Thanks to Kathy
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Last time
"I have no clothes. No makeup. No... anything. It's all at your grandpa's house." She sighed and used a second towel to dry her hair.
"Put some of my clothes on and I'll take you over there. We won't even be late for work. Promise."
"That's as good a plan as any I've got at the moment."
Ten minutes later they were flying through the air. Lois had found a pair of sweatpants that didn't swallow her whole and another T-shirt, but as much as she liked wearing Clark's clothes – and she'd decided she was going to do so fairly often – she was looking forward to getting her own things.
They landed on the back porch after Clark made sure only family was around.
They walked in to find his parents and grandpa standing there, annoyed looks on all of their faces.
"Where have you two been?"
*~*12*~*Clark looked at Lois who was looking at him. "What?" he said, spinning into his business suit.
Gramps just gaped.
"Show off," Lois muttered.
"Where were you two last night?" his mom asked, her arms crossed in front of her. "We know you were in DC for a while, Clark, but we had no idea where either of you were before that and there was no answer at the apartment when we called."
Lois winced. "That was my fault. Actually, a lot of it was my fault. I asked Clark to take me to Smallville last night and then we went back to his apartment. He left for DC immediately and then my mom called and then I turned the ringer off and the volume on the machine all the way down just in case – because I just wanted to sleep at that point." They all moved into the kitchen as she spoke.
"We were just a bit worried, that's all." Sam put his arm around Ellen. "As far as we knew you were coming back here and then we didn't hear anything. And after everything last week with that rock and your powers and everything..."
Clark looked chagrinned. "I'm sorry. We really didn't mean to worry you. We just got busy and hadn't planned on going back to my place last night. We'd planned on coming here but..." He shrugged. "It honestly didn’t even occur to me that you guys might be expecting us and be worried."
"I bet those rings have something to do with it," Gramps said, whispering but loud enough to be heard as he elbowed Sam in the side.
Lois blushed and Clark looked at the counter.
"Care to explain?" Ellen asked softly.
Clark reached out to squeeze Lois' hand. "Why don't you go change and I'll explain everything and then we can head to work?"
"You sure?" she asked, looking up at him.
He nodded and she squeezed his hand back before heading towards the stairs.
Clark slid onto one of the bar stools. He launched into the story about Lowell County and sleeping together and Star's visit the day before.
"Honey, you know I love Star, but do you really think she has any clue what she's talking about?" Ellen asked him skeptically.
He looked directly at his mother. "She told Lois the last time she had a feeling this strong was when you found me in a spaceship."
His mom's eyes grew wide and his dad's jaw literally dropped. "She knows?" Ellen whispered.
Clark nodded. "Apparently." He told how they'd gone to see Lois' uncle and eventually ended up back at his place – just in time for him to leave for Washington. "And we're going out of town this weekend," he finished. "To that beach where I've taken you two a few times."
Sam chuckled and smacked him on the back. "No radios for you to hear. Sounds like a perfect plan to me."
"I know it's really too late, but are you *sure*?" Ellen asked, taking both of Clark's hands in her own. "I do like Lois a lot, but it's so fast."
Clark stood and gave his mom a big hug. "I'm sure."
"Then we're happy for you," she told him, giving him a squeeze. She moved back and took his hand, fingering the wedding band. "Where'd you get this?"
"It was Martha's Grandpa Clark's. Clark is her maiden name. We all thought it was fitting. Especially since I gave her Grams' rings that Gramps' gave me a long time ago."
Gramps nodded. "She's the perfect person to wear them, too. Jenny would have loved her."
Lois chose that moment to walk back into the kitchen looking smart in a black business suit, pulling a pilot case behind her.
"Welcome to the family, Lois." Gramps gave her a big hug which she returned enthusiastically.
"Thank you." She made the rounds, giving both of his parents big hugs before sitting next to Clark.
Clark stood. "Actually, we need to get going. I need to take the Jeep to town so..." He gave his mom a kiss on the cheek and went to get Lois' suitcase.
"I may be in town for lunch. I'll give you a call," Ellen said, giving Lois another hug. "If you're not busy, I'd love to go for a girls' lunch out, since Clark will have you all to yourself this weekend."
"Sure. If we're not in the middle of something, I'd like that," Lois said shyly.
Clark rested his hand on Lois' back as they walked towards the garage.
"They took that well," she commented as Clark put her bag in the back.
"I thought they would. Mom wouldn’t have let you wear that pendant if it wasn't tacit approval of our relationship."
"I kind of wondered about that, but I didn't know for sure."
He expertly navigated out of the port cochere before taking her hand. He kissed her fingers near the rings he'd placed there the night before. "Believe me, Mom never even considered loaning it to Mayson, for instance."
"Good to know."
He linked his fingers with hers as they drove.
After arriving at the Planet, Clark's hand rested on the small of her back as they waited for the elevator, his thumb gently rubbing against the material of her suit coat. He glanced around the parking garage.
They were alone.
He slipped his arm further around her, pulling her to him and kissing her soundly. "I know you don't want everyone to think you got the because you're sleeping with me, but..." He kissed her again. "I could spend all day doing that."
Lois leaned up, like she was going to kiss him, when a 'ding' announced the arrival of the elevator. She moved away and into the back of the already occupied car with a sigh.
Clark moved to stand next to her, not even trying to fight the smile as her hand slipped unobtrusively into his.
Why hadn't they both called in sick again?
Food poisoning from dinner the night before or something?
Those in the elevator with them got off at various floors until, finally, everyone but the two of them exited the floor before the news floor.
Lois launched herself at him as the doors slid shut, kissing him ferociously.
He kissed her back the same way, both of them pulling back just seconds before the door slid open to the news room.
"I've wanted to do that all morning," she muttered under her breath. "But I figured I'd better wait until we didn't have time for anything else because, well, we didn’t have time for anything else, but the shower is one thing and the elevator is another thing entirely."
She set her briefcase down on her desk and smiled demurely at him.
Clark shook his head. She was trying to kill him.
It was going to be a very *very* long day.
*****
TBC
