From last time:

"We're both being asked to give up the men we love for the greater good, Lois," Zara replied, frustration creeping into her voice.

Lois glared at the woman standing not five feet from her. Zara's posture was tense, but she looked as though she was trying hard not to appear uncomfortable. Was she making Zara uncomfortable? Well, good, then, she thought petulantly. So I guess Clark isn't your first choice as a husband?" she asked icily.

"No!" Zara began, but seemed to regret the outburst immediately. "What I mean, is, I am in love with someone else," she confessed softly. "Someone I cannot be with, because of my responsibility to my people."

"It's Ching, isn't it." It was a statement, not a question. Lois eyed Zara critically. She was pretty, she mused. Tall, dark hair, intense eyes, strong, striking features, but too formal, too stiff. Not at all Clark's type. God, what was she thinking! Clark wouldn't do that to her. He'd be just as outraged as she was.

"Yes," Zara admitted. "We've known each other since childhood, but our duties keep us apart. I hate asking you to go through what we go through everyday."

"But you can still see him everyday. He's always with you. You're asking me to say goodbye to my husband and to wait, not knowing if he'll ever return to me. He could...something could happen to him...and I'd never know," Lois's voice was barely above a whisper as she finished.

Zara looked away. Lois was thankful to not have another awkward apology or platitude to have to deal with at that moment. The situation itself was too much to bear.


********

Part 7


"I just don't know what to do," Clark explained, exasperated. He paced restlessly in his parents' kitchen as they sat at the table. He'd explained most everything to them, including Zara's last visit just before he'd left for Kansas. He'd bumped into her outside the Daily Planet and she'd explained the whole arranged marriage thing to him. He'd flat out told her that there was no way he'd go along with it.

"You're certain that they're telling the truth?" his father asked.

Clark nodded glumly. "My...birth parents confirmed it." At their puzzled looks, he continued. "The globe...there was another message on it. Jor El and Lara told me to do what I thought was best, but I can't help but feel like I owe this to them. They did so much to save the people who made it off Krypton and they saved me. I feel like...like I'd be betraying them if I didn't finish what they started."

"They wanted what was best for you, Clark," his mother counseled gently. "That's why they sent you here. They wanted what every parent wants: to give their child the best life possible."

"And I'm sure that somewhere on New Krypton, there are an awful lot of parents wishing for the same thing for their kids." Clark pulled out a chair and sat down. He put his elbows on the table and leaned forward, his shoulders slumped in a defeated pose. "How can I even think about this?" he asked quietly, expecting no answer. "How can I even think about leaving Lois? We're supposed to get married this weekend."

"Son..." his father began.

"I have everything I've ever wanted in life right at my fingertips, and I don't want to give it up," Clark interrupted, frustration clear in his voice. "That's selfish of me, isn't it?"

"No," Jonathan replied simply. "You have the same right to want to be happy that everyone else does, and no one should ask you to give that up."

"But life isn't fair, is it?" Clark finished.

"It's a hard choice, but it's yours to make," his father replied.

"We want you to stay, Clark," Martha began. "We want nothing more, but we'll support any decision you make." She placed a hand on top of her son's, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "You have our support, you always will."

Clark nodded in silent thanks and squeezed his mother's hand gently. He remained quiet for a long moment. "I think I need to talk to Lois."

*********

Lois opened the door to her apartment, all of the deadbolts had been unlocked, which meant he was here. Still, her heart leapt up into her throat when she saw him. He stood up from his seat on the couch and she nearly flew into his arms. It had been one of the longest days of her life. She felt like she hadn't seen him in months. How was she going to survive if he left? He held her tightly and she prayed that he'd never let go.

"I don't want to lose you," she murmured against his chest. She could feel his heart pounding an erratic rhythm.

He stepped back and with one hand, tilted her chin up. He gazed at her with fierce, dark eyes, the intensity unhidden. "You could never lose me," he said in a soft, but insistent tone. "Never." He cupped her cheek with his hand and kissed her gently.

Her eyes shut tightly, she tried to burn every detail into her memory - his scent, the warm insistent pressure of his lips against hers, the strength of his embrace, his taste, the way it felt to run her fingers through his thick, dark hair, the way a single touch could make her shiver, a delicious jolt of pleasure skittering down her spine, the way he whispered her name breathlessly. She felt tears prick at her eyes and a lump form in her throat. How was she supposed to let him go?

"Shhh," he whispered as he brushed away an errant tear. He took her hands in his and they sat down on the sofa. She immediately curled up next to him, staring down at their interlaced fingers. "Please, don't cry," he said in a voice barely above a whisper. "I couldn't bear it."

"Don't let me be the thing that holds you back," she murmured, not looking up at him. She couldn't make eye contact with him; she wouldn't have been able to keep herself from dissolving into tears.

"Lois..." She could hear the pain in his voice. "You've never..."

She placed a finger over his lips and shook her head sadly. "If you have to go," she said, her voice breaking on the words. "If you have to go, I will be here. I will wait as long as it takes and I will be here when you come home to me." She sobbed, unable to check the tears. His arms were around her immediately, enfolding her in a warm embrace. He rocked her gently.

"I don't want to go," he whispered. "I don't want to leave you. God, I hate this. I wish I could just make it all go away, make things right again."

"But you can't," she replied tremulously.

"No," he confessed sadly. "I can't."

Lois kissed him fiercely, passionately, trying desperately to cling to the one thing in the world she was certain of, the one thing that wouldn't change no matter what. She was drowning and she knew it. She was drowning and she had to let go of the one thing that could keep her afloat. Lois held him tightly, knowing that no force in heaven or earth would have been able to tear them apart. So instead, she would have to let go. But not yet.

********

He ran his fingers through the silk of her hair absently. It was the middle of the night but neither was sleeping. They lay together on her bed and had remained mostly silent for the last few hours. "I'm afraid," he confessed at last. "What if you need me, what if you get hurt? I won't be here, I won't even know..."

"I'll be all right," she said softly. "Well, I'll find a way to manage, anyway."

"This world needs Superman," he replied. "I'm going to New Krypton to save lives, but what about all the people I won't be able to help here?"

"You aren't a god, Clark. Whatever you can do, that's enough."

"I wish it were," he said roughly. "But what if it isn't?"

They were both silent for a long while. He sighed inwardly. Sure, Lois had managed for twenty-six years before he'd met her, but what if she needed him and he wasn't there? He'd die if anything happened to her. He knew that. Could he take the risk of leaving? Was he putting her life in jeopardy? Lois placed her hand on his chest, over his heart. He placed his much larger hand over hers. Clark held her tightly, his fear and unease growing by the second. Minutes passed and they both remained quiet. He wondered if she'd fallen asleep, but while her eyes were closed, he could tell by her heartbeat that she was still awake. Perhaps like him, she just didn't know what to say. What could they say? There weren't any words that would make this better.

"Ultrawoman," she said at last.

"What?" He'd failed to follow that particular non sequitur.

She sat up, her voice taking on the edge it did whenever a risky idea had entered her head. "We bring back Ultrawoman. With the lightning transfer? It'll work, won't it?"

"I don't know," he confessed. "I mean, it should...but Lois, are you sure? Do you want that responsibility again?"

"I admit, I was pretty anxious to get the powers back to the right person, but I can do this," she said with quiet resolution. "I think."

"It's not right for me to ask you to take over my responsibilities," Clark replied.

"And that's why you're not asking," she said firmly. "I'm the one offering. I know what I'm getting myself into."

He was surprised to find himself seriously entertaining the notion, but how else could he make sure that she'd be safe?

********

"Are you all right?" Clark asked.

"For the thirty-seventh time, I'm fine, really," she replied. He'd been asking her that every since they'd made the transfer. Superman had borrowed some equipment from Dr. Klein in order to create the necessary electrical current and bam! Ultrawoman was back, but this time, without Clark losing his powers as a result.

She'd held on to Clark tightly as they stepped into the path of the Tesla coil and they were both struck by a surge of electrical power. Since the transfer was direct, it wasn't likely that she'd lose the powers over time, unlike the little boy that everyone had believed to be Superman's son. Lois had thought that she would have been more afraid, but the only thing that had been going through her mind at the time was what it would mean to fill Clark's boots again.

She was thankful to have had the practice from her last time around as Ultrawoman, though having the powers back again took some getting used to. She didn't really mind; concentrating on the powers gave her something to think about other than the fact that she was about to say goodbye to the love of her life and she had no idea when she would see him again.

They held hands, their fingers interlaced as they walked quietly through the park. Somewhere, on the other side of the city, her mother was busy yelling at the caterer or something like that, she thought darkly. Planning for and anticipating their wedding seemed like something they'd done a million lifetimes ago. They had, however, picked up their wedding bands that morning. Even if they couldn't get married that weekend, she needed those little reminders of the fact that they would have a life together when he came home, no matter how long it took. She had read the inscriptions in the bands a hundred times since then and they still managed to cause that tightness in her chest and the quiver in her throat.

"Where are we supposed to meet them?" Lois asked.

"They said they'd find us here in the park," Clark replied quietly.

Lois stopped walking. "How do we do this?" she asked, searching his eyes, but not expecting to find an answer. "God, this is so hard."

"I know," he said softly as he pulled her into his arms. "I know."

"Kal El." They both looked up as Ching and Zara approached, their posture stiff and formal, their expressions somber.

"Have you made your decision?" Zara asked.

Clark stepped back, still holding Lois's hand. He looked at her, as though waiting for her approval to continue. She nodded slightly. "We have," he replied. "I will go with you."

Lois bit her lip. It wasn't a surprise, but the moment still affected her. Clark was really leaving.

"Make your arrangements, then," Ching said stoically. "We shall leave in the morning."

********

She stood in her living room, packing things in a duffel bag - a few of the stories they'd written together, some photos. Lois looked down at the little pile of mementos; this was all he'd be taking with him. The lump in her throat returned with a vengeance and she swallowed roughly. Now wasn't the time to fall apart. She'd have to hold it together until after Clark left, then she could just let it all out and cry as long as it took. The thought of Clark being gone only served to make the lump bigger.

Dinner that night had been awful. They'd flown to Kansas to see his parents. She would have been able to fly there under her own power, this time, but this was one of the last times they'd get to fly together for a long while and she wanted to fly in his arms again. The entire evening had been tense, as though no one had any idea what to say. They'd tried to keep the conversation light, but how could they? Any time the discussion turned to what would happen tomorrow or the next day or the week after that, they'd go silent. Reminded of the fact that Clark wouldn't be there.

They'd flown Jonathan and Martha back to Metropolis so that Clark could spend more time with them and so that they could be there to say goodbye in the morning, when he left. He was with them now, promising that he'd come by later. She'd flown a few patrols so that he could spend the time with his parents. Ultrawoman's return had surprised many, but she'd been too distracted to really pay attention.

And so here she was. Packing up things that she thought he'd like to have with him. Things that would remind him of home and of them. She began to fold up a sweater of his that he'd left there a long time ago.

The doorbell rang. Her heart began to pound furiously in her breast, so hard she thought it might shatter her ribcage. She opened it. "Hi," she said softly, tears already forming in her eyes.

"Hi," he replied mutedly.

She threw her arms around his neck, holding him as though for dear life. He hugged her back just as fiercely. For a long moment neither moved. She wondered if he, too, were pretending that if they didn't move, if they stayed frozen like that, that maybe they could make time stop and keep tomorrow from coming. Eventually, he let go of her, and she stepped away, fighting tears she was determined not to let him see.

"Your sweater," she explained with an uneven voice as she folded it and placed it in the bag. "You lent it to me that time that we flew to Bangkok for Thai noodles." She tried to keep her tone light, but knew that she was failing miserably.

She turned away from him, seemingly absorbed in the task of packing the bag. Maybe if she busied herself with the packing, she could keep up the pretense. "I thought you might need it. Who knows what the weather's going to be like on New Krypton, it might be..." frustrated she stopped. She couldn't do this. She couldn't pretend with him. "I don't know what to do here. I could pack some cookies, or darn some socks." Her eyes welled up with tears. "I can't even write you."

"I don't know if I can do this," he confessed miserably.

To her surprise, his fear galvanized her strength. He had always been strong for her. Now he needed her to be strong for him. She took a deep breath, fighting back the tears that had threatened to spill. "You can," she assured him.

"I don't want to leave you," he admitted, his voice rough.

" I will be here, waiting for you, Clark. And if you can return, you will."

"You have so much faith in me," he said quietly.

"Oh, well, that's all I have," she replied, a tremor in her voice. "I think that's what's keeping me standing here, cuz when I let myself imagine tomorrow without you, I start to shake."

"Lois, I..."

She took a long step toward him, closing the gap between them, and took his face in her hands. "I know," she whispered. She kissed him softly before stepping away to open the small jewelry box on the table. Lois looked wistfully at the rings in the box. "I just wish we'd had a chance to wear these." Clark stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her.

"Maybe we should have eloped," he joked.

"Yeah," she replied longingly.

"I'm joking. Probably not the time for jokes, but..."

"I'm not," she said.

His hands on her shoulders he turned her around so she was facing him. He took her hands in his. There was a look of confusion on his face, and he gazed at her intently, as though he were searching for an explanation of her words.

"We should have been married by now," she said. "And I'm tired of things keeping us apart. We have the license, let's just run off somewhere and elope."

"What about the..."

"The wedding?" she finished for him. "I've never cared about the wedding part, Clark. Just the being wed."

"I don't want to do this because we're both afraid this is goodbye. I don't want us to rush into this because we're afraid that we don't have a future together, because I'm going to come back."

"I know you are," she said. "I'm not suggesting this because I don't think you will. I want to recite my vows to you and I want you to know that I mean it when I say that I'm going to wait for you. I want to marry you now because you're coming back."

"You don't have to recite vows to make me believe," he said quietly. "In my heart, I am your husband."

"And I'm your wife," she replied, her voice wavering. "Please, Clark," she whispered as she placed her head against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"There shouldn't be tears on our wedding night," he replied roughly.

"What if I promise not to cry?" A weak laugh covered the breaking of her voice.

"What if I can't make the same promise?" he whispered.

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and bit her lip. Lois could see the emotions he was trying to check. They kissed softly.

"This is crazy," he murmured.

"So was bringing back Ultrawoman," she quipped in response.

"You're insane."

"Sanity's a one-trick pony, pal." It was distancing, she knew, but joking made it easier to deal with the pain. "Crazy keeps you on your toes."

He chuckled softly and held her tighter. "And you've never failed to do that. But are you sure you want to do this?"

"I am," she replied simply. "I want to marry you. I don't want to wait, or plan. I just want to marry you."

"So where do we find someone registered to perform weddings in the State of New Troy at ten seventeen on a Tuesday night?" he asked with a lopsided smile.