either make Lois as poor as a farmer's wife (or that of a horse master) or make Clark richer than a Luthor.

France. France sounds good. They could still run off to France, right? *shakes head* Nope. I can't see a solution. How will ye give a happy ending, fair DC?

Loved the kiss - they are so sweet and innocent together. The proposal to Luthor was bound to happen...how is Lois going to get out of it? How is Clark going to improve his station in life? I'm enjoying this story very much.

Hi, Virginia!

Glad you liked the kiss. It's hard to imagine a first (real) kiss for them not being dreamy.

Clark is NOT going to take the engagement news well, I can assure you. But he certainly won't be ritualistically killing himself.

Lex is so blind he has no idea that Lois is all cozy with the stable master. HIs ego doesn't allow him to think that a "slave" could be anything more than just "the help." (Lucky for Lois and Clark both!)

I haven't seen The Princess Bride in years! And I've only seen it fully once, back when I was first dating my husband. I thought it was cute, but it's never been something I've actively sought out to watch. Yeah, I know, that makes me a heretic in some circles.

France might sound tempting but...my evil muse said no.

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the kiss. You're right, of course. The proposal was inevitable. But CAN she get out of it, without sacrificing the lives of the people her family are sworn to protect? Would Lex find a way to "punish" her family?

See? I knew those two couldn't go for long without kissing! Ooh, what a dreamy kiss it was! But now our favorite couple is in love and have no place to go. Luthor with his lukewarm marriage proposal has put an end to that! Good move on Lois' part to stall him for at least three months. After all, a woman likes to find a decent gown for her wedding!

Forget about running away. In those days of tiny villages and hamlets, there was literally no where to run or hide ...not even in France. Sooner or later they would be dragged back to Lane Manor in disgrace.

DC this is going to be a tough nut to crack. Waiting anxiously for the next installment.

Oh yeah! Of course there would be a kiss! Those two really can't help themselves.

You're right, there really isn't anywhere for them to go. They are all very much stuck to their stations in life. And I fear what even the kindhearted Lord Lane would do to Clark if he found out that he'd spirited Lois away.

Oh boy, DC!

What a chapter--the absolutely wonderful hug, followed by such a sweetly, innocent kiss...and then the news that they will be for sure torn apart by Lois marrying Lex! It's amazing how you can have your readers so engulfed in WAFF, and then feel so badly for them, all in such a short time .

I just don't know...how can they get out of this situation? How can there be a happy ending? In this story in particular, our favorite couple seems utterly stuck .

Thank goodness for a three month 'engagement' . What they do seem to need is time to figure this all out. Come up with a plan.

Laura (whose heart is already breaking for when Clark hears the news )

Awesome job, btw. Loving this story!!!

Thanks for reading! Glad you enjoyed the WAFF and the subsequent heartbreak. The truly sad thing is, no amount of plotting and planning on their part will be able to change anything. Clark simply has no influence whatsoever.

Amazing chapter! Lois bandaging Clark's thumb, then the hug and kiss! Wow!

Love the back stories about Paul & Lana. How very similar Lois and Clark are. And their shared laughter. They both desperately need and have found a friend in the other.

And then the reality of their lives come crashing down. They recognize they can't do anything about it, and Lois accepts Lex's proposal. And all in the same chapter.

Really enjoying this story!

Thank you! I thought the bandage scene was a much needed break from all the Lex stuff. Right before I piled out some gross Lex stuff.

Glad you liked the back stories. I thought it would be fun to give some more peripheral characters incarnations in this one. Like their souls are surrounded by a certain, core set of other souls.