In response to a request by Ann, I decided to write a small epilogue to the story. Here you are, Ann. This part is for you.
Nan
Wedding Accomplished 2/2
by Nan Smith
Epilogue
The sun was shining brightly on that afternoon, four weeks later, when every newspaper in town, from the Daily Planet to the ones that Lois candidly appraised as bottom feeders, sent representatives to the news conference that had been announced by the Chairman of the Superman Foundation.
There had been rumors flying for a month about the Man of Steel and his long absence from Metropolis. He had been seen once, four weeks ago, and it was rumored that he made the occasional appearance at an emergency, but those incidents were few and far between.
Some said that Superman was suffering from some sort of rare and fatal Kryptonian disease and had placed himself into voluntary quarantine. Others held equally unsubstantiated theories but now maybe the Foundation that had been established in his name was going to shed some light on the mystery.
Clark Kent circulated among the crowd. He and Lois had returned from their honeymoon a week and a half ago, and for a week and a half the tabloids had hyped the story of Lois Lane, gold digger extraordinary, which they had now revived after several weeks with nothing new to report. Now they had the added juiciness of Lane's clandestine marriage to Clark Kent and were playing it for all it was worth. One enterprising writer had gone so far as to advance the theory that it had always been a plot between them that Lois should marry Luthor and that somehow Kent would also profit.
Lane and Kent had refused to answer questions about the whole, mysterious affair, which sent the tabloids and others not so far removed from that station, such as -- in Lois Lane's opinion -- the Star, into a frenzy of speculation, none of it to their credit. But today the local journalism community was simmering with a new set of rumors about the upcoming press conference.
"Hey, Kent! You got any idea what this is about?" The question came from Leo Nunk, whom Lois would have characterized as the bottom feeder of bottom feeders. Clark resisted the temptation to set the toes of his shoes on fire and shrugged.
"Thought you and Lois had some kind of in with Supes," Nunk continued. "Doesn't he give you a heads-up about these things?"
"Nope. I haven't spoken to him in weeks," Clark said truthfully. "Haven't you consulted Madam Zina or someone about it? I'd think you'd have the whole story by now." He turned his back on Nunk and began to work his way toward one side of the crowd, making certain that a number of other people noticed his presence and ignoring Nunk's under-the-breath comment concerning his sexual habits.
There was a stir at the podium. Murray Brown, looking very dignified in his role as the Chairman of the Superman Foundation, climbed the steps to the stage and approached the microphone. The crowd of journalists surged toward him and Clark slipped quietly away and vanished through the door that led to the backstage area.
Lois was there, sitting on a folding chair and looking nervous. Clark, now clad in the famous spandex suit, strode into her line of sight and came to sit beside her. "Hi," he said in a near-whisper.
"Hi," she responded. "I'm glad you're here. Did you have any trouble getting away?"
He shook his head. "Ready to make the Metropolis Star look like the rag it is?"
He could sense her relaxing. "You bet. I've been looking forward to this since we thought of it."
Clark could hear Murray Brown speaking to his audience. "Murray's sure enjoying himself," he remarked softly. "He's informing them that your representative approached the Superman Foundation several weeks ago, and that they were happy to help you. Get ready. You're almost on."
A young man approached them as he spoke. "Mr. Brown is almost ready for you, Mrs. Kent." He turned to Superman. "And you, sir. If you'll both follow me --"
Meekly, they trailed their guide to the wings of the stage, from which they could see and hear everything that was being said. A reporter raised his hand. "What kind of arrangement does Lois Lane have with the Superman Foundation?"
Murray ignored the man. "And now, without further ado, I present our founder, Superman."
"You're on," Lois whispered. He gave her a reassuring smile and strode onto the stage.
Murray Brown extended a hand and the two men shook hands firmly before Murray stepped back from the microphone. Clark looked down into a sea of faces, striving to keep his expression pleasant but neutral. "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the press," he began.
"Hey, Supes! Where've you been all this time?" The brash voice from the crowd was definitely Leo Nunk's. Clark ignored it.
"Due to circumstances beyond my control," he continued, "I have been absent from Metropolis for some time. I'm back now, and have no intention of leaving again. During my absence several events took place, upon which the press has reported extensively. I don't think I need to go into them. However, as a result, The Superman Foundation would like to make an announcement." He paused, looking over the men and women below him. A few of them had actually reported the facts of Lois's marriage to Luthor and had refrained from lurid speculation, but more had done a great deal that would put them in his black books for a long time to come.
He turned to look at Lois, standing just out of sight of the audience. At his nod, she entered, crossing the stage to where he stood. Her heart was thumping hard but outwardly she showed no sign of her nervousness. A murmur had sprung up among the crowd but it died as Lois reached him and he turned to her with a welcoming smile. "Hello, Lois," he said. "I haven't congratulated you and Clark yet. I hope you have a long and happy marriage."
"Thank you, Superman," she said. She turned to the microphone. "In the spirit of that, I'm here to announce the donation of virtually all of my so-called inheritance to the Superman Foundation."
The murmur that sprang up following this announcement threatened to deafen Clark. Lois waited until the sound began to die down before she spoke again.
"My lawyers and my Managing Editor, Perry White, have been negotiating for several weeks with representatives of the Superman Foundation. The Foundation has graciously agreed to take control of my inheritance, and use it to pay restitution to the employees and families of the Daily Planet who were injured by Lex Luthor's crime. They have also agreed to attempt to repair as much of the damage that he did with his criminal organization as is feasible and henceforth to use the funds in the Foundation's many charitable projects in this country and others around the world." She paused. "I wish to thank my editor and the other news organizations that did not leap to pass judgement on me during this whole difficult time, for their journalistic integrity. My husband, Clark Kent, and I appreciate it more than you know." She turned to Superman. "Clark and I discussed this move thoroughly and are agreed that the Superman Foundation can do much better with my inheritance than I can. I signed the final papers today, just before this press conference."
Clark shook her hand. "On behalf of the Superman Foundation, I can only say thank you, Lois. I'm sure that your donation will do a great deal of good for the world." He turned to face the crowd and noted happily that Leo Nunk's jaw was hanging half open. The man appeared to be in a state of shock.
"The Superman Foundation wishes to thank Lois Lane for her great generosity," he continued smoothly. "We'll be dedicating a plaque to her as one of our most outstanding donors and humanitarians. I, personally, would also like to add my thanks along with Ms. Lane's to the editor and staff of the Daily Planet and the other publications that refrained from the temptation to jump to conclusions and irresponsible speculation about the situation that led to Ms. Lane's very laudable action today. Their example is an excellent one and I would hope that many would learn something from it." Again he turned to Lois, ignoring the reaction of some of the members of the crowd. "You have my personal thanks as well, Lois. And congratulations again to you and Clark."
"Thank you," Lois said. He could see her struggling to keep a straight face and decided that it was time to bring their part in this thing to an end. He turned to the crowd.
"Now, I'm afraid I'm needed elsewhere, and Ms. Lane has a job to get back to, so I'm going to turn this event over to our Chairman, Mr. Murray Brown, for any questions you wish to ask. Thank you for coming, everyone." And with that he turned and left the podium, side by side with Lois.
Minutes later, high above Metropolis, Lois turned in his arms, put hers around his neck and kissed him thoroughly. His head was still spinning when she pulled back and he brought them to a stop in the air until he regained his equilibrium. "Wow!" he said. "What was that for?"
"You were great," she told him exultantly. "I'd even say 'super' but I've been saying that several times a day since we got married."
"I'm not sure those count," he remarked. "I don't think your comments had anything to do with my talent for public speaking."
She whacked him on the shoulder. "Don't fish for compliments," she told him. "We've already established why you're called the Man of Steel."
Clark snorted. "I don't think anyone else is ever likely to have your perspective on that," he observed.
She giggled. "They'd better not. Let's go home."
"Not back to the office?"
"I told Perry that you and I were headed out of town for a couple of days to give the media a chance to get over this latest bombshell," she informed him.
"Are we?"
"No, but if we pull the shades and don't answer the door, they'll figure it out," she told him, walking her fingers flirtatiously up his chest. "Besides, do you really mind? You can fax in your story to the Planet and then we can get on with our bonding process. I think we could use more practice."
The answer to that was a burst of speed as Clark headed for their apartment.
Married life was good.
The End (Really, this time)
