Anyone remember this story? I started it back in 2017, and the last chapter went up in 2022. It’s been a while, but it’s finally finished. I'll be posting a chapter every couple of days (when I remember)
Part 12
It had been less than twenty-four hours since Jonathan had arrived home from the hospital. Clark had been keeping himself pretty busy with farm chores while Lois and Martha worked on wedding plans. Jonathan had spent most of his time sitting on the couch trying to relax, but it had been very difficult for him.
Clark had just finished up his second cup of coffee after an early round of chores outside. Now, Jonathan sat at the kitchen table reading the paper while Lois finished washing the dishes from breakfast and Martha tidied up a bit.
“What are your plans for this morning?” Martha asked Clark as he walked up to put his dirty coffee cup in the sink.
“Lois and I are taking a drive to the county clerk’s office to get our marriage license,” Clark answered. He put his arm around Lois’ shoulder, and she pumped her hip toward him. “Dylan will be here around ten. He knows what needs to be finished.”
“I haven’t seen Dylan since he was about ten years old. I can’t believe he’s seventeen already and a senior in high school this year,” Jonathan stated. He picked up his mug and took a sip of the herbal tea the doctors had recommended.
“Dad, you should see this kid. He’s taller than Wayne now. He’s a good kid, and I can see why Wayne’s so proud of him. He was telling me he plans on trying out for the basketball team,” Clark explained as he helped Lois dry some of the dishes and put them away.
“His mom was three years younger than Clark,” Martha told Lois, looking over at her. “She had a little crush on him and would follow him around everywhere from the time she was about nine until she turned twelve. After that, she started getting interested in Brady Grissom, who is Dylan’s dad.”
“So they’ve been together since they were twelve?” Lois asked.
“No, Brady fought it for a long time. Then at sixteen, Brady dated Kathleen’s best friend, Iris, for a couple of years. When they all graduated, Iris went off to St. Louis, and Brady was crushed. Kathleen and Brady leaned on each other and got married four years later,” Martha explained in detail, walking back into the kitchen. “Dylan came along three years after they got married, and then they had twins Dinah and Daina. They live in Lyons, which is about an hour south of here.”
“Dylan has been over here every morning by ten thirty since Wayne asked him to come help,” Lois explained, hanging the dish towel over the drawer handle.
“We should get going,” Clark suggested. He gave his mom a kiss on the cheek. “Is it okay if we take the truck?”
“Go right ahead, Clark, I’m just going to catch up on laundry today. Then get started on some flower arrangements. Your dad will be helping me,” Martha said as she walked over to the key holder next to the front door and grabbed the keys to hand to Clark.
“Oh boy, what fun,” Jonathan mumbled sarcastically, folding up the paper and placing it in the middle of the table.
Clark and Lois left the house shaking their heads and feeling heartbroken for Jonathan. He wasn’t one to sit around and do nothing, and they could both tell he was itching to get back to farmwork.
A few minutes later, Clark drove down the worn-down dirt road, admiring the beauty of the crisp fall day. His soon-to-be bride reached over to hold his hand.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” she admitted.
“We could postpone and do it right in Metropolis in a couple of months,” Clark replied, squeezing her hand.
“We are doing it right,” Lois corrected. “All of these people you grew up with—they are part of you and now part of me. Anyway, I’m looking forward to an outdoor wedding on the farm. It will be perfect.”
Clark looked over at Lois and smiled. She still surprised him after all this time. He never thought she would be happy being in Smallville for more than a couple of days. He definitely hadn’t thought she would be happy getting married on the farm. Now she looked happier than she had in months. The sparkle in her eyes, the enthusiasm in her voice, and the spring in her step.
“How do you think my dad is doing?” Clark wondered, stopping the old pickup truck at a stop sign.
“Better now that he’s home. At least that’s what he told me this morning,” Lois admitted, smiling at him before turning to look out the window.
Clark tried to swallow back his guilt, since he knew now wasn't really the time or place. But he couldn't help feeling it. He still hadn't really talked to his dad since Jonathan had gotten home. He'd only spoken with his dad about mundane things.
“I hope he doesn’t think about working,” Clark responded, barely holding back his concern.
“That’s not why he feels better. He feels better now because he can sleep in his own bed. It’s like when I broke my ankle in that skiing accident three years ago,” Lois explained. Clark noticed her glance at him and then shift in her seat a bit. “They had to keep me overnight since it was so late and the doctors wanted to make sure I wouldn’t need surgery.”
“Oh, right. I guess I didn’t think about that.”
“Of course not. You’ve never had to spend the night in the hospital. There’s only one thing that can hurt you.”
“Two things — kryptonite and losing my family, which includes you,” Clark confessed, bringing her hand up to his lips to kiss her knuckles.
"I love you," Lois gushed, laughing lightly.
Clark kept his eyes on the road, but his heart felt so full as he took in Lois’ words. "I love you, too. So much."
Lois sighed contentedly and then let blew out a short breath. "So, what do you think Perry will say when we tell him we're getting married?"
“I’m more worried about what your parents are going to say,” Clark replied as he tightened his grip on her hand.
“I’m not telling my mother until after we get back to Metropolis. She didn’t leave me alone for weeks after my failed wedding with Lex,” Lois explained, and Clark could hear as her heart rate sped up. “I don’t even know where my dad is these days.”
“What about Lucy?” Clark wondered, taking the next left turn onto the main road heading into town.
“She still brings up Johnny Corben when I talk to her. Plus, she started nursing classes a couple of months ago,” Lois explained. Clark noticed Lois looking back outside again as they passed more houses the closer they got to town.
“Nursing? Wow,” Clark commented, stopping at the first light they had come upon since leaving the farm.
“Yeah, I was as surprised as you. You’d think my parents would be proud of her, but knowing my mother, she would probably say going into nursing was her biggest mistake next to marrying daddy.”
Clark heard the underlying tremor in her voice, the one that always came up when she talked about her parents' marriage. He squeezed her hand again, trying to reassure her. "You do know—we aren't them, right? I think the biggest mistake about our relationship would be not telling you about my secret earlier."
“I know.” Lois gave a little sigh and let her thumb brush lightly over his knuckles. “You know I think your mom thinks we’re sleeping together now,” Lois revealed, looking over at him with a nervous smile.
Clark inhaled sharply and slammed on the brakes. His face became hot. This was one conversation he didn’t think he was going to have with Lois today.
“Well, we are technically sleeping together,” he answered truthfully, glancing around at their surroundings.
“You know full well that is not what I am talking about,” Lois acknowledged with a laugh. “Since the night in the pond, we have been sleeping in your bed. I have noticed, though, that you haven’t been floating in your sleep like you were before.”
“It helps to have you next to me at night. It feels nice to have you be the first thing I see when I open my eyes in the morning.” Clark smiled softly at her. Then, as he remembered that night at the pond, his body started flushing with warmth.
When they finished skinny dipping, Clark flew inside the house at superspeed and grabbed two towels for them to dry off with. With his eyes closed to preserve her privacy, he carefully walked up to the edge of the pond and wrapped the towel around a naked Lois. He helped her dry off as best he could before he kissed her. Their kisses got so passionate that Lois needed to put her hand up to his chest and slightly push him away.
“We need to slow down if we’re going to make it to the wedding," Lois said, her voice a little strained as she tightened the towel around her as though she could resist him only with that barrier in place.
“I can wait if you can, but would you mind if we shared the bed? The couch is getting a bit uncomfortable,” Clark said as he wrapped his arms around her, hoping he didn’t sound too overeager.
“As long as you can behave yourself.” She gave him a wink.
Lois knew both of them had issues with intimacy. It was one reason she had wanted to wait with Clark. She had had so many federal disasters in her life when it came to men — she didn’t want Clark to be another one. Yet the feeling of having a man that cherished her mind, body, and soul felt like heaven. At times, she wasn’t sure if she could even wait until they were married.
That night, both of them slept peacefully in his childhood bed — the best night’s sleep either of them had had in a few days. The following night, they didn’t even stop to think about it and climbed into bed together. It was like that for the next few nights — snuggling together along with kisses and light touches, though they learned to pull it in when things began to get too physical between them. And as the wedding got closer, it was getting more difficult to control themselves.
Now, as they pulled up to the county clerk’s office to apply for their marriage license, Lois instantly noticed the cherry red F-350 parked down the street, and stopped short. Since Clark had been walking in front of her, it took him a second to realize she wasn't walking with him any more. When he noticed, though, he stopped and turned to see what she was looking at. She felt him take her hand in his and give it a little squeeze, and when her eyes finally met his again and saw the look on his face, she took a deep breath to calm herself. She just had to focus on Clark. It was that simple. When he gave her a small, grateful smile, she knew she was doing the right thing.
“I thought she would have returned to the farm by now,” Lois stated as calmly as she could as they walked up the steps toward the entrance.
Clark opened the door and guided Lois, his hand on her lower back, into through the arched doors of the courthouse, where the clerk’s office was located. Normally, his hand always felt welcoming to Lois, but right now it felt more like he was trying to rush her.
She was doing her best to behave. As they lingered just inside the entrance, across from a split staircase that led up to the courtrooms, Lois noticed the courthouse was created in a classical revival style, its walls made of sandstone. The interior of the courthouse was a hollow square with the courtrooms and offices located around the edges. She turned to face Clark when he started to speak.
“Please, if we see Lana, let’s not cause a scene,” Clark pleaded. “My mom was supposed to talk to her mom to remind her that I am happy and getting married to the woman I love.”
“When have I ever caused a scene?” Lois questioned. “And besides, she started it that day in your bedroom.”
“Lana is not so great at taking no for an answer. She always had things handed to her,” Clark explained, standing in front of Lois. He ran his hands through his hair. He wished he would have told Lana the truth years ago — that he just wasn’t really into her.
“Do you think she will do something drastic to stop our wedding?” Lois asked, putting her hand on his chest.
“I hope not, but who knows when it comes to Lana. If push comes to shove, Superman could make sure she is stuck somewhere but safe,” Clark murmured, moving closer to Lois so no one could hear.
“Let’s go get this marriage license and get back home to your parents. I don’t want to think about what she could do to ruin our day,” she commented dryly, taking his hand and pulling him toward the right where the county clerk’s office was.
The small office had misty blue paint along the bottom half of the wall, and the top half was a pale gray. There was a large reception desk divided into two sections, a linear LED pendant light hung above each side. Lois and Clark were still holding hands as they waited behind only one other couple in line. Lois watched Clark smile at the woman behind the counter and then turned slightly to the left to notice a small waiting area with four sloped-arm chairs with a navy-colored, heathered basketweave upholstery. She tugged on Clark’s hand and headed toward the chairs so they could sit down.
“Do you know her?” Lois asked quietly, leaning in a little closer to Clark, but then she answered herself before he could. “Of course, you do. You know everyone in this town.”
“Her name is Dawn Reynolds — well, now Shephard. She was in my graduating class,” Clark explained as Lois looked at the young woman with long, curly strawberry-blonde hair that she had pinned back on the sides. The woman was tall and thin with blue eyes, and was very beautiful.
“Ex-girlfriend?” Lois wondered aloud with a hint of jealousy in her voice.
“More like Lana’s best friend since junior year,” Clark answered, bringing Lois’ hand up to his lips to kiss.
“Great! So I can bet that is why Lana is down the street. Someone must have told her we are getting married soon,” Lois retorted, crossing her legs and sitting up pulling her shoulders back.
“Don’t worry about Lana. If she tries anything, we’ll get through it. Just remember I’m with you, I’m marrying you, I love you,” Clark said. “I don’t know why Lana even thought there was a chance I would get back together with her. It’s not like she was faithful to me when we were together.”
Clark felt Lois’ eyes on him. Yes, the great Lana Lang had been anything but faithful to him. It was yet another reason he had gone to prom with Rachel Harris. Though it wasn’t something he liked to think about and really wasn’t something he was eager to share with Lois, Clark told her about the time he’d caught Lana and Clint Snyder making out in the back of Clint’s truck. It’d been the weekend before prom, and the real insult to injury had been the fact that his newly emerging superhearing was the only reason he’d known was going on behind his back.
“I’m sorry, Clark,” Lois replied, squeezing his hand. Clark felt Lois’ love as she put her head on his shoulder. “You know I would never do that to you.”
“Clark,” Dawn announced, “what can I do for you?”
Clark looked up and noticed that the other couple had left. He stood up and held out his hand to Lois. It was time to get this marriage license.
Lois followed Clark up to the counter and linked her arm with his. She hadn’t always been a jealous person, but Lana Lang wasn’t just any other woman. And this town and friends of Lana needed to know who Clark loved and was going to marry.
She watched as Clark told Dawn what they were here for. Then, Clark handed the woman both of their birth certificates, and Dawn stepped away to make copies, among other things.
“I guess this is it,” Lois whispered, leaning closer to Clark.
The smile he gave her warmed her up inside. She couldn’t believe it. They were one step closer. She felt more involved and giddy than the last time she did this. Instead of something she'd done with Lex, it'd been a chore, a to-do. She'd been summoned to Lex's office along with the county clerk the same day as Perry's retirement party, and she hadn't wanted to deal with any of it. Maybe her extreme hesitance to show up that day should have been a clue.
“What’s that face for?” Clark asked, bringing Lois back to reality.
“I’m just remembering why I love you and why this is such a great idea,” Lois answered, leaning her head on his shoulder.
“If—if you’re having second thoughts,” he stammered.
Lois stepped away and looked up at him. This isn’t what she wanted. No, she didn’t want him to think she had second thoughts. No, it was the exact opposite. She hated that her jealousy and her past actions, along with just how emotional and stressed Clark had been about his dad and the farm, were making Clark doubt her.
“Clark, I love you. I was thinking of the time I almost married Lex and how galactically stupid I was,” Lois said intently, putting her hands on his chest. She could tell he was slightly moving away. “I should have realized then how dangerous Lex was and that I was making a mistake. I shouldn’t have even made it to the aisle. As it was, I kept thinking of you when I was walking down it, thinking about all those times in that first year that made me fall in love with you.”
“Lois, you weren’t stupid. Blind, maybe. But not stupid. Luthor was good at fooling people. And you made the right choice in the end,” Clark reminded her. “I just don’t want you to be thinking of anyone else when you are walking down the aisle to meet me.”
“Never, Clark. We took our time. I mean we sure wasted enough time getting engaged because of the—”
“You have sixty days to get married before this expires. Is that going to be a problem?” Dawn asked as she walked back up to the counter with the paperwork.
Lois and Clark looked at each other and simultaneously said “No!”
“Okay, then,” Dawn replied before rolling her eyes. “Have a great day.”
Lois and Clark walked out of the clerk’s office and paused on the sidewalk for a moment, Lois taking a moment to appreciate how quiet and serene it was in Smallville. It wasn’t as crowded as Metropolis, and the residents were more polite.
“What is it?” Lois asked, grabbing Clark’s hand when she noticed Clark lowering his glasses and looking in the direction of the office they’d just left.
“Dawn just put our paperwork in the back of the filing cabinet. Now she is calling someone,” Clark said in a frustrated tone, squeezing Lois’ hand. “Darn, Lana.”
“Dawn called Lana to tell her what she did. Didn’t she?” Lois felt her blood start to boil. “I’m going to get that woman!”
“No. No, you’re not. Later tonight, I will fly back here and make sure the paperwork is filed correctly. I want Dawn and Lana to think they won this round,” Clark stated as they began to walk back toward the truck.
When they reached the truck, Clark opened the passenger door for Lois.
“I hope you know what you are doing,” Lois said, not getting inside yet. “I’d hate to see us get married and go through all of the pomp and circumstance and it not be legal.”
“Don’t worry, that’s never going to happen,” Clark told her, conviction in his voice, then he leaned in and kissed her gently.
Lois knew luck tended not to be on their side. Something or someone always tried to come between them. Would this time be any different?
