This is the third installment in my “Nine” series (a real-time account of Lois’ pregnancy). Special thanks go out to Stopquitdont and Julie Stars, who have been terriffic and supportive Betas for me.
Enjoy! Feedback is welcome! Happy Valentine’s Day, FoLCs!
Love, Wanda
PS: If you haven’t already read them, here are the vignettes you missed:
Nine and
Eight .
SEVEN
by Wanda Detroit
* * 7 * *
“Lois! Clark! In here, now!” barked Perry White.
Lois jumped, startled, at the sound of his voice. She hurried into his office, followed closely by her husband.
“What’s up, Chief?” Clark asked, once the door had closed behind them.
Perry had a stern look on his face. “Now, as you know, there’s a UN meeting on the 13th. I need you two to cover it. In Paris.”
Lois started to protest. “The 13th? But--”
“--Chief! We were on the calendar to get Valentine’s Day off...” Clark stammered. It was not often that they asked for days off, so he was somewhat surprised that Perry was not going to honor their request.
“Don’t you think I thought of that? You kids are the best two I have. I need you for this.” Perry cracked a little smile. “Besides... the meeting’s on the 13th. You’ll get your day off.”
“What do you mean? Those meetings run late. By the time we wrap the story up and fly home, our weekend is shot,” Lois sighed. “Not to mention jet lag.”
“Lois. You underestimate me. You two are *not* coming right home. You are staying in Paris,” Perry explained, his smile broadening. “You’re booked for the weekend in a nice suite with an Eiffel Tower view.”
“Really?” Clark questioned.
“There’s a great film, you may know it. It’s called *Viva Las Vegas.* Now, it was made in Elvis’ pre-Priscilla days, of course, and The King wanted to get to know his co-star, Ann-Margret better. So you know what he did? He invited her to his hotel suite and they locked themselves in there for two whole days. The door only opened to receive meals from room service.”
Clark stared at Perry, his brow furrowed in confusion. “And...?”
“And! Those two have more on-screen chemistry than Bogart and Bacall! My point is, I want you two to have *that* kind of weekend,” Perry announced, with more than a little twinkle in his eye.
Lois turned red.
Clark’s jaw dropped. “Uh... right, Chief.”
Perry chuckled. “Go on, now; get out of here.”
Lois and Clark were only too happy to oblige.
* * * * *
Clark was rather surprised when Lois packed a very tiny overnight bag. “You’re sure you’ve got everything in there?” he asked, puzzled as to how four days of outfits could fit into there. *His* bag was bigger than hers!
“Well, I’m wearing the jacket I travel in to the press conference. I packed a skirt in here, and an outfit to go home in. My makeup’s in here, and my toothbrush and stuff. Come on, Clark. I know how to pack light!”
“But... what about the other two days?”
A small smile spread across her face. She withdrew a small parcel from the top of her little bag. It was flat, and no bigger than a quarter-pound of thinly-sliced Swiss cheese from a deli counter. It was wrapped in pink tissue paper, and a gold seal kept it from opening up.
Clark recognized that seal from a popular Metropolis lingerie shop.
“It’s a nightgown. And *yes,* you have to wait,” Lois said, giving him a smoldering look.
“There’s a *nightgown* in there?! I can’t wait...” Clark sighed. As Lois turned away from him briefly to place her package back in the bag, Clark slipped his arms around her from behind. He nuzzled the back of her neck and kissed it gently. How was it possible that she’d become *even more* irresistible to him? He wondered idly if it had something to do with the baby. Lois was positively glowing. His hand rested lovingly on her midsection as he trailed small kisses up and down the side of her neck.
“Mmmm...” she moaned. “Save some of that for Paris, Kent.”
“Oh, I will,” he said softly, turning her to face him. “But here’s one for my baby,” he kissed her softly, “and one more for the road.” He drew her closer, and touched his lips lightly to hers, then urgently deepened the kiss. It was beginning to get difficult for him to consider leaving the bedroom, so he stopped before he got too involved.
Lois took a second to recover. “Thank you, Mr. Sinatra.”
“Ready to go?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
They headed out to the airport, the first time in a while that they were not traveling via Superman Express.
* * * * *
Of course, Clark could not resist taking Lois for a private flight once they had landed in France. He spun into his Superman suit and gave her a glorious aerial view of Paris, swooping past the Eiffel Tower, circling the city, and soaring ever higher to gaze down at the beautiful country below. One thing Superman had not considered was Lois’ extra-sensitive stomach. While flying, he had tried to be especially careful not to dodge anything too quickly or make any jarring movements while carrying his expectant wife. He was just starting to descend towards the city and he couldn’t stop the dips and altitude changes that accompanied a smooth landing.
Lois didn’t express her discomfort to her husband until it was too late. She lost breakfast all over the back of his cape. “Oh no,” she groaned, sputtering.
“Lois! Are you all right?”
“I will be when I’m on solid ground,” she said miserably. “Sorry... your cape...”
“It’ll come out, don’t worry. Hang on tight, honey.” He flew quickly, and set his very green wife down in a back alley in Paris, France. He spun back into his Clark clothes, separating the stained cape from the clean suit. He rushed to Lois’ side; she was looking fairly wobbly and ill. He slipped an arm around her shoulders, escorting her to the nearest trash can, where she was sick again. He rubbed her back sympathetically.
“Come on, let’s get you back to the hotel. I’ll get you some ginger ale or something,” Clark said gently.
“Thanks, Clark. I’m starting to feel a little better already.” She gave him a half-smile, took his hand, and the two walked through the streets of Paris towards their hotel.
* * * * *
They spent the following day working. The press conference that followed the UN meeting was not at all as bad as Lois had anticipated. They returned to the hotel and wrapped up their story rather quickly, thanks to Clark’s super-speed typing. Lois feared her laptop might burst into flames. They found an Internet cafe shortly afterward and walked over to send the story to the Planet.
“This concludes the working portion of the weekend,” Clark said with satisfaction, as he hit the ‘send’ button.
“I’m not so sure about that, Clark. I might have you working pretty hard.” Lois gave him a naughty look.
Clark blushed, then a small smile spread across his face. “I sure hope so.”
“Maybe we should see some sights before we lock ourselves inside, never to be seen or heard from again for two days.” Lois unplugged the laptop and packed it away. When they took to the streets again, the sky was turning a deep lavender-blue.
“You have a point there, Lois. I hear they have a pretty famous tower around here, somewhere...” Clark said with a goofy smile; he looked over his shoulder. “Oh look. There it is,” he chuckled, the Eiffel Tower looming just behind them, all lit up. He took his wife’s hand and together they walked over to look at it.
“We could climb it if you like. Although somehow I don’t think heights are a good idea for you,” Clark said softly, leaning over to kiss Lois on the temple.
“No thanks. No climbing!”Lois said with a small laugh. Together they walked hand-in-hand under the tower, stopping in the exact center. “I have better things to do with my time than climbing to the top of some tower.”
“Like...?” Clark prodded her.
“Like *this.*” She turned to face him, drawing his chin down with both hands. Her lips met his and she kissed him eagerly, completely unaware of the other tourists that had to dodge the kissing couple. She wrapped him in her arms, her urgent, hungry kisses made Clark want her even more, if that was possible.
He pulled back, just a little bit. “I love you, Lois.”
She smiled confidently. “I know. What do you say you and I...” she leaned in close and whispered something in his ear.
Clark blushed. “Sounds good to me!”
“You’ll have to catch me first!” she squealed with a giggle, breaking free of their embrace and dashing off in the general direction of the hotel.
Clark’s heart clenched at the sight of her running off, dodging people left and right, teetering on those high heels of hers. “Lois, *don’t!*” He chased her, catching up to her quickly. He grabbed her in a bear hug from behind.
She spun around, smiling. Then her face fell. Clark was not laughing.
“Lois, you can’t do things like that. Not... now,” he said firmly, the worry evident in his voice.
She frowned. “Clark. You’re being overprotective. I was barely even jogging.”
“In *those* shoes? You could have fallen.”
Lois couldn’t argue with him there. She looked defeated. “I guess you’re right. I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry I scared you.”
Clark held her close, cupping the back of her head with his palm and stroking her hair gently. “I’m sorry, too. I don’t mean to be paranoid like this. I just don’t want anything to happen to you or the baby...”
“I know,” she whispered, feeling guilty.
Clark kissed her forehead and took her hand. “Come on, Lois. Shall we?” Together, they started walking back to the hotel.
“Shall we *what?*” she replied, her dark eyes twinkling.
“That nightgown of yours... I’m dying to see it...” Clark whispered huskily into her ear.
Lois smiled broadly. “I suppose that could be arranged...”
* * * * *
It's not THE END! Look for "Six" coming in March!
