Okay, first I want to assure you that I'm still working on "Twins", but I've hit a more difficult part, and decided to rewrite part of the plot toward the end, so it's taking a little longer to post the next section. In the meantime, since this is a much easier and less complicated story to write, I whipped this up last night.
Wedding Consequences: 7/?
by Nan Smith
Previously:
"Okay." She yawned. "Thanks, Clark."
"What for?"
"For being you. For rescuing me. For wanting me even when I acted like such a fool."
"We're not going to think about that anymore," he said softly. "You're here with me now, even if 'here' is out in the middle of nowhere."
They were silent for several minutes. The night noises were surprisingly soothing.
"I never slept with Lex, you know," she said suddenly. "I never wanted to. That should probably have warned me that something was wrong."
She felt him kiss her hair. "You didn't need to tell me, Lois."
"Yes, I did," she said. "You deserved to know. At least that was one mistake I didn't make."
He kissed her hair again. "Shh," he said, quietly. "It wouldn't have mattered. You're mine now, if you'll have me."
"Do you still want me?" she whispered.
"More than anything."
"I love you, Clark."
"I love you too," he said. "I have from the beginning, and I always will."
**********
And now, Part 7:
Long after Lois was asleep against his shoulder, Clark lay staring upward into the darkness. The moon had sunk behind the hills and the stars blazed overhead. From somewhere not far away, he heard the screech of a hunting owl.
He shifted his position slightly, careful not to wake her. The night air was chilly against his face, and the various aches and pains of his muscles and joints made it difficult to sleep, in spite of his fatigue.
He might have thought that the discomfort came from a body unused to the kind of activity that he had put it through today, but that didn't seem right. Despite the loss of his powers, his muscles were well-developed and in good condition. He was still as strong as a normal human male and he doubted that he would suddenly become flabby and out of shape simply because that extra something that made him Superman had disappeared. Besides, his body had hurt more this morning than it did now. No, whatever had made him so ill was probably at fault.
One more time, he considered that. Why on Earth would he suddenly become so sick? The fact that his powers were gone was probably connected, he thought, but he couldn't believe that he had suddenly become susceptible to Earth germs. Even as a child, before he had developed any of his super-powers, he had, according to his mother, never so much as caught a cold and if anyone should know, it would be her. So what was really behind it?
Thinking back to the moment that he had crawled feebly out of the Kryptonite cage, he tried to recall when he had first begun to realize that something wasn't right. After he had escaped from the influence of the Kryptonite, the agony of the direct radiation had disappeared although his body still hurt. He'd been barely able to stay on his feet when he staggered into the lobby of Lex Tower, and he had a vague recollection of people staring at him as he lurched toward the doors, but no one had tried to stop him. He'd hailed a cab to take him to the Lexor and the wedding reception, not sure what he intended to do when he got there, but that was rendered moot by the events playing out when he arrived. Perry and Lois, and masses of guests, out on the sidewalk. Lois, in her wedding gown, looking dazed and barely aware of her surroundings. Luthor's body hurtling downward to strike the pavement with a wet, nauseating sound that still made his stomach lurch. He'd tried to fly, tried to save the man, in spite of all that he had done, in spite of what the consequences would have been if he had succeeded, but his powers were gone. In a way, Luthor had won. He had killed Superman, and Clark Kent hadn't been able to prevent Luthor's death.
He'd fully expected to be without powers for a day or two. He'd felt normal the day after the wedding, and the two days after that, but by the fourth day he'd begun to feel ... well, not quite right. His throat had been a little raspy, and other, more uncomfortable symptoms had begun to make their appearance. He'd hoped that it was simply the result of the lengthy Kryptonite exposure that would disappear after his regenerative abilities had started to kick back in, but by the time he and Lois had been on the way to the airport he'd definitely felt sick. His head had been pounding and his stomach had been upset, although he'd tried hard to hide the fact, and he'd been a little dizzy. It had been a relief to settle into the little plane's seat and lean back. He'd slept a large part of the way, which was unfortunate, as he now had no idea how long they had been in the air, and thereby had no more than a general idea where they were at present. But this illness, he thought, had apparently been coming on for several days before he had actually realized it. It had to be connected to the long exposure to Kryptonite. It was possible that Lois had been right when she'd suggested that it might be some sort of radiation sickness. Maybe Dr. Klein would be able to tell him when they got back to Metropolis, but if that was the source of the problem, if he'd been fighting off long-term effects of the deadly radiation and had reached a point of crisis two days ago, it was no wonder that his powers hadn't returned. Still, he seemed to be genuinely on the mend now, so maybe everything wasn't lost after all. Maybe, after his body had a chance to repair itself, his powers could still come back.
The surge of hope at the thought was all out of proportion to the current situation and the facts, he knew, but it was hard to quell his excitement over the possibility that Superman might return after all. Gently, he ran his hand over Lois's hair, careful not to wake her. Maybe before long he would be able to give her Superman as well as Clark Kent. It would be a shame, after all, for her to have lusted after Superman all this time only to have the man without the powers. The thought was unexpectedly pleasant. Maybe his wish for her to love only Clark had been a bit silly, he thought for the first time. After all, such a development could certainly add spice to a marriage, which certainly wasn't a bad thing, was it?
Whatever happened, though, he was determined to get Lois out of this mess and find whoever had tried to kill her. Someone was after the money that the laws of New Troy said was hers as Luthor's bride. They would have to find some way of protecting her now and in the future, too. As long as that much money was at stake, there would be attempts to extract it from her by fair means or foul. There had to be some way to put it out of the reach of such predators without forcing her to give up the luxury that in his opinion she deserved. Besides, wasn't it far better that it be in her hands than in the hands of the corrupt influences that ran the less reputable arms of LexCorp? If he knew his Lois, she would find ways of using it that Luthor had never envisioned, and that could only be a good thing.
The sound had been tugging at his hearing for nearly a minute, almost drowned out by the night noises around him, but the faint thunk-thunk-thunk sound so characteristic of a helicopter in flight reached him at last. He turned his head, looking frantically for the source, but there was no tiny blinking light that marked the position of the chopper to be seen anywhere in the sky. He strained, trying to pin down direction, but the noise had not been loud, and now it faded and disappeared even as he listened.
He lay listening for long minutes, but the sound was not repeated. It was unlikely to be a search copter, he knew. In the first place, no one was going to be visually searching for them in the pitch darkness. Maybe it was the Forest Service, he thought hopefully, or possibly they were nearer to a military base than they knew. If so, there were bound to be more helicopter flights and maybe they could attract the attention of the crew.
He debated awakening Lois, but decided against it. It would certainly mean that neither of them would get any sleep for the rest of the night, and for all he knew that might be the last aircraft to pass nearby for days. He had only been aware of it for a few seconds before it disappeared; certainly not long enough for him to have begun to get the fire going high enough to signal for help, even if the passengers in the copter were close enough to see a tiny pinprick of light below them, and even if they had realized that it was a signal for help. But he stayed awake for a long time, listening for a sound that never came.
**********
It was Lois stirring against him that awakened him the next morning. The horizon was ablaze with the fiery colors of sunrise and the birds were making enough noise that he wondered how he could possibly have slept through all the racket. The air was chilly against this face, so much so that he couldn't feel the tip of his nose, but the entire front of his body was warm, which was readily explained by the presence of Lois Lane curled as closely as it was possible to get against him.
He smiled, tightening his arms. The rolled-up windbreaker under his head didn't make much of a pillow. There was a crick in his neck and something sharp was gouging him in the back, but he'd never awakened in a more pleasant way in his entire life.
She huddled more tightly into him, if it was possible, and he freed one arm to drag the windbreaker out from under his head, shook it out one-handed and spread it over her as well as he could. The item was thin, of course, but it would help keep the breeze off of her. At least there was no frost this morning. Following the stream they had moved slowly but steadily downhill. Before long, they should be in an area that didn't get frost overnight at all, or at least he hoped so.
Clark looked at his sleeping partner and sighed softly. He supposed that they should get up. They had a long walk ahead of them, but the temptation to stay here for a few minutes more with the woman he loved nestled in his arms was too appealing to resist.
All too soon, however, she opened her eyes, bare inches from his own, and blinked sleepily at him. After an instant's surprise, she smiled. "'Morning."
"Good morning," he said. "Sleep well?"
"Mmm. You're good at keeping a girl warm," she said, beginning to push herself into a sitting position. "Brr, but it's cold! Can you get the fire going fast?"
"If I banked it right, I should be able to." He pushed himself up as well, retrieving his windbreaker that had fallen to the ground when Lois sat up. "Let's see if my dad taught me as well as he thought he did."
He winced as he got to his feet. His heels hurt -- not a surprising circumstance, considering that the night before when he had put on his extra socks he had discovered the beginnings of blisters on each heel. Today, temperature notwithstanding, he intended to wear both layers of socks. He couldn't afford to develop crippling blisters on his feet. They had much too far to go.
Lois bent backwards and he could hear her spine click as she did so. He rubbed at the cramping muscle in his neck and moved to the campfire, and with the help of one of the branches lying beside it, began to uncover what he hoped would still be the glowing embers of last night's fire.
"Well, I'll be darned," Lois said. "It's still burning!"
"More or less. Let's see if I can get this thing going," he said, cautiously. "Are there any blackberries left?"
"No, but there are more bushes by the stream," Lois said. "I guess we're going to have to harvest our breakfast again."
Amazingly enough, he was able to coax the campfire into life once more, and a few moments later they were warming their hands over the flames. Clark stood up, slipping on the windbreaker over his three shirts. "Why don't you stay here by the fire and warm up. I'll go get us some breakfast."
"Hold it, buster." Lois's voice stopped him in his tracks. "How are you feeling this morning? The truth, Clark." She met his eyes steadily. "No macho nonsense."
"Well, no powers, but that's not a surprise. Other than that, I actually feel pretty good," he said, honestly. "A few muscle twinges, hungry as all get out, but other than that, all right."
"As for the hungry part, that probably a good sign," she said. "When you were feeling bad you weren't hungry, either. Okay, go ahead, but if you start feeling sick you come right back, got it?"
"Got it, ma'am," he assured her, pretending to cringe, and she laughed.
"Just hurry up! I'm starved!"
He snatched up the red and purple-stained T-shirt and headed for the stream.
The berries were more plentiful here at a slightly lower altitude. He was able to be more selective in his choices, and shortly had enough to feed the pair of them. Maybe they would cross a path or a road today, he thought hopefully as he headed back to their campsite. They were, of course, extremely lucky to have the blackberries, but as a meal, blackberries were going to get old pretty fast. He was going to have to start looking for other stuff to eat. Didn't gooseberries grow in the Rockies? He seemed to remember reading that somewhere. Just the thought of his mom's gooseberry pie could make his mouth water, and maybe once they got to lower elevations they could find other stuff. Or more likely, they would come across a road that would lead them to civilization of some kind. That would be the best solution of all.
Lois, he saw, was doing stretching exercises when he returned to the campsite. She probably had the right idea, he thought. It would undoubtedly work some of the kinks out of stiff muscles. She straightened up when he strode back into camp with his booty and eyed the bag with a certain resignation. "I take it there wasn't anything but the berries, huh?"
"Nope. I might be able to spot some gooseberries if they grow around here," he said, setting their breakfast down on a clear spot, "and I know some things like lichens and stuff are good to eat, but I haven't got a clue how to tell the edible stuff from the poisonous, so I think we'd better stick to blackberries for now."
"Maybe we could find some birds' eggs," she said, wistfully. "On the other hand, I'd feel really bad stealing some mother bird's eggs, so ..."
"It's the wrong season of the year for birds' eggs anyway," Clark said. "Maybe I can try tickling some fish if we can find a river or something large enough to have fish in it bigger than minnows."
"How do you tickle fish?" Lois asked. "And why?"
"It's a way to catch fish without a hook and line," he explained. "I used to do it when I was a kid on the farm. We'd get some good-sized catfish in the irrigation ditches, and they're pretty good eating."
"Oh. Well, if we come across a river or a lake I guess you can try, but it doesn't look like that's too likely just yet. I think we're going to have to settle for blackberries for now."
"Yeah," he said. He lowered himself to sit cross-legged on the ground beside her. "Breakfast is served, my lady."
"Thank you sir." She picked up a berry and popped it into her mouth. "Not bad. Am I wrong, or are these bigger than the ones you picked yesterday morning?"
"I think so. We're at a little lower elevation. That may have something to do with it." He took several berries and ate them. "I think these are sweeter, too."
"I think you're right." For some time they were silent as they consumed their breakfast.
Clark finished his portion and wiped at a trickle of juice with his thumb. "Well, I've had more filling breakfasts, but as Dad always says, 'Beggars can't be choosers'. Maybe we'll get lucky and spot a crab apple tree or something."
"Do crab apples grow in the Rocky Mountains?" she asked.
"Yeah, but a lot of them have problems with fire blight," he said. "Not to mention, a late frost can kill the developing fruit, so --"
"Never mind," Lois said. "I almost forgot for a minute. You're a farmer's son."
"Sorry about that." He grinned unapologetically. "Anyway, we may run across civilization before long. You never know." He paused. "Oh, I almost forgot."
"Forgot what?"
"After you'd gone to sleep last night, I heard what sounded like a helicopter. It was for less than a minute, and the sound was a long way off," he added. "I couldn't see it anywhere, either, but we might not be too far from, say, an Air Force installation. The Forestry Service has posts around areas like this, too, and possibly stations for keeping watch for fires. We should keep an eye out for planes."
"Why didn't you wake me up?" she asked.
He shrugged. "By the time I realized what it was it was already gone," he said. "I listened for a couple of hours after that, but I didn't hear anything else. We should be alert for stuff like that now, though. It's daytime, and we'd have a much better chance of being spotted."
She nodded. "You're right. One thing, though. It just occurred to me. Do you suppose whoever tried to kill us will be looking for the plane -- just to be sure he succeeded? I kept dreaming about being chased through the mountains by them last night -- whoever 'they' are. I'm probably being a little paranoid, but that's how I managed to stay alive before I met you."
"No," Clark said. "You're right. I should have thought about that before."
"You had a few other things on your mind," Lois said. "If they're looking for us, and they find the plane, they're going to follow us. We'll need to be a little careful if we see anyone. Just as a safety measure." She wiped her hands on one sleeve of the T-shirt. "The first thing I'm going to do when we get to civilization is get a bath."
"I don't blame you," Clark said. "Icy mountain streams aren't the best choice for bathing."
"Brr," Lois said.
**********
By noon, they had made more distance than they had in twice the time the day before. They followed their guiding stream gradually downhill, through an arm of dense pine forest, into a field of high grass and masses of high bushes, and several times down rugged slopes. The noisy little stream meandered briefly through a short canyon and emerged on a shelf of rock from which the water dove twenty feet into space in a tiny waterfall, and wound its way onward into a sea of evergreens. Lois sighed.
"Do you see any sign of civilization?"
"Not yet," Clark said. "Actually we haven't come that far, though -- maybe twenty -- twenty-five miles or so from the plane. There could be a road or something a couple of miles away and we'd never see it until we were practically on top of it."
"Yeah." Lois stared at the path they were preparing to traverse. "I may never look at a tree again. My feet are killing me."
Clark glanced down at the jogging shoes that she had chosen. They looked considerably more comfortable than his own. "Why don't we sit down and rest for a few minutes?" he suggested. "There's no reason to rush."
Lois promptly sank down on the nearest rock and stretched her feet out in front of her. "How are you feeling?"
He shrugged. "Pretty much okay."
"Any sign of your powers?"
"No." He grimaced. "Believe me, Lois, the second my powers show any sign of returning, you'll be the first to know. I'm as anxious to get out of here as you are."
"Yeah, I guess so." She rubbed a knee that she had banged against a rock on the last scramble down a short, rugged incline. "What on Earth do people see in hiking for fun? They must be masochists."
"Well, they usually have the right equipment and supplies -- and they know where they're going," he said with a faint grin. "I wouldn't mind going on a hike, or camping with you, if we had all the right stuff with us."
"I suppose not." She made a face. "Sorry to be a grouch."
"Hey, is this the Lois Lane I know?" he inquired. "She never apologizes for anything."
"Well ..." She gave him a half-hearted grin. "I figured I could make an exception with you. You already know a lot more about me than I intended."
"Sorry about that," he said. "You know I'd never tell anyone else anything about you, don't you?"
"Yeah." She reached out to pat his knee. "Lighten up, Clark. I know why you didn't tell me about Superman before, and I don't blame you a bit. Besides, I know all about those irritating ethics of yours. I'm not worried."
"Well ..." he couldn't help grinning in return. "Clark Kent's ethics are a little different than Superman's, but he still has to stick to them. And I still don't tell anyone anything that was told to me in confidence. But you know, neither do you."
"Clark, do you have any idea how weird you sound, talking about yourself in the third person?"
He shrugged. "Mom says the same thing, but it's how I keep the two separate."
"Kind of a deliberate split personality, huh?"
"Kind of."
"I suppose I'll get used to it." She laid a hand over his. "You've gotten used to a lot about me. I can't complain."
He put his other hand over hers. "I'd like to do a lot more than that."
"You'll get your chance," she said. "Assuming we manage to get out of here. Clark, I've been wondering. Would the Superman Foundation be able to take over managing Lex's money? I'd like to get it out of my control so people don't figure they can get hold of it by threatening me -- or you, or anyone else that matters to us. We could work some kind of deal where they invest it and use the dividends for various projects and such, and maybe be sure there's an income for us in case of another emergency or something -- but the principle would be out of reach. And we could make sure everybody knew it. What do you think?"
"I guess we'd have to talk to your lawyer and the legal division of the Foundation, but we could probably manage something," he said. "That's not a bad idea. I've been wondering how to fix it so you aren't a target. That much money is always dangerous. You don't want to have to live your life behind electric fences with guards and Dobermans protecting you."
"Exactly what I was thinking. I'd go insane in no time. Besides, you never know when one of the people you hire to guard you will decide that he'd like a cut of the money, too. It's happened before."
"Yeah, it has," Clark said.
"Besides," Lois said, with a hint of malice, "Lex tried to kill Superman. It would drive him nuts to know that the Superman Foundation had control of half his fortune."
"Have I ever mentioned how smart I think you are?" Clark said. "Not to mention devious. I like it."
"It's only fair," Lois said. "He hurt a lot of people trying to manipulate me into marrying him. We should use his money to repair as much of the damage as we can. I want to try to do some good with it, considering how much harm Lex did during his life."
"That's my Lois." He squeezed her hand lightly. "I think you're brilliant. But --" with a glance at the evergreen forest still ahead of them, "I guess we'd better get moving."
"I suppose so," she said.
**********
It took a while to find a slope that was less intimidating than the one before them, but eventually they rejoined their guide and made their way into the forest.
The underbrush wasn't as thick once they were under the trees. The tall evergreens blocked out a good deal of the sun for the lesser plants, and the going was easier. They had gone perhaps a mile farther when Clark heard the sound that he had been listening for since last night. The distant beat-beat-beat of the rotors echoed around them, magnified by the mountains on all sides.
"Helicopter!" Lois said.
"Yeah." Clark looked up. The thick canopy of pines cut off any possibility of them signaling for help. They looked at each other in frustration.
"Well, if someone's hunting for us, they're bound to see the plane," Lois said, after a moment. "It's right out in the open. I said in the note that we were following the stream, downhill. They ought to be able to track us down."
"Yeah." Clark glanced upward again. "I guess the only thing we can do is keep on going."
The beat of the rotors faded as they listened, and again only the whisper of the pine trees and the occasional birdcall broke the silence. They started onward once more, both straining their ears for any indication of the returning aircraft, but the sounds didn't repeat themselves. Lois sighed.
"I always wondered why searchers had such trouble finding people lost in the wilderness. Now I know."
"Believe me, it's difficult," Clark said. "Superman has participated in searches like that. At least if they find the plane, they'll know to follow the stream. That's a big help right there."
They were still in the trees when darkness began to fall. In the deep shade of the evergreens, there was no possibility of using Lois's magnifying glass to start a fire, so after a short debate, they decided to camp near the stream, using a clump of the smaller fir trees for shelter. It wasn't the ideal situation, but at least, as Clark pointed out, surrounded by the Christmassy evergreens, nothing dangerous would be able to reach them without alerting them to its presence.
It was while they were setting up their camp that Clark heard the sound of voices.
**********
tbc
